Scientists revive activity in frozen mouse brains for the first time
Skip to main content
Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain<br>the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in<br>Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles<br>and JavaScript.
Advertisement
Bluesky
Access to this article via ICE Institution of Civil Engineers is not available.
Change institution
Buy or subscribe
A familiar trope in science fiction is the cryopreserved time traveller, their body deep-frozen in suspended animation, then thawed and reawakened in another decade or century with all of their mental and physical capabilities intact.
Access options
Access to this article via ICE Institution of Civil Engineers is not available.
Change institution
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
27,99 € / 30 days
cancel any time
Learn more
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 52 print issues and online access
196,21 € per year
only 3,77 € per issue
Learn more
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Learn more
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Nature 651 , 563-564 (2026)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00756-w
References<br>Robbins, R. J. et al. Exp. Neurol. 107 , 208–213 (1990).<br>Article<br>PubMed
Google Scholar
Otto, F., Görtz, P., Fleischer, W. & Siebler, M. J. Neurosci. Methods 128 , 173–181 (2003).<br>Article<br>PubMed
Google Scholar
German, A. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 123 , e2516848123 (2026).<br>Article<br>PubMed
Google Scholar
Download references
Reprints and permissions
Related Articles
Read the paper: Barcoding of episodic memories in the hippocampus of a food-caching bird
Miniature medical robots step out from sci-fi
Read the paper: The hippocampus as a spatial map. Preliminary evidence from unit activity in the freely-moving rat
The sci-fi films that physicists love to watch — from Interstellar to Spider-Man
Read the paper: A discrete neuronal circuit induces a hibernation-like state in rodents
Subjects
Brain
Biophysics
Neuroscience
Latest on:
Brain
Biophysics
Neuroscience
How the connection between lung cancer and the brain could lead to better treatments
Outlook 27 MAY 26
Memory on trial: the new science of when to trust eyewitness testimony
News Feature 27 MAY 26
Stress impairs your brain’s ability to link memories — dampening insight
News 22 MAY 26
Enamel nanocrystal misorientation increased with meat-eating and agriculture
Article 03 JUN 26
β-Arrestin condensates regulate G-protein-coupled receptor function
Article 27 MAY 26
Large-scale discovery, analysis and design of protein energy landscapes
Article 13 MAY 26
We vibe-coded a custom AI poetry lab. Here’s how you can, too.
Career Column 27 MAY 26
How the connection between lung cancer and the brain could lead to better treatments
Outlook 27 MAY 26
Transcription factor codes patterning neuronal groundplans of the cerebrum
Article 27 MAY 26
Jobs
Associate or Senior Editor, Communications AI & Computing
Job Title: Associate or Senior Editor, Communications AI & Computing Locations: Shanghai, Beijing, Pune, New Delhi, Berlin or Madrid (hybrid) Appli...
Shanghai, Beijing, Pune, New Delhi, Berlin or Madrid (hybrid)
Springer Nature Ltd
Assistant Professor in Computing Science with a focus on machine learning
A tenure-track Assistant Prof. position in machine learning linked to IceLab’s Center for modeling adaptive mechanisms in living systems under stress
Umeå, Sweden
Umeå University
PhD Student in cardiovascular immunology (m/f/d)
The Medizinische Klinik I (Kardiologie) invites applications for a PhD Student in cardiovascular immunology (m/f/d).
Munich (Stadt), Bayern (DE)
LMU Klinikum
Postdoctoral Positions in ‘Development, Stem Cells and Tissue Regeneration’ Lab
Postdoctoral positions exploring microbiota–stem cell interactions in development, disease & cancer using gnotobiotic models, organoids & multi-omics.
Beijing (CN)
The Chinese Institutes for Medical Research (CIMR), Beijing
Global Recruitment for Faculty and Researchers at Anhui Normal University
Anhui Normal University sincerely invites outstanding researchers and academics worldwide to join its faculty.
Wuhu, Anhui (CN)
Anhui Normal University
Access to this article via ICE Institution of Civil Engineers is not available.
Change institution
Buy or subscribe
Related Articles
Read the paper: Barcoding of episodic memories in the hippocampus of a food-caching bird
Miniature medical robots step out from sci-fi
Read the paper: The hippocampus as a spatial map. Preliminary evidence from unit activity in the freely-moving rat
The sci-fi films that physicists love to watch —...