It can slow or stop some biochemical reactions, but it accelerates others. It is used both to preseve the fine structure of cells and to disrupt cells. It is a challenge that is succesfully met by some organisms in nature but not by others. These paradoxes illustrate some of the divergent areas in biology in which low temperatures are of interest.
Cryobiology is the study of living things at low temperature.
It has long been noted that refrigeration or freezing prevents decay of living things. Humans took advantage of this fact by storing perishables in stone pools cooled by streams, root cellars, and snow banks. Several scientists and protoscientists wondered if the cold could not only prevent decay, but also preserve life. However, extensive studies on the effects of low temperature on life would have to await for advances in the broader field of low temperature physics. Dr. John Gorrie is credited with the first ice machine patent in 1851.