By researching children eating popsicles, Harvard physicians Dr. Manstein and Dr. Anderson observed that subcutaneous fat cells were selectively affected and decimated by the cold. The team published their findings in 2008 in the journal Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, noting that extended contact with a freezing agent could reduce body fat without damage to the skin, nerves or muscles. Thus cryolipolysis was born, which is the underlying scientific principle ingeniously exploited by CoolSculpting.