Professor John Tuthill, a Pew Innovation Fund investigator, is collaborating with researchers at Universidad Austral de Chile to unlock the secrets of extreme cold tolerance in snow flies (Chionea valga). These remarkable insects have been observed moving about in temperatures as low as -10°F, making them ideal subjects for understanding the mechanisms of temperature resilience. Tuthill’s partnership with collaborator Sebastián Brauchi, PhD was recently recognized in the latest Pew Innovation Fund report, highlighting the significance of their cross-continental research.
The work has garnered attention from the UW School of Medicine newsroom, which featured Tuthill’s innovative approach to studying how organisms survive and function in extreme environments. By examining the biological adaptations that allow snow flies to thrive in conditions that would immobilize most insects, the team hopes to reveal fundamental principles of cold tolerance with potential applications in medicine and beyond. Learn more about the Snow Fly Project and the Tuthill Lab’s research below.