Abstract
The stochastic nature of the value of the heterogeneous freezing point, also known as the supercooling point (SCP), is not always realized or well-defined historically. Often the SCP is measured by sealing the solution into a small capillary, and decreasing the temperature of the capillary linearly as a function of time at some preset rate until the solution freezes. This process is then usually only repeated a few times, often employing different samples from the stock solution in each successive run. This procedure misses one of the most important aspects of this phenomenon, namely the inherent width of the distribution of SCP values. In the case of whole animals, the procedure is essentially the same, but great care is taken to ensure that the animal is not seeded with ice, which would prematurely induce freezing in supercooled fluids. Freeze-tolerant animals may survive the experience, and the same sample may be used several times, but not so with freeze avoiding animals. When only a few data points are determined, the likelihood of measuring the most probable nucleation temperature is small. In fact, up to 200-300 measurements are needed on a single sample to determine accurately the nucleation temperature
