Mailing frozen worms

[Paul Muhlrad]

I've sent worms successfully on dry ice many times.  Along the same lines,
but on another topic, our lab protocols and the Worm Book both say that
when freezing worms it's important to let them approach -70 or -80
gradually by putting them inside a styrofoam container and putting that in
the low temp freezer.  In my experience, this is unnecessary.  I routinely
put fresh freezing stock in a non-insulated revco box in our -80.  I've
also just put the tubes, in the cryotube rack, straight in, and have not
noticed any effect on recovery efficiency.

For what it's worth,
PJM

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  Paul Muhlrad                                                              
  University of Arizona, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology       
  ward_lab at tikal.biosci.arizona.edu (lab)	|      (520) 621-9135 phone  
  pmuhlrad at u.arizona.edu   (private)   		|      (520) 621-3709 fax    
  http://www.u.arizona.edu/~pmuhlrad