This is an interesting breakthrough in organ preservation--wood frogs that freeze solid in the winter, and then thaw without apparent damage in the spring. They're attempting to apply it to donor organs.

Scientists say they don't see any immediate potential for putting an entire human body in a science fiction-style deep freeze...

Well, it seems like a significant step in that direction to me.

I wasn't willing to register to read the article, so I don't know when this came about, but I seem to recall this same thing being mentioned either in a magazine or on the Discovery Channel 12-18 months ago or more. Then again, my idea of timespans is fairly skewed lately, so it could have been as recently as this past summer.

Either way, figuring out how certain plants and animals sustain tissue in extreme temperatures and through freezing and thawing is definitely a step forward in cryogenics. It's also a good step forward in food storage technology, really...

John, bugmenot.com

As I understand it, the frogs do not completely freeze. About 2/3 of the water in their bodies freezes, but the water that remains inside their cells is so loaded with glucose that it remains uncrystalized. Were that water to also freeze, the cells would be disrupted and the frogs would die.

The farthest north wood frogs, in Alaska, can survive down to -12 C, but they wouldn't survive at cryogenic temperatures.

Whatever advances cryogenics or hibernation is good. Since we can't seem to manage to make fast enough ships for deep space travel, this is probably our only ticket.

ESA is also supposedly working on this:
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/scitues_hibernation_041012.html

I believe that some degree of genetic manipulation will be required to adapt humans to the rigors of deep space travel. One change will allow our metabolism to coupe with large amounts of biological antifreeze in our system. Also, humans on average are growing larger and taller and this is bad thing for a cramp confines of a space ship. Space can be a place where the dwarfism trait would actually be sought after and hoped for. Imagine being able to stow human passengers inside of suitcase size hibernation capsules instead of coffins. Smaller people even potentially require fewer calories. Perhaps NASA can remedy a number of problems with the ISS by shooting dwarfs into space instead.

Given all their other problems, I don't foresee NASA going in for anything so un-PC as dwarf tossing.