Very interesting research into the origins of life on earth. A certain group of the scientific community believes that freezing conditions were one of the more likely environments for the origin of organic molecules. An experiment lasting over the last quarter of a century by Stanley Miller seems to support that hypothesis.
http://discovermagazine.com/2008/feb/did-life-evolve-in-ice/article_view?b_start:int=0&-C=
