Abstract: A vial for holding a biological specimen during a cryogenic freezing procedure. The vial includes a wall of a material having a predetermined coefficient of thermal conductivity K.sub.1 defining a specimen-receiving internal cavity, and a pin extending in to close proximity with the internal cavity from outside the container. The pin has a coefficient of thermal conductivity K.sub.2 substantially greater than K.sub.1, and defines a path of increased thermal conductivity from the interior to the exterior of the container to cool a specimen carried therewithin. The container includes an upper open end including a sealing cap, and the pin desirably extends sealingly through the container wall at the bottom end portion of the container.

Abstract: The temperature of a biological specimen or other object may be controlled by supporting the object within a vessel containing a liquid cryogen above the liquid cryogen level and varying the vertical spacing between the object and the liquid cryogen level. The vessel is provided with vertically continuous inner walls of high thermal conductivity, e.g., metal walls, to provide a vertical temperature gradient within the vessel above the liquid cryogen level.