Ready to take a cold leap into the future?
Myths and legends have often hinted at the possibility of bringing the dead back to life. But what if this idea could become a scientific reality one day? Imagine if advanced medical technology could someday awaken the dead.
Cryonics, a technology that’s gaining attention, might just offer such a possibility. This technique involves cooling the deceased to extremely low temperatures in hopes of one day reviving them. Notably, Ted Williams, the iconic American baseball player, has been preserved through cryonics. Other high-profile figures, such as billionaire investor Peter Thiel and Google’s Chief Engineer Ray Kurzweil, are reportedly in line.
In this article, let’s dig a little deeper into how cryonics works and the challenges as well as the global options for this technology.
The science behind cryonics
The primary goal of cryonics is to preserve the body in a stable state until advancements in technology might one day enable a resurrection. Dennis Kowalski, President of the Cryonics Institute in Michigan, likens it to “an ambulance ride to a future hospital that may or may not exist”.
Here’s how it works: once someone who has arranged for cryonic preservation is declared dead, a medical team quickly applies CPR and uses oxygen masks to keep the tissues oxygenated while cooling the body with ice water. Next, the body is transported in a sealed container to a cryonics facility. There, it’s placed on a device akin to a heart-lung bypass machine, which helps circulate blood and maintain oxygen levels throughout the body.
Instead of simply freezing the body, cryonics uses a technique called vitrification—a process like adding antifreeze—to prevent ice formation and cellular damage even at temperatures below -194 °F (-120 °C). This method cools the body down to around -320 °F (-195.56 °C), followed by storage in a liquid nitrogen vapor chamber. The body remains there, in a state akin to hibernation in a thermos-like container, patiently awaiting the day when advancements in medical technology might just “bring it back to life”.
The challenges and limitations of cryonics
Despite its allure, reviving a body that has undergone cryonic preservation isn’t quite feasible yet. Shannon Tessier, a cryobiologist at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, points out that there is no proven method to freeze an entire human body without causing extensive damage. Experiments on human liver samples have shown that freezing can irreparably destroy cell membranes. Even with vitrification, which prevents traditional freezing, there’s no guarantee that cells or tissues are adequately preserved.
Moreover, Tessier notes that while certain organisms like Canadian wood frogs can tolerate extremely low temperatures due to evolutionary adaptations, human tissues are not so resilient. They cannot endure such extreme conditions, particularly the rewarming process necessary for revival.
Furthermore, the chemicals used in today’s cryonic preservation processes present their own risks. Gary Bryant, a cryogenics researcher from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, highlights that the chemicals used in the procedure are toxic, raising serious concerns about the potential functionality of a body if it were to be revived. This brings into question the overall viability of resurrecting a body that had undergone cryonic preservation.
What expert and the public think about cryonics
Opinions on cryonics vary widely, from skepticism to cautious optimism. Michio Kaku, a prominent futurist and theoretical physicist, suggests that while cryonics proponents often compare it to the success of IVF and frozen embryos, there is yet to be concrete evidence of cryonics’ success in humans. Echoing this skepticism, Dr. Ken Miller, a neuroscientist from Columbia University, describes cryonics as “selling tickets to a ride you can’t go on”, highlighting the speculative nature of the technology.
On a more optimistic note, Kowalski believes in the potential of cryonics. He acknowledges the immense challenges it faces today but remains hopeful about future breakthroughs. Kowalski outlines that for cryonics to be feasible, it must address not only the technical hurdles of freezing and rewarming but also repair cellular damage, cure the original causes of death and possibly even reverse aging. His vision is that if revival were possible, individuals would return to life both healthy and rejuvenated, ready for a second chance.
Kowalski and his family have signed up for cryonic preservation, embracing it as both a scientific experiment and a potential breakthrough. “Even if it doesn’t work, we’re still advancing science,” he remarks, considering the possibility that cryonics could even temporarily “cure death”.
Interest in cryonics isn’t limited to scientists and researchers; it also captures the imagination of the public. For instance, Elaine Walker, a 47-year-old single mother and college instructor from Scottsdale, has enrolled in Alcor Life Extension Foundation’s “Neuro” cryonic service. She expresses a simple desire to “see what happens”, viewing cryonics as a window into what may lie ahead.
Cryonic preservation options worldwide
For those interested in cryonic preservation, there are several options worldwide. In Australia, Southern Cryonics made headlines in May 2024 by successfully freezing its first patient, an 80-year-old man from Sydney, at a cost of US$170,000.
In the United States, the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, an Arizona-based non-profit that aims to “bring cryonic to the world”, offers cryonic services with rapid response teams stationed in the UK, Canada and Germany to ensure swift action after a member’s death. The organization provides two primary options: whole-body preservation, costing about US$200,000 and a less expensive alternative, the “Neuro”, priced at US$80,000. The “Neuro” involves preserving only the head, with the prospect of growing a new body from the individual’s DNA as future technology develops.
Max More, CEO of Alcor, points out that most people fund these services through their life insurance, making it a feasible option for those considering cryonics as a part of their end-of-life planning.
Wrapping up
Technological advancements are reshaping our perceptions of life and death. Just as CPR has transformed from a miraculous revival technique to a daily life-saving routine, cryonics presents a new frontier—potentially resurrecting the dead, though fraught with uncertainties. Questions linger about memory retention, personal identity and ethical concerns, such as whether we’re overstepping nature’s boundaries by challenging the finality of death.
Despite these ethical dilemmas, advocates of cryonics are driven by curiosity and the prospect of what future science might unveil. If successful, cryonics could dramatically alter our understanding of mortality; if not, it still pushes the boundaries of scientific exploration. In either case, the exploration of cryonics continues to spark vigorous debate and inspire visions of what might be possible for humanity.
Also read:
- From Lab to Cradle: The Rise of Artificial Wombs in Modern Medicine
- 4 Apps for Navigating Grief and Loss in the Digital Age
- Graveyards Go Green: Sustainable Solutions in Modern Graveyards
Header Image from Cryonics Institute
