The Future of Cryonics: When Will We Safely Suspend and Revive Humans?
When you think about cryonic suspension, you’re basically talking about freezing humans (and even animals) at super low temperatures. The idea is to preserve people now, in the hope that future medicine will find cures for their current ailments and bring them back to life. This whole concept stirs up a lot of opinions, emotions, and questions. The biggest question is: Is this even realistic? Let’s delve into its history to understand more.
**The Beginning**
James Bedford, a psychology professor from California, is considered the first person to be cryonically suspended. He had kidney cancer that spread to his lungs, so he was frozen just a few hours after he was legally pronounced dead. Bedford remains cryopreserved to this day. Over the years, a debate has emerged about when exactly one should start the freezing process.
**The Debate**
Some argue that cryonics should begin within minutes of death or cardiac arrest, using special chemicals called cryoprotectants. On the other hand, some believe it’s possible that the brain, including memory and personality, stays intact for a while after death. This suggests that preserving someone who has been dead for a longer time might still work.
**The Issues**
Cryonics brings up several issues, mainly focused on the cost and legal aspects. The cost can vary widely and is usually quite high, covering services such as freezing just the head and brain or the whole body, along with storage and transportation. Legally, a big question is whether cryonically preserved individuals should be considered dead or alive. Currently, they are legally dead, but they could be declared alive if reanimation becomes possible.
**The Future**
While movies and TV shows have popularized cryonics, what does the future really hold? Reviving a cryonically suspended person touches on fields like bioengineering, nanotechnology, and nanomedicine. Success would depend on repairing any damage caused by lack of oxygen and curing the disease that led to the person’s death in the first place. If revival is possible, it’s thought it could take centuries to achieve.
As it stands today, The Cryonics Institute has 103 human patients and 76 pets preserved. Alcor, another facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, has 115 patients. Support groups for cryonics exist around the world, including in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
While the idea of cryonically suspending a human is full of debates and differing opinions, certain factors are undeniable. These include the legalities, the financial costs, finding a suitable facility, and accepting the possibility that revival might never happen.
