Humans in search of immortality are trying to breakthrough science by running experiments that may look weird but according to scientists if they turn out well, it would shape humanity in a totally different and new manner. Cryonics, an unproven scientific technique to preserve human dead bodies in hopes to revive them in future is one of such experiments under process.
Cryonics Institute (CI)located at Michigan U.S is on a mission to convince humans into believing the technology they believe in which, as claimed, would bring the dead back to life in the future. Scientists at Cryonics Institute make sure that the dead bodies are preserved well until the technological advancement reach the goals where repairing and reviving dead tissues, nerves and organs can be attained.
Known as Cryopreservation, the procedure involves the long-term preservation of biological tissue which can be achieved by cooling to temperatures below −130°C. Immersion in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of −196 °C (77 kelvins and −320.8 °F) is often used for convenience. – Wiki
This service isn’t just for human bodies only, people can have their pet animals submitted in the service too. Also, people who don’t want their whole bodies to be cryopreserved, can only have their heads frozen. Idea is that even getting your head preserved could give you a chance to re-activate your dead consciousness in the future and have your whole self back, in a body of another dead person or machine.
This whole idea may sound creepy to many but Cryonists have given the scientific explanation to this entire concept on their official website of Cryonics Institute. This lab has been in functions since 1976, however they aren’t the first one to cryopreserved a body. Alcor Life Extension Foundation is another institute formed even before CI, for the very same purpose of Cryonics.
The credit for cryopreserving the first human dead body also goes to the Alcor foundation. Dr. James Bedford, an American Psychology professor is the first man whose body was cryopreserved by this foundation and it’s still frozen in there.
The theory behind Cryonics rely on the expectations from futuristic science that is believed to get advanced enough to be able to unlock few things required to complete the procedure of scientifically reviving a human dead body.
What proven science know so far is that the long-term memory is stored in cell structures and molecules within the brain. In surgeries on the aortic arch, hypothermia is used to cool the body while the heart is stopped; this is done primarily to spare the brain by slowing its metabolic rate, reducing the need for oxygen, and thus reducing damage from lack of oxygen. The metabolic rate can be reduced by around 50% at 28 °C, and by around 80% at 18 °C or profound hypothermia. By keeping the brain at around 25 °C (considered deep hypothermia), surgeries can stretch to be around a half-hour with very good neurological recovery rates; stretching that to 40 minutes increases the risk of short term and long term neurological damage. – Wiki
However, in a study published on Science Direct, it was discussed that Cryonicists argue that as long as brain structure remains intact, there is no fundamental barrier, given our current understanding of physical law, to recovering its information content. Cryonicists argue that true “death” should be defined as irreversible loss of brain information critical to personal identity, rather than inability to resuscitate using current technology.
Since we haven’t gotten any proof yet that what cryonists believe could be achieved in the future or not but this fact can’t be ignored that Science can and has done wonders in the past, present and definitely going to keep doing it in the future too. This is what keeps the believers of Cryonics motivated and hopeful.
However, not everyone can avail this offer of future revival. Cryonics is not a free service. People need to pay the org which is going to offer the service. For example, for a whole body suspension at CI, it costs around $28,000.