DADADEL
A US lab specializes in the practice of cryonics, freezing the bodies and organs of the recently deceased in anticipation of future revival, a process also desired by some famous individuals.
Cryonics is the practice of freezing the bodies and organs of the deceased, with hopes of future revival. This method effectively suspends death, aiming to preserve bodies for potential resurrection.
In the event of scientific advancements allowing revival, celebrities opting for cryopreservation may have a chance at life again.
Public figures like DJ Steve Aoki and Paris Hilton have expressed interest in cryopreservation. However, notable figures like baseball icon Ted Williams and computer scientist Peter Eckersley have undergone the process.
Alcor, a leading cryonics organization, counts Dr. Max More among its participants since 1986. In a BBC documentary, More discussed Alcor’s practice of monitoring members’ health and dispatching standby teams when necessary.
“It could range from a few hours to several days; we’ve even remained on standby for up to three weeks,” he said in 2014, during a BBC interview.
In the event of a member’s sudden demise, Alcor’s team will act promptly, employing a ‘heart-lung resuscitator’ to restore blood circulation and preserve organ function.
Afterward, the team administers a mix of drugs to stave off cellular deterioration and safeguard the deceased’s tissues.
“This stage is very similar to organ donation,” Dr. More elaborated. “Our goal is to maintain the tissues in a viable state for as long as we can until we’re ready to proceed to the subsequent phase of the process.”
Upon being administered medication, the deceased is carefully transported to the main facility of the US lab, based in Arizona. There, additional steps are initiated to mitigate the potential impact of the freezing process on the body’s tissues.
Following this, a skilled surgeon proceeds to substitute the patient’s blood with a specially formulated ‘medical-grade antifreeze’.
“As the temperature drops below freezing, rather than forming ice crystals, the solution we use merely thickens,” he described.
Once the deceased’s body has been infused with the antifreeze solution, the official beginning of the cryonic process commences.
Initially, the deceased is ensconced in a sleeping bag for protection and is then carefully placed head down in a storage container.
Sealed within the aluminum pod, the body’s temperature is gradually reduced by approximately one degree Celsius every hour.
After a fortnight of continuous cooling, the body reaches a remarkable resting temperature of -196C.
At this pivotal stage, the body will remain in stasis, awaiting potential future medical breakthroughs that might enable its revival.
Dr. More confidently maintains that the aluminum pods’ temperature control requires ‘no energy,’ with liquid nitrogen replenished weekly to sustain the low temperatures.
In 2022, it was noted that about 500 individuals globally had undergone the process of cryopreservation, the majority of them in the United States, China, and Russia.
This cutting-edge science comes with a significant financial investment. Full-body preservation can cost $200,000 (£158,000), while brain-only preservation is priced at $80,000 (£63,000).
Despite the seemingly daunting costs, Dr. More disclosed that almost 90 percent of Alcor members fund the procedure via life insurance.
Although the process presents itself as remarkable, conclusive evidence regarding the feasibility of resurrection in the future remains elusive.
Nonetheless, both Dr. More and the clients of the US lab are willing to accept this risk. The futurist, contemplating the possibilities of medical advancement, emphasized, “I believe it’s essentially a wager on the progression of technology. We’re even investing in research related to nano-medicine, which will undoubtedly play a crucial role in reviving individuals.”
He also alluded to the company’s efforts to “grow organs in the lab” for individuals struggling to find compatible organ donors, underscoring his conviction that humanity will one day triumph over mortality.
