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Cryonics is the low-temperature freezing and storage of human remains, with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticism within the mainstream scientific community. It is generally viewed as a pseudoscience, and its practice has been characterized as quackery.
In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures.
Freezing is a phase transition where a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. In accordance with the internationally established definition, freezing means the solidification phase change of a liquid or the liquid content of a substance, usually due to cooling.
Cryobiology is the branch of biology that studies the effects of low temperatures on living things within Earth's cryosphere or in science. The word cryobiology is derived from the Greek words κρῧος [kryos], "cold", βίος [bios], "life", and λόγος [logos], "word". In practice, cryobiology is the study of biological material or systems at temperatures below normal. Materials or systems studied may include proteins, cells, tissues, organs, or whole organisms. Temperatures may range from moderately hypothermic conditions to cryogenic temperatures.
Liquid nitrogen—LN2—is nitrogen in a liquid state at low temperature. Liquid nitrogen has a boiling point of about −195.8 °C (−320 °F; 77 K). It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. It is a colorless, mobile liquid whose viscosity is about one tenth that of acetone. Liquid nitrogen is widely used as a coolant.
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, most often referred to as Alcor, is an American nonprofit, federally tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Alcor advocates for, researches, and performs cryonics, the freezing of human corpses and brains in liquid nitrogen after legal death, with hopes of resurrecting and restoring them to full health in the event some new technology can be developed in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticism within the scientific community and has been characterized as quackery and pseudoscience.
Freezing food preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved grains and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing food slows decomposition by turning residual moisture into ice, inhibiting the growth of most bacterial species. In the food commodity industry, there are two processes: mechanical and cryogenic. The freezing kinetics is important to preserve the food quality and texture. Quicker freezing generates smaller ice crystals and maintains cellular structure. Cryogenic freezing is the quickest freezing technology available due to the ultra low liquid nitrogen temperature −196 °C (−320 °F).
Robert Chester Wilson Ettinger was an American academic, known as "the father of cryonics" because of the impact of his 1962 book The Prospect of Immortality.
A cryoprotectant is a substance used to protect biological tissue from freezing damage. Arctic and Antarctic insects, fish and amphibians create cryoprotectants in their bodies to minimize freezing damage during cold winter periods. Cryoprotectants are also used to preserve living materials in the study of biology and to preserve food products.
James Hiram Bedford was an American psychology professor at the University of California who wrote several books on occupational counseling. He is the first person whose body was cryopreserved after legal death, and remains preserved at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation.
The American Cryonics Society (ACS), also known as the Cryonics Society of America, is a member-run, California-based, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization that supports and promotes research and education into cryonics and cryobiology. Cryonics is the low-temperature freezing and storage of a human corpse or severed head, with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future.
Curtis Henderson was a pioneer in the practice of cryonics.
Saul Kent was a life extension activist, and co-founder of the Life Extension Foundation, a dietary supplement vendor and promoter of anti-aging research. He was also a pioneer in the practice of cryonics, and was a board member of the cryonics organization Alcor Life Extension Foundation.
Gene banks are a type of biorepository that preserves genetic material. For plants, this is done by in vitro storage, freezing cuttings from the plant, or stocking the seeds. For animals, this is done by the freezing of sperm and eggs in zoological freezers until further need. With corals, fragments are taken and stored in water tanks under controlled conditions. Genetic material in a 'gene bank' is preserved in a variety of ways, such as freezing at -196 °C in liquid nitrogen, being placed in artificial ecosystems, or put in controlled nutrient media.
KrioRus is the first cryonics company in Russia. It was founded in 2005 by the Russian Transhumanist Movement NGO. It is the only cryonic company in Europe to possess an own cryonic storage. The company offers the services of freezing the entire bodies or heads of clients in liquid nitrogen with a plan to revive them if such a technology is developed, but takes no legal obligations to do so.
Oocyte cryopreservation is a procedure to preserve a woman's eggs (oocytes). This technique has been used to enable women to postpone pregnancy to a later date – whether for medical or social reasons. Several studies have shown that most infertility problems are due to germ cell deterioration related to aging. The intention of the procedure is that the woman may choose to have the eggs thawed, fertilized, and transferred to the uterus as embryos to facilitate a pregnancy in the future. The procedure's success rate varies depending on the age of the woman, with odds being higher in younger, adult women.
Cryopreservation or cryoconservation is a process where biological material - cells, tissues, or organs - are frozen to preserve the material for an extended period of time. At low temperatures any cell metabolism which might cause damage to the biological material in question is effectively stopped. Cryopreservation is an effective way to transport biological samples over long distances, store samples for prolonged periods of time, and create a bank of samples for users. Molecules, referred to as cryoprotective agents (CPAs), are added to reduce the osmotic shock and physical stresses cells undergo in the freezing process. Some cryoprotective agents used in research are inspired by plants and animals in nature that have unique cold tolerance to survive harsh winters, including: trees, wood frogs, and tardigrades.
Cryopreservation of embryos is the process of preserving an embryo at sub-zero temperatures, generally at an embryogenesis stage corresponding to pre-implantation, that is, from fertilisation to the blastocyst stage.
A cryopreservation straw is a small storage device used for the cryogenic storage of liquid samples, often in a biobank or other collection of samples. Their most common application is for storage of sperm for in-vitro fertilization.
The Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Research Institute, is a life science research institute and a cryonics services provider in Jinan, Shandong, China. It was founded in 2015, and it is a division of Yinfeng Biological Group. The institute is the first organization providing cryonics services in China. In 2017, the institute made the first cryopreserved patient in China. The institute cryopreserves cells, tissues, human bodies, and animals, including dogs. The institute cooperates closely with the Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Foundation that funds the institute.
References
- ↑ Mills, Emma (2016-11-22). "Inside the Cryonics lab where people hope to come back to life". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235 . Retrieved 2018-12-25.
- ↑ Monette, Michael (2012-04-17). "Spending eternity in liquid nitrogen". CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. 184 (7): 747–748. doi:10.1503/cmaj.109-4144. ISSN 0820-3946. PMC 3328517 . PMID 22431902.
- ↑ Devlin, Hannah (2016-11-18). "The cryonics dilemma: will deep-frozen bodies be fit for new life?". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
- ↑ Coman, Brian J. (2007). A Loose Canon: Essays on History, Modernity and Tradition. Connor Court Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 9780980293623.
- ↑ "Robert Ettinger, founder of the cryonics movement, dies at 92". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
- ↑ "Facility in Macomb County keeps bodies frozen in hopes of bringing them back to life". MLive.com. Associated Press. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
- ↑ https://cryonics.org/member-statistics/ 'Member Statistics - The Cryonics Institute is proud to serve members from around the world.'
- ↑ https://interestingengineering.com/science/28000-to-deep-freeze-your-body-after-death-cryonics-expert-explains '$28,000 to deep freeze your body after death, cryonics expert explains'
- ↑ Maria, Cara Santa (2013-03-18). "Cryonic Preservation After Death: What Does The Science Say? (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
- ↑ "Here's how far cryonic preservation has come in the 50 years since 'Bedford Day'". NBC News. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
- ↑ "Frozen British teen boosts profile of Michigan cryonics lab". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
- ↑ "With Michigan Cemetery License in Hand, Cryonics Lab Freezes Dead Again". 2004-01-08.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)[ dead link ] - ↑ "Video: Deep Freeze in Medicine at the Cryonics Institute". ABC News. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
- ↑ https://cryonics.org/funding-for-cryostasis/ 'Cryopreservation is far more affordable than you might think.'
- ↑ Hoffman, Rudi (2018). The Affordable Immortal: Maybe You Can Beat Death and Taxes. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 200. ISBN 978-1986985369.