Between life and death: how to freeze yourself and wake up in future
Let’s imagine: you fall asleep as an 80-year-old man, but wake up as a youth. In fact, you haven’t slept. You have died and have been frozen. And in half a century you were not only revived but also given the body of a 20-year-old. Sounds fantastic? Of course. But after all, a hundred years ago, doctors would be very surprised to see something common for modern medicine. TASS tells how dead people are being frozen to give them a chance for a second life.
What is cryonics
Many futurists believe that in the next 30–50 years, mankind will learn to cope with any causes of death. Physicians will treat and rejuvenate the body cells — it means that if a person is injured in a car accident, they will simply repair damaged organs. People will even stop dying of “old age” — in fact, this way we call death caused by the natural deterioration of the body. The cells and organs can be rejuvenated. This way, the people of future appear to be young, healthy and immortal. We obviously want to be in this future but most of us don’t have a chance to live long enough to see it.
Scientists came out with the solution: you can’t live until it, but you can save your body for the better times. The most reliable way to do it is to freeze the body. This is how cryonics started. The technology allows to preserve the body of a deceased person in order to revive it someday. But not only revive, but keep the personality, all his or her memories, knowledge and experience. The first experiments on cryonics began in the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1967, for the first time, a person was cryonically preserved, and several years later, in the United States, three cryocompanies were started, thus every person was given the opportunity to freeze himself after death — for a payment.
It is impossible to prove experimentally that the ideas of the cryonists are possible as no one has learned to revive people yet. Although it has already been proved, for example, that if you freeze threadworms alive, they retain conditioned reflexes after awakening (if they survive, of course — this is not possible for everyone). But many scientists consider such experiments unconvincing. “In my opinion, this is a purely commercial exploitation of the dream of an afterlife,” said Yevgeny Aleksandrov, Ph.D. in Physical and Mathematical sciences, the head of the RAS commission which stands up to the pseudoscience. “Mankind will hardly ever find a cure for all diseases because it means the recipe for immortality. I don’t believe in eternal life and suppose that it would be terrible: the evolutionary process will stop”.
But not everyone takes a critical look at cryonics. The “KrioRus” company was established in 2006, and today it has 250 contracts, and 53 people have already been frozen. Other contracts are signed with people who want to be cryonically preserved after death. One can have the whole body frozen or just the head or even the brain (it is assumed that in the future the organ or part of the body can be attached to the robot or to the “donor” human body). Some people freeze pets — the owners hope that someday they will meet with them again.
No one can guarantee the customers that they will be revived. But, unlike those who are in the grave after their death, cryonically preserved people have a chance.
“Dead” is only the physician’s signature”
For those who believe in the medicine of the future, death is a very loose concept. “One of the common signs of death is a direct electroencephalogram, that is, the cessation of brain activity,” says Valerya Udalova, CEO of “KrioRus”. “But I have seen with my own eyes the man resuscitated three times after the “cessation of brain activity” — and the first two times he was talking. In fact, “dead” is only the physician’s signature. A person dies when a doctor signs a death certificate. Even if the patient runs and jumps, he will have to prove that he is alive.”
For cryonists, the point of no return is not biological death, but information one. This way they call a condition where all connections in the brain are completely destroyed. If you freeze the body before the information death, then there is a chance to revitalize the person, retaining his personality. If the preservation takes place after that — there is a chance a person can be physically revived, but with a big concern of keeping his or her mentality, knowledge, memories. It is difficult to determine when the information death comes. Sometimes it’s not too late to cryonically preserve the body even two weeks after the funeral. But in order to get a better chance of a full preservation of the brain, it is better to do it as quickly as possible.
I have seen with my own eyes the man resuscitated three times after the “cessation of brain activity” — and the first two times he was talking. In fact, “dead” is only the physician’s signature. A person dies when a doctor signs a death certificate. Even if the patient runs and jumps, he will have to prove that he is alive.
Valerya Udalova,
CEO of KrioRus
Firstly, the body is prepared for freezing and perfusion is carried out: several solutions are poured into the body to maintain a certain temperature. These are cryoprotectants — the substances that protect the body against damage during freezing. The goal is to make sure that the organism doesn’t form ice crystals, which can spoil the tissues. “Eggs, flour and sugar can be mixed in different ways and make a lot of different dishes. Cold and cryoprotectant can also be mixed in different ways. But there are some absolutely magical recipes. The solutions had been invented for 40 years. To make them work we also need a certain body temperature”, says Valerya Udalova.
Perfusion is a complex operation, it can be carried out by 7–10 people during 12 hours. It is the best to carry out perfusion within a day of death, and usually, the operation is carried out directly in the morgue: it’s easier and faster than getting permission to remove the body. Cryonics is absolutely legal technology, and cryocompany specialists are easily admitted in the morgue: it’s enough to come there with the relatives of the deceased and show the signed contract. There is another option: the client writes his will in advance, in which he appoints an employee of KrioRus as executor — that gives him the right to decide the fate of the client body after death.
We are shown how the perfusion is carried out on a mannequin with a blush and false eyelashes. “His name is Max — it means a maximum of life. He is the symbol of all maximum, of infinity”, says Valerya.
To stop time
“This is the place where time stops,” says Ivan Stepin, an employee of the company, while entering the storage. This is an ordinary warehouse where potatoes or pickles could be stored. But instead of cans with cucumbers, there are large white containers here, with the frozen bodies of people inside.
After perfusion, the body is immersed in liquid nitrogen: no chemical reaction occurs at -196°C. The bodies are stored in Dewar vessels which are thermoses made of special alloys with resin. Vessels should be as durable as possible: if the inner wall is damaged and nitrogen enters the gap between the double walls, the pressure inside will be changed and the container will take off like a rocket.
The bodies of 12 people can be placed in such vessel. Each body is packed in an ordinary sleeping bag, which can be bought at any tourist shop. They are made of polypropylene and polyester, therefore can be perfectly preserved in liquid nitrogen. The bodies are arranged vertically, with their heads down. This is very important: the head and the brain will be at -196°C under any circumstances. A free space is formed in the center of the vessel. Here are placed the iron vessels with the brains of those who have decided to freeze only this organ ( liquid nitrogen doesn’t harm iron).
The company is obliged to store the client’s body before the emergence of “revitalizing” technologies, and when they appear — to revive it. It is assumed that this will happen in three stages: withdrawal from frost, elimination of causes of death, resuscitation. Yet nobody knows how long the bodies will be staying here. After all, before defrosting them, you must defeat illness and old age. “Why should we try to revive a person in the fourth stage of cancer if we can’t cure him or why revive the 97-year-old if we can not rejuvenate him. He will come to life and die in three days. Of surprise”, says Valeria.
Life after death
It’s one thing to revive a person for the sake of a scientific experiment. It’s quite another matter to assume that in half a century cryonics will be cranked out and thousands of “risens” will appear on Earth. What will they do in the unknown future? How can we all fit on one planet? Will we have enough resources?
Speaking about the overpopulation of the Earth, the cryonists laugh. They say: people don’t need a lot of space. Food is already printed on a 3D printer. Yes, and the flight of mankind to Mars is in the near future. If science can defeat old age, sickness and death, then it will definitely conquer other planets.
What you need to know if you want to be cryonically preserved
There are four cryocompanies in the world. Three of them are in the USA and the only one in Russia (“KrioRus”). Cryonical preservation of the patient’s body in this company costs $36 thousand, the brain — $12 thousand. Payment by installments is possible. Cryonics is absolutely legal technology. In order to preserve your body or brain, it is enough to sign a contract. This can be done not only by the person himself but also by his relatives (after the patient’s death).
Under the terms of the contract, “KrioRus” stores the body for a hundred years. After this period, the contract is extended for 25 years, and to infinity (in fact, the contract is unlimited, but it is not technically possible to indicate it in the documents). The body will be stored until the emergence of “revitalizing” technologies. But the company is obliged not only to save but also revive.
The hardest part will be with the first revived people. This person will have only one document: his death certificate. That is, legally there will be a walking dead man. There are also moral dilemmas: what if, after the death and freezing of a person, it turns out that he was a murderer, and it will be impossible to condemn him? What then — to revive or not?
Cryonists are sure that future people will solve these problems. They will not only rehabilitate criminals but also will comfort people who “fell asleep” at beginning of the XXI century and will be “awakened” in a hundred years. There will be rehabilitation centers for them where they will be adapted to the sudden future.
Do the clients of cryocompanies think about it? Not all of them knew that they would get a chance for a second life. In Russia, the consent of relatives is enough to cryonically preserve the deceased. Most of the contracts are signed by the relatives. Usually, they are young people. “Older people have such a picture of the world: was born, lived, did something and it’s time to die, to make room for others,” says Ivan, the employee of “KrioRus”.
But there are different cases: for example, an 84-year-old teacher decided to store her brain and registered in the contract that she wants to come alive as a cyborg. And the young man of 23 has acquired cryonics in installments and now pays a certain amount monthly.
Professor and member of the Academy of Humanities Igor Vyshev is called the founder of the science of immortality: he devoted most of his work to this topic. He is 84, in 2009 he and his wife Olga signed contracts for brain cryonics. The wife passed away six years ago.
“We both wanted to save ourselves, we took this decision together,” he says, “We studied the issue together and paid the money.” I didn’t think, of course, that the wife would pass away first, but it happened.”
He is familiar with the founders of “KrioRus” and he is sure that cryonics is the only opportunity to get a chance to rise again today.
“I don’t have absolute certainty that it will be possible with my wife, because everything may happen. But I am sure that people will eventually find immortality”, the professor says. He is not ready to talk about terms but thinks that this will happen in less than half a century.
The company also freezes pets: they have stored eight dogs, nine cats, three birds and one chinchilla. It may seem to someone there is no sense to cryonize an animal. But for those people who have decided to do it, their pets mean a lot. For example, one couple met each other when both found a kitten on the street. Later they got married, and all their family life was connected with this animal. When it died, they simply could not bury him.
The CEO of “KrioRus” Valerya Udalova has cryonized a dog, her friend and her mother. She believes that she will meet her one day. Valeria’s mother knew that she was dying, and she signed the contract herself. “When we revive her, she will ask:” I’m dead, ain’t it?” I will reply: “Not really. “She will specify:” And what year is it? “ And then… She will sew dresses, which were fashionable when she was a student in the 50’s: fitted, with flared skirts. And then she would like to fly to Mars.”
In the article are used materials:
Lear more: http://tass.ru/nauka/4252137
The article is issued by Bella Volkova, Olga Makhmutova
The translation of the article: Darya Goncharenko
