7 ms·

Could I freeze my brain now and come back in thirty years?

zyxley 11y ago
We don't know. The actual freezing can potentially go extremely well even with current technology, but the problem is the unfreezing process. So far there's no good way to unfreeze someone and get all their cells going again. This is why the cryonics legal trusts are all designed to be financially self-sufficient in perpetuity: it's a long shot, but if you can get somebody frozen, you can potentially keep them as a meatsicle for Long Enough for somebody to invent medical nanites or machine-brain upload interfaces or whatever.
- mdaniel 11y ago
  > So far there's no good way to unfreeze someone and get all their cells going again. Do we have any non-human examples of this process, or is it 100% hope that the "flying cars" future will have a working process and it will be sufficiently effective to resurrect a human brain? Also, do we even have a mental model of the steps and just not the technology or are we missing the mental steps, too?
droithomme 11y ago
No, the procedure has never been demonstrated to work. There is no empirical evidence. These companies can not give a single instance of them resuscitating a human after undergoing these procedures. Not one. You are paying to have yourself frozen and stored, and that's it. The entire process is based on a combination of cynical opportunists, PR agents and deluded religious faithful who believe in "the procedure" without a shred of scientific proof, and gullible desperate rubes ignorant of empirical science.
- Jach 11y ago
  If your bar for evidence is that a human revival process has been shown to work, I don't think you'll see that for quite some time. But to say there's no evidence it can work is pretty out there... 10 years ago they vitrified a rabbit kidney, then warmed it up, and successfully transplanted it. A kidney's a lot less complicated than the brain, and that was 10 years ago. The research has been pretty underfunded. If you'd actually like the field to progress and uncover evidence for or against the prospect of those who have been suspended up until now ever even having the slimmest chance of revival greater than that of cremation, maybe you should encourage legislation that lets them test on volunteering criminals heading for lethal injection or other end-of-life volunteers who don't want to be preserved but are happy to contribute to Science or large animals. Don't get squeamish over experiments like this: http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/bringingdixieback.html http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/bringingdixieback.html
  - droithomme 11y ago
    Fair enough. I will offer $10 million for a demonstration that this technology works and has a scientific basis, with the proof being the successful resuscitation and revivification into a whole functioning human from any human brain that is in cryogenic storage at this company. I'll even give you a generous whole year to demonstrate it, since you have stated the only problem is insufficient support and funding, well here it is, your big chance. And of course should the year pass and there is still no evidence, just like each of the last 40 years this has been claimed to be a viable technology without a shred of evidence, then you will pay $10 million, to be used for anti-cult deprogramming efforts. Looking forward to acceptance of this offer, followed by either your verifiable evidence or your payment.
    - Jach 11y ago
      Get back to me when you've read: http://chronopause.com/chronopause.com/index.php/2011/02/23/does-personal-identity-survive-cryopreservation/index.html http://chronopause.com/chronopause.com/index.php/2011/02/23/...
- MarkMc 11y ago
  I agree that the procedure has never been demonstrated to work, but that says nothing about the future. For thousands of years people dreamed of powered aircraft that could fly like birds. Many people thought it would aways be impossible, right up until it wasn't.

We don't know. The actual freezing can potentially go extremely well even with current technology, but the problem is the unfreezing process. So far there's no good way to unfreeze someone and get all their cells going again. This is why the cryonics legal trusts are all designed to be financially self-sufficient in perpetuity: it's a long shot, but if you can get somebody frozen, you can potentially keep them as a meatsicle for Long Enough for somebody to invent medical nanites or machine-brain upload interfaces or whatever.

mdaniel 11y ago
> So far there's no good way to unfreeze someone and get all their cells going again. Do we have any non-human examples of this process, or is it 100% hope that the "flying cars" future will have a working process and it will be sufficiently effective to resurrect a human brain? Also, do we even have a mental model of the steps and just not the technology or are we missing the mental steps, too?

droithomme 11y ago

No, the procedure has never been demonstrated to work. There is no empirical evidence. These companies can not give a single instance of them resuscitating a human after undergoing these procedures. Not one. You are paying to have yourself frozen and stored, and that's it. The entire process is based on a combination of cynical opportunists, PR agents and deluded religious faithful who believe in "the procedure" without a shred of scientific proof, and gullible desperate rubes ignorant of empirical science.

Jach 11y ago
If your bar for evidence is that a human revival process has been shown to work, I don't think you'll see that for quite some time. But to say there's no evidence it can work is pretty out there... 10 years ago they vitrified a rabbit kidney, then warmed it up, and successfully transplanted it. A kidney's a lot less complicated than the brain, and that was 10 years ago. The research has been pretty underfunded. If you'd actually like the field to progress and uncover evidence for or against the prospect of those who have been suspended up until now ever even having the slimmest chance of revival greater than that of cremation, maybe you should encourage legislation that lets them test on volunteering criminals heading for lethal injection or other end-of-life volunteers who don't want to be preserved but are happy to contribute to Science or large animals. Don't get squeamish over experiments like this: http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/bringingdixieback.html http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/bringingdixieback.html
- droithomme 11y ago
  Fair enough. I will offer $10 million for a demonstration that this technology works and has a scientific basis, with the proof being the successful resuscitation and revivification into a whole functioning human from any human brain that is in cryogenic storage at this company. I'll even give you a generous whole year to demonstrate it, since you have stated the only problem is insufficient support and funding, well here it is, your big chance. And of course should the year pass and there is still no evidence, just like each of the last 40 years this has been claimed to be a viable technology without a shred of evidence, then you will pay $10 million, to be used for anti-cult deprogramming efforts. Looking forward to acceptance of this offer, followed by either your verifiable evidence or your payment.
  - Jach 11y ago
    Get back to me when you've read: http://chronopause.com/chronopause.com/index.php/2011/02/23/does-personal-identity-survive-cryopreservation/index.html http://chronopause.com/chronopause.com/index.php/2011/02/23/...
MarkMc 11y ago
I agree that the procedure has never been demonstrated to work, but that says nothing about the future. For thousands of years people dreamed of powered aircraft that could fly like birds. Many people thought it would aways be impossible, right up until it wasn't.