Cryonics:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cryonics?
Cryonics is the practice of preserving the bodies of individuals whose lives can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine by cooling their bodies to cryogenic temperatures to halt further biological decay. This procedure is undertaken in the hope that they can be revived and healed in the future as medical technology progresses. This process typically occurs after legal death is declared.
How does cryonics work?
Cryonics involves several stages:
- Stabilization: Immediately after death, efforts are made to maintain the body’s functions and slow tissue decay.
- Cryoprotectant Infusion: Instead of crude freezing, which can damage tissues, cryoprotectants (anti-freeze-like solutions) are first used to prevent ice crystal formation during cooling.
- Vitrification: The body is cooled to below -196°C in liquid nitrogen, where metabolism and decay essentially stop, preserving the body’s structure at a molecular level.
- Long-Term Storage: The body is stored in cryogenic tanks filled with liquid nitrogen until future medical technologies can be developed which may be able to revive and cure the patient.
Is Cryonics the same as freezing someone?
No. Unlike conventional freezing, cryonics involves vitrification, which turns bodily fluids into a glass-like state rather than ice. This prevents the formation of damaging ice crystals, especially in the brain, where structural integrity is vital for preserving memories and identity.
Can Cryonics really bring people back to life?
Cryonics is based on the premise that future scientific advancements, particularly in fields like nanotechnology, molecular biology, and medicine, may enable us to repair cellular damage caused by illness, aging, and even the cryopreservation process itself. While no human has yet been revived from cryonic preservation, various smaller organisms and organs have. Cryomedicine is already an established science, and cryonics advocates believe that current trends in medical science make eventual resuscitation possible.
When should cryonics begin?
Cryonics must begin immediately after legal death is declared. Any delay between death and preservation increases the risk of irreversible damage to brain tissues, decreasing the chances of successful revival. Most cryonics organizations strive to dispatch standby teams to ensure the process starts as soon as possible.
Who can sign up for cryonics?
Anyone of legal age. Ideally, arrangements should be made before death. Most cryonics organizations require signing contracts and setting up funding through insurance or other means to cover the costs. It’s important to sign up while healthy, as legal issues around posthumous enrollment complicate the process.
Is Cryonics expensive?
Many people fund their cryonics arrangements through life insurance, so the price is often no more than the cost of an appropriate life insurance policy. Cryonics costs vary by organization. The price for whole-body preservation can range between up to $200,000, but the minimum price charged by the Cryonics Institute for whole-body cryopreservation is $28,000. (This fee includes long-term storage in liquid nitrogen but does not cover the cost of transportation or the required Standby and Stabilization services.) Some companies also offer neuropreservation (preserving only the head or brain), which costs less.
Is Cryonics legal?
Cryonics is legal in most parts of the world, though some regions have specific regulations. Cryonic procedures can only be applied after legal death is declared, which usually requires certification from a medical professional.
How long can someone stay in cryopreservation?
In theory, an individual can remain cryopreserved indefinitely as long as they are kept in liquid nitrogen at cryogenic temperatures. The liquid nitrogen must be periodically replenished, but bodies do not degrade over time at these temperatures. Some patients have been preserved for decades already: the first person to be cryonically preserved was Dr. James Bedford, a psychology professor from the University of California. He was cryopreserved on January 12, 1967.
How are cryonics facilities maintained?
Cryonics organizations use state-of-the-art cryogenic storage tanks designed to be fail-safe and low-maintenance. Liquid nitrogen, which is relatively inexpensive, does not rely on electricity, so the main task is to keep tanks refilled. The facilities are designed for long-term operation and include multiple safety measures to ensure the preservation process is stable and that patients are protected.
What happens if the cryonics company goes out of business?
Reputable cryonics organizations have contingency plans and funding to ensure patient care continues even in worst-case scenarios. Trusts, endowments, and financial arrangements are made to cover long-term costs. Additionally, most companies collaborate with each other to ensure continuity of care in case of emergency.
Has anyone ever been revived from cryonics?
No, as of now, no one has been successfully revived from cryonic suspension. However, advocates point to progress in related fields—such as advances in stem cell therapy, molecular biology, and organ regeneration—that suggest reviving cryonics patients could be possible in the future.
How does cryonics differ from other life extension technologies?
Cryonics differs from life extension technologies like anti-aging medicine or genetic engineering because it is a post-mortem intervention. While other approaches aim to slow or reverse aging during life, cryonics is a way to preserve someone after death with the goal of future revival.
What is neuropreservation?
Neuropreservation involves cryonically preserving only the brain, rather than the entire body. Advocates of neuropreservation argue that the brain contains all the information necessary to restore a person’s identity. Any sufficiently advanced technology capable of restoring a cryopreserved brain would surely be advanced enough to grow a compatible new body, or an artificial body, to house the revived brain.
What is vitrification?
Vitrification is a process used in cryonics where cryoprotectants replace water in the body’s cells, allowing the body to cool to extremely low temperatures without forming damaging ice crystals. This process essentially preserves tissues in a glass-like state, which helps preserve them until future technologies may enable repair and revival.
What is the difference between Alcor and the Cryonics Institute?
Alcor and the Cryonics Institute are two of the leading cryonics organizations. Alcor is known for its cutting-edge research and development in cryonics technology and its emphasis on whole-body preservation. The Cryonics Institute, on the other hand, was founded by Robert Ettinger, the ‘Father of Cryonics,’ and focuses more on providing affordable cryonics services. Both organizations have well-established facilities and a growing number of patients in cryopreservation.
What about damage during freezing?
Freezing without proper precautions leads to the formation of ice crystals, which can cause significant damage to cell structures, especially in the brain. Modern cryonics uses vitrification rather than freezing to prevent this. However, some damage still occurs due to current limitations in technology. Cryonics advocates feel that the chance that future medical advancements could repair such damage makes cryonics a reasonable venture. The choice is between certain death and a chance, however distant, at life. There is nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
Note: all text and commentary in the Cryonics Society web site may not be reproduced without the written prior consent of the authors.
Email: contact @ cryonicssociety.org
Tel.: 585-473-3321
The Asset Preservation Group:
Financial And Investment Advice For Cryonicists
This section highlights financial and investment advice for cryonicists by members of the Asset Preservation Group, a members-only association of active cryonicists and financial specialists and advisors, who here share their thoughts and expertise on financial matters relating to developing and safely maintaining assets in the context of cryonics.
It is divided into three principal areas:
An Archive of downloadable articles addressing issues involving cryonics and finance.
A Submissions page, where approved members may send or suggest new articles.
A Contact page, where readers may send comments on published materials, and/or contact the Cryonics Society directly on matters relating to the APR section of our site.
Note: all text and commentary in this special section of the Cryonics Society is private and may not be reproduced without the written prior consent of the authors.
Email: contact @ cryonicssociety.org
Tel.: 585-473-3321