Defining life and death is troubling scientists as there might soon be “no permanent turning-off bottom”. Tran humanist, biologist and life extension practitioners are referring the human body to a machine. A machine that can be repaired, modified and re-ignited once it fails. This does practically imply that humans do not need to experience a permanent death. We can die but later be turned-on again. But when will this be possible.
There is no warrant that cryonics will work before a 100 or a thousand years. However, miraculously some experts in the field of cryonics that are working on creating a “timeship for cryonics”. The belief is certain that one-day medical technology will be able to restore almost any chemical disorder. If ever you would come across a transhumanist, they would certainly make their stance clear by giving some irrefutable facts. For instance, in less than a hundred years ago cardiac arrest was impossible to reverse. The moment the heart stopped beating the individual was declared dead. However, nowadays death is said to occur only after around 5 minutes post to the last heart beat. The period denoted before some is dead accounts for the difficulties in resuscitating the brain and not the body.
Recently, warm cardiac arrest treatments have shown that the brain can be re-ignited even after ten minutes without any major injuries. It is thus expected that future technologies will do much more. Molecular repair could make it possible to resuscitate someone even after 60 minutes or more. The definition of death can very soon become an obsolete term, as we will be unable to know when death really occurs.
Information-theoretical criterion for death.
The theoretical death will happen when our cell structure is irreversibly broken down too such a state where no possible state of technology can restore the original state. The term used to define such a death is information-theoretical criterion for death. Those who adhere to any other type of definition for death could arbitrarily be questioned as technology advancement progress. Cryonics claim that soon there won’t even be death.
The rudimentary of cryonics is to preserve cell structures as well as chemical composition until a technology will be able to bring one back to life. In simple terms, if ever a cryonic patient will be able to live once again, it is certain that they weren’t really dead at all. The question of death and life has triggered confusions amidst scientists. It is thus not a strong argument to validate that a cryonic patient is already dead.
State of Cryonics Progress
You might be surprised to know that hundreds of individuals have already been cryopreserved. The 1967 the first person was cryopreserved. Since, that even more than a thousand individuals have made financial and legal arrangement to be preserved similarly. In today’s modern environment, Alcor is definitely the largest cryonics organization.
Alcor has the most technology advanced methodology to preserve people. The cryoprervation process begins once an individual suffers from a cardiac arrest. A procedure that allows artificial restoring of both breathing and blood circulation is initiated to provide the brain with oxygen. The aim of the process is to assure that the brain remains alive while the cooling process is started.
Not long ago, in 2001 Alcor successfully refined the cryopreservation process. An ice-free preservation was made possible known as “vitrification”. These advanced techniques remove water from cells so that ice formation is alleviated. For instance, studies have been published showing that kidneys have fully recovered after being preserved in similar chemical compositions. This suggests that brain preservation can practically work in the future.
Ice-free cryopreservation is definitely more conducive to cells and molecules. Nowadays, vitrification is best performed to single organs like the brain. However, it might soon be possible for the completely human body. Revolutions in cryonics are maybe closure than we expect. Remember cryonics is only one aspect in overcoming death, many other medical immortality progresses are also at the borders of fulfillment.
Source: Alcor
Sat, Apr 10, 2010
Bioscience, Immortality, Longevity