Are you ready to step into the future?
Myths and legends often allude to the possibility of bringing the dead back to life. But what if this idea could one day become a scientific reality? What if advanced medical technology could one day make it possible to bring the dead back to life?
Cryonics, a hot technology, may offer just such a possibility. The technique involves cooling the dead to extremely low temperatures with the aim of one day bringing them back to life. Famously, legendary American baseball player Ted Williams has been cryonicsed. Other notable figures, including billionaire investor Peter Thiel and Google's chief engineer Ray Kurzweil, are also reportedly working on cryonics.
In this article, we take a closer look at how cryonics works, the challenges it poses, and the global options for this technology.
The Science of Cryonics
The primary goal of cryonics is to preserve a body in a stable state until technological advances one day make it possible to revive it, a process that Dennis Kowalski, director of the Michigan Cryonics Institute, likens to “taking an ambulance to a hospital of the future that may or may not exist.”
Here's how it works: Once a person who has arranged for cryonics is declared dead, a medical team will quickly perform CPR, cooling the body with ice water while using an oxygen mask to deliver oxygen to the tissues. The body is then transported in a sealed container to the cryonics facility, where it is placed in a machine similar to a heart-lung machine, which helps maintain blood circulation and oxygen levels throughout the body.
Rather than simply freezing a body, cryonics uses a technique called vitrification (a process similar to adding antifreeze) to prevent ice formation and cell damage at temperatures below -194 °F (-120 °C). This method involves cooling the body to approximately -320 °F (-195.56 °C) and storing it in a liquid nitrogen vapor chamber. The body remains there in a hibernation-like state in a thermos-like container, patiently waiting for the day when medical advances will allow it to be “revived.”
Challenges and Limitations of Cryonics
Though tempting, bringing frozen bodies back to life isn't yet feasible. There's no proven way to freeze an entire body without causing extensive damage, says Shannon Tessier, a cryobiologist at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. Experiments on human liver samples have shown that cryopreservation can irreparably destroy cell membranes. Even vitrification techniques, which thwart traditional cryopreservation, offer no guarantee that cells and tissues will be properly preserved.
Moreover, Tessier points out that while certain organisms, like the brown frog, have evolutionary adaptations that allow them to survive extremely cold temperatures, human tissue is not as resilient — it cannot survive such extreme conditions, especially the rewarming process required for revival.
Additionally, the chemicals used in today's cryonics processes carry their own risks. Gary Bryant, a cryonics researcher at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, points out that the chemicals used in the procedure are toxic, raising serious concerns about the potential functionality of reanimating a corpse. This calls into question the overall viability of reanimating a cryopreserved corpse.
What do experts and the public think about cryonics?
Opinions about cryonics range from skepticism to cautious optimism. Renowned futurist and theoretical physicist Michio Kaku points out that while cryonics advocates often compare it to the success of IVF or frozen embryos, there is still no concrete evidence that cryonics has been successful in humans. Echoing this skepticism, Columbia University neuroscientist Dr. Ken Miller describes cryonics as “selling tickets to a ride you can't get on,” emphasizing the speculative nature of the technology.
More optimistically, Kowalski believes in the potential of cryonics. While he recognizes the major challenges currently facing cryonics, he remains hopeful for future breakthroughs. For cryonics to be feasible, Kowalski says it will be necessary not only to overcome the technical hurdles of freezing and rewarming, but also to repair cellular damage, cure the original cause of death, and even reverse aging. If resuscitation is possible, his vision is that people will return to life in a healthy, rejuvenated state, waiting for a second chance.
Kowalski and his family are supportive of the effort, embracing cryonics as both a scientific experiment and a potential breakthrough. “Even if it doesn't work, we're still advancing science,” Kowalski says, noting that cryonics may even temporarily “cure death.”
Interest in cryonics has not only caught the imagination of scientists and researchers, but also of ordinary people. For example, Elaine Walker, a 47-year-old single mother and university lecturer from Scottsdale, has signed up for Alcor Life Extension Foundation's “Neuro” cryonics service. She sees cryonics as a window into the future, stating her simple wish to “see what happens.”
Cryopreservation options around the world
People interested in cryonics have several options around the world. In Australia, Southern Cryonics made headlines in May 2024 when it successfully cryopreserved its first patient, an 80-year-old Sydney man, at a cost of $170,000.
In the US, the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, an Arizona-based non-profit organisation with the goal of “global cryonics”, provides cryonics services and has emergency response teams in the UK, Canada and Germany to ensure a rapid response after a member's death. The organisation offers two main options: whole-body preservation (around $200,000) and the cheaper “neuro” ($80,000), which preserves only the head and, with future technological advances, could potentially grow a new body from an individual's DNA.
Alcor CEO Max Mohr says most people fund these services through life insurance, making them a viable option for those considering cryonics as part of their end-of-life planning.
summary
Technological advances are transforming our perception of life and death. Just as CPR went from a miracle resuscitation to a routine life-saving technique, cryonics presents a new frontier. Bringing the dead back to life is possible, but it comes with uncertainties. Questions remain about memory retention, personal identity, and ethical concerns about whether we are overstepping natural limits by challenging the finality of death.
Despite these ethical dilemmas, proponents of cryonics are driven by curiosity and the prospect of what future science will reveal. If cryonics is successful, it could dramatically change our understanding of death. If it is not successful, it will push the boundaries of scientific inquiry. Either way, the cryonics quest continues to spark lively debate and inspire visions of what is possible for humanity.
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Header image from Cryonics Institute
