But Can It Work?

The bottom line, of course, boils down to one very basic question: Can it really work? Can once-viable living tissue be frozen solid or vitrified into a glass-like state, hard as a rock, and then be defrosted and revived?

Nobody knows for sure. Currently, it can not. If nanotechnology lives up to its promise--and to date there is nothing in science that precludes it--then any cell and any tissue should be able to be repaired.

Even putting nanotechnology aside for the moment, there have been many cases where living organs or even whole organisms have been frozen and after being thawed out exhibited normal functions in important respects. Experiments have included insects, some eels, human brain tissue, some small mammalian organs, even human sperm cells. In addition, there are many documented cases of human embryos that were suspended in liquid nitrogen--for anywhere from two months to seven years--and then reintroduced into the womb, carried to term and who are alive today.

Living in Glass Houses--Vitrification

The techniques for protecting cells and tissue from thermal injury (frostbite) are improving every day. The most recent technique involves "vitrification," where as mentioned above, tissues are transformed into glasslike solids as the temperature falls. This tends to stop the formation of ice crystals, which are what penetrate and destroy human cells during freezing. Alcor performed the first human vitrification of one of its members in the fall of 2000. Thanks to recent technological advances, vitrification is now being offered as an option to all "neurosuspension"[7] patients at Alcor.

Worked on indefatigably by Dr. Greg Fahy for the past twenty years, the fruits of his labors regarding improved cryonics techniques and vitrification are now finding clinical application.[8]

It is anticipated that even more dramatic advances in vitrification will be available in the next few years. Once again, I would like to reiterate the central theme of this book. By remaining alive and as healthy as possible for at long as possible, we increase our chances of being able to take advantage of these technological advances. Therefore, even if we aren't able to survive until the coming Singularity during our current life cycle, by following The Ten Pillars of Health, we hope at least to improve our chances of living long enough to take advantage of improved cryostasis preservation technologies such as vitrification.

Therefore, following the principles embodied in The Ten Pillars of Health makes an enormous amount of sense even if an individual is quite elderly right now. If we increase our chances of remaining alive for even a few extra months or years, we can dramatically improve our prospects for achieving extreme longevity by availing ourselves of the advances in vitrification right around the corner. Immortality is available to everyone, not only the young, the healthy and the lucky. For the very old, the unhealthy and the unlucky, there is the cryostasis option. With vitrification now commercially available, one's prospects for successful resuscitation and return to vibrant health at a future time have never been better. In this way, virtual immortality or at least the opportunity for extreme longevity is available to almost everyone.

The Soul--A Fly in the Soup?

Still, some other questions remain. For instance, upon your return, who will you be, really? And who will you have been during those decades that you were in cryostasis, in a state in which there was no biological activity whatsoever--presumably no thoughts, no feelings, no dreams, no consciousness, not anything?

You're certainly not alive, but are you ... dead?

The inevitable question arises as to the soul. What happens to that non-physical essence of each of that many believe is the core of our being? Each of us has our own answer to this question, and this answer may, in fact, determine whether or not we would even consider cryostasis as an option. This is not a question that science can answer, but is rather a matter of personal belief.

Yet there's no reason, as far as I can see, to dismiss cryostasis as evil or bad in a religious sense. After all, these incredible brains we have came from G-d, and must be part of the divine plan. And aren't we obligated, therefore, to be the best we can be and to use these brains to the best of our ability? The Bible tells us that Methuselah lived almost one thousand years, (969 to be exact), so why can't we?

Still, it's one thing to want to live forever, but it could be considered quite a preposterous vanity actually to take steps to do so. One is reminded of the tragic outcomes of Dr. Frankenstein, Dr. Faustus and other mortals who presumed to defy death. Their attempts at immortality did not end well for them.

On the other hand, as we have said before, humans are born tinkerers, constantly working at improving our lot in life. Upon initial discussion, many of our most profound technological advances have been ridiculed by the general populace, condemned as blasphemous by the pious and largely dismissed by experts in the field--until the experiments are uniformly successful and the advances are in place. Then all the nay-sayers find ways to make the proper adjustments, and gird their loins to oppose the next imaginative idea.

Of course, as the ads for investment opportunities are forced to remind us, past performance is no indication of future success. The fact that some ideas once regarded as foolish have turned out to be sound doesn't necessarily mean that human cryostasis will someday receive widespread acceptance. But in the present case, more and more reputable scientists are opening their minds to the possibilities that it just might work.

Is This Really What We Want?

For my own part, I believe that all the glitches are going to get worked out with respect to human cryostasis and molecular nanotechnology (MNT). Even so, I am not all that certain that I would much enjoy life in the world of the future after a lapse of several decades spent in a vat of liquid nitrogen. The world may turn into a place to which I might never grow accustomed.[9] Things may become a little too weird. Nevertheless, there's no way any of us will ever get to know if we'll be able to cross that bridge unless we come to that bridge.

Without cryonics and MNT, for some of us there will be little chance that we will even get close to that shore, let alone needing to wonder about crossing any bridges. If things work out such that we actually do make it over to the "other side," however, but find that we can't relate at all, I guess we'll just hang out with all the other "old-timers" like ourselves who can't relate either.

"He's just an old hippie who don't know what to do,
Whether to hang on to the old ways, or grab on to the new..."

Almost everyone I talk to about this agree about one thing. They, too, would love to see what's going to happen next. Everyone wants to know if the world will be a place TDF (to die for) or not. For my own part, I don't know the answer to this better than anyone else, but I am willing to die trying.

Why Isn't the Idea of Cryostasis More Popular?

As I proceeded with my research into the subject of cryostasis, I had occasion to consider this option from both a theoretical and a personal point of view. Much to my surprise, I discovered that the number of people who have chosen this alternative and are currently in suspension is only a few hundred worldwide, despite the fact that it has been available for over three decades. These few hundred souls represent "a spit in the ocean" of death in which we swim. I found it interesting that it took several years for me to "think about it" before actually arranging for my own suspension.

How can this be possible, given the fact that I am actually one of the few people I know who really believes that cryostasis has a reasonable chance of working? What is the thinking process that leads one to open wide the door to immortal life, then simply stand there gawking, yet not walk on through?

I have given considerable thought as to reasons behind my own procrastination. I think a short discussion of this topic may be of value, as I believe it may help others with their decision making. But, don't get me wrong. I don't think this is a decision to be taken lightly, and I have come up with several reasons why many people might be reluctant to make such a move.

First of all, making preparations for one's cryopreservation forces us to confront our own mortality in a very real, almost a palpable, way. This is discomforting on even the best of days.

Secondly, freezing one's body with a view toward perpetual life, at least at the current time, appears a solipsistic, even a narcissistic, act.

Thirdly, almost no one, including most reputable scientists working in the field, believes that it has any chance of working.

Finally, it is hard to give up completely and utterly on the status quo. Death, being one of Life's "bookends" is a fundamental part of the status quo. But just as Life-As-We-Know-It is just about over, so, too, is Death-As-We-Know-It.

The Comfort of Death

All of us have been raised with the "knowledge" that in time we will grow old, our bodies will deteriorate and we have a good chance of finishing our days in the agony of some terrible illness so bad that death may come as a relief. Dismal as these prospects may be, they provide us with boundaries, and the human mind loves closure.

Nevertheless, these are dreary prospects. To help us deal a little better with their finality, as well as to provide a balm for our utter helplessness and hopelessness, religion is available to give us peace. The blanket of peace that deep religious faith can provide is a wonder to behold and a blessing to possess. For better or worse, and I suspect with a considerable measure of each, it is also no longer an option for many. The problem is that we must somehow be able to suspend rational thought and accept "on faith" the presuppositions required as part of the "belief system" for most religions.

Religious faith is pretty much "right brain" activity. It isn't logical; in fact, most of the time, it defies logic. It supplies answers where science seems to find only more questions. Yet, most people have the faith that, somehow or another, thanks to their religion, they are going to live forever. Living "forever" here on Earth, the goal of cryonicists, isn't really necessary.

But, in some sense, "belief" in cryosuspension is a type of religion in its own right. Like most religions, it requires that certain things be taken "on faith," and it promises a payoff of eternal life to its followers. You have to pay to belong, and it is even mistrusted, if not actually persecuted, by non-believers. There are a number of similarities to the early days of a new religion.

If Gold Should Rust ...

I subscribe to an Internet newsgroup devoted to this topic of cryostasis.[10] Many of the philosophers, scientists and other interested parties who participate in these discussions have devoted considerable energy to performing research in this field, trying to increase the chances that cryostasis will work. Quite a few of them, however, have not yet taken steps to insure their own cryopreservation. As it is said, "If gold should rust, what is iron to do?" If the people at the very top of the heap don't even seem to believe in what they are doing, why should any of the rest of us? I think it simply boils down to human nature.

I don't think these people lack faith in cryostasis, rather I think it's similar to people's reaction to thoughts of life insurance. It's something we don't want to think about unless we are prodded into doing so. It relates to the first problem mentioned above. Since no one knows for certain whether or not cryostasis will work, it forces us to think about our own mortality.

To continue the life insurance analogy, when we are young and healthy (and life insurance is cheap), no one really thinks much about either life insurance (which is really death insurance) or cryostasis (which really is life insurance). That's why life insurance salespeople stay in business--we need them to prod us into thinking about such things. There isn't anyone around to prod us into doing something about having ourselves cryonically suspended. The reason for this is the lack of profit motive.

The price charged for cryosuspension essentially covers only the cost of the procedure. There is no built-in profit, which might be available as a commission to the people who would sell it. The more people there are who elect to have themselves suspended, however, the more this issue will be in the public eye. This publicity will help to prod some people to proceed with making plans for their own suspensions. When a critical mass is reached, it will begin to feed on itself and start to grow.

The second problem relates to the inherent selfishness of the act. How can you go about making arrangements for your own cryopreservation without doing the same for everyone else in your family?

Cryonics for Your Family Too

When you start to look into it, you find several options available with prices varying widely from $28,000 to $150,000. By choosing the least expensive option, one can afford to pay for the suspension of five people for the same price that one would have to pay just for oneself through the most expensive plan. Many people don't believe they can afford the more expensive option if they had to pay for it for everyone in their family. Yet, price is regarded as a measure of quality, and if something costs five times as much as something else, the implication is that it must be quite a bit better.

To complicate matters further, Alcor offers the "neurosuspension" option for $50,000 or so. In this scenario, only the brain is preserved, and the rest of the body is disposed of in one of the more conventional ways. Even though these are formidable amounts of money for many people, when these amounts are funded with life insurance policies, the monthly payments become quite affordable, even for spartan budgets.

One option is to purchase a term life insurance policy of the appropriate amount for each family member for whom we are personally responsible. We can then elect to pay the premium on these policies until such time as these family members are old enough and fiscally responsible for themselves. In most cases, this amounts to less than $20 a month each. Then, should they wish to join us and undergo suspension sometime in the future after (or even before) we're gone, they, too, will have that option. It's their choice.

There is no need to purchase these policies all at once, and, one benefit is that it will certainly made gift shopping for birthdays and holidays a lot easier. (Gee, Dad, thanks, it's just what I always wanted, a life insurance policy that will pay for me to get frozen after I die. Wow! What a guy!) All right, so they don't make good presents.

In addition, the recipients of these policies can name whomever they like as beneficiary of their life insurance policies. Obviously, the idea is that they name the cryonics organization who will suspend them upon their death; but, if they prefer, they can simply cash the policy out or use the proceeds in a more traditional fashion (such as paying for a funeral perhaps). We do not seek to force anyone else to go the route we have chosen. We all have different drummers. We merely wish to facilitate this option for them, to make it available if they so choose.

Financing cryotransport in this way makes it feasible for most folks. Unfortunately, people living on very limited means, from paycheck to paycheck, will still not be able to afford this. We do not live in a perfect world. I would like to see suspension become available for everyone. The more people who choose this option, the less expensive it will become. Cryosuspension will become socially acceptable. It will become what the Extropions[11] call a meme, a thought that has reached the critical mass necessary to become part of our collective consciousness.

Another important reason why it is beneficial for more people to "sign up" is because the cash infusion into the cryonics coffers that would result will lead to more research. Investment capital is urgently needed in the field of cryosuspension. As I said before, I believe there is a small, but distinct possibility, that individuals entering biostasis at the present time will someday be successfully reanimated. I feel that people, who will be suspended 10 or 20 years from now, however, will have a much better chance, perhaps approaching 100%--simply because the freezing process will be so much improved. The degree of injury suffered by human tissues will be dramatically reduced. Therefore, even if by following a healthy lifestyle, we die before extreme life extension becomes commonplace, we can still significantly increase our chances just by surviving a few more years. By avoiding the need for biostasis for several years, we will increase our chances of reanimation significantly, since the freezing process is likely to improve continuously with each passing year.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that many of us will need to look at the cryostasis option if we wish a taste of immortality pie. Certainly, joining a cryosuspension organization for anyone who is neither old or ill might statistically seem a bad investment. The incidence of fatal disease really begins to be significant only after 60 or 65 years of age. Still, the rather abrupt onset of terminal illness, or even sudden death, such as from a massive heart attack, does occur to individuals in their 40s and 50s, and sometimes even younger.

Paying the initiation fees and monthly dues to be an active member of a cryosuspension organization, as well as the cost of an insurance policy to fund the suspension itself, may seem an unnecessary extravagance to many people. Car payments and home mortgages, children's college expenses and caring for aging parents, or simply getting by on a fixed income during our retirement strains the budgets of many of us. Yet, for those with the financial where-with-all, buying a cryosuspension insurance policy might be a reasonable option at any age.

In addition to providing true "life" insurance, membership in a cryostasis organization provides needed capital to improve procedures and facilities for the time when we actually might need them. Another option is to "join" a cryosuspension organization as a "subscriber" rather than a member. This option avails one of regular publications and information about biostasis for a very nominal cost.12

Cell Storage Technologies: Youth Preservation

Cryostasis, the cryopreservation of one's mortal remains after death (or at the completion of one's "first life cycle" in cryonics parlance), with a view toward resuscitation in the future is clearly not everyone's cup of tea. There are countless reasons why people seem to prefer the comfort of the grave or the cleansing flames of the pyre to the excruciatingly cold waters of the liquid nitrogen dewar.

There is a lower rung on the cryostasis ladder, however, which requires much less of a step from the terra firma of quotidian reality. This intermediate step involves just a touch of cryostasis, and it does it in so much of a gentler, friendlier way as to make cryostasis much more acceptable to the average person. The reason being that it makes a lot of sense. This baby step allows one to dip a toe into the clear cryo waters without necessitating or even suggesting that you ever have to take the full plunge. Rather than freezing one's entire body, these "cell storage technologies" enable individuals to collect small samples of themselves and freeze them for their personal use sometime in the future.

The Ultimate Face Lift

Scientists today have the ability to take a tiny piece of your skin, and grow from it sheets and sheets of new skin. You say you like your skin just the way it is now and don't feel any need for new skin? Fine. What do think the chances are that you'll feel the same way in 30 or 40 years? But what if you had taken (and frozen) a sample way back at the turn of the century, say in 2002 or 2003, when you (and your skin) were decades younger? Now all your doctor has to do is thaw out that little piece of skin that you had saved way back when your skin was young and beautiful. Using cloning technologies that are already available, new, young skin could simply be grown for you. You will be able to have the same youthful skin you had 30 or 40 years before. Talk about turning back the clock. (Makes you wish you had taken that sample back when you were a teenager, doesn't it?)

Cell storage technology isn't restricted simply to recreating new skin. Every cell in your body contains within it the complete blueprint for creating every single cell in your entire body. A skin cell is a skin cell, yet within the nucleus of each skin cell are contained the genetic instructions for how to grow every other organ and tissue type in the body as well.

A skin cell isn't a skin cell because it has to. No one held a shotgun to its head and told it that it had to be a skin cell. It is this type of cell simply because certain "signaling molecules" told its nucleus what parts of its DNA to express.

Each cell in the body has a complete copy of the blueprint for the entire body. Our DNA has The Bill of Rights built right into it, which states that all genes are created equal and all cells have the right to grow up to be whatever they want. Thanks to the Human Genome Project, we now have a complete copy of this blueprint--all 30,000 genes and several billion "base pairs"[13]

By preserving a small sample of ourselves today, we effectively "freeze ourselves in time". These cell storage technologies are a brand new growth industry, which offers people of today a chance to save their youthful present day DNA and transport it into the future. Just as we discussed human cryostasis as a bridge by which people who die can transport themselves into the future so that they can avail themselves of the medical technologies of tomorrow, cryonic cell storage serves as a bridge for people today to transport their present youthfulness into the future.

Scientists are currently on the steep upward slope of the learning curve of these rejuvenating technologies. Today, they still don't have the ability to create new hearts or lungs or kidneys from the DNA instructions contained in skin cells. But this technology is being worked on today and only a few years away. Utilizing stem cell research and cloning technologies, scientists are very close to being able to do this very thing--to take one type of cell and instruct it how to become another type of cell or even a completely different organ. The timetable for the completion of this type of work suggests this technology should be perfected within the next one or two decades.

As part of the longevity evaluations performed in my anti-aging medical practice, we offer patients the opportunity to have a tiny skin sample taken from the back of the arm or leg and sent to the lab for cryopreservation. (For more information, see http://www.cells4life.org) Then, when the time comes some years down the line that it's time for a new heart or lungs or a pancreas or they just need some youthful skin to freshen up the appearance of their face, we expect that it will be a simple matter for the doctors of 2015 or 2025 simply to create the new organs or tissue from the youthful cells preserved today. For a relatively small amount of money, I feel this is the best "youth insurance policy" anyone can buy.

I think that cryostasis technology will soon be perfected to the point that human tissue, whether a tiny pinch of skin, a single organ or an entire body, will be able to be preserved at low temperature for prolonged periods without irreparable damage. The cell storage and cryopreservation-through-vitrification technologies discussed above should make this possible within the next few years. Some aspect of the cryosuspension technologies may play an important role in anyone's longevity program.

References

[7] "Neurosuspension" refers to freezing the head of the body only.

[8] Chamberlain, Fred. "Vitrification arrives: new technology preserves patients without ice damage." Cryonics, 4th qtr, 2000, 21: 4, pp. 4-9.

[9] Then again, it might be truly wonderful. For a thought-provoking, highly optimistic and thoroughly entertaining vision of how cryonic suspension might work, as well as what the world of the future might be like, read the novel The First Immortal by J.L. Halperin, New York: Ballantine Books, 1998.

[10] To subscribe to The Cryonics Mailing List (CryoNet) - send email to cryonet-request@cryonet.org with the subject line "subscribe."

[11] The Extropians are an interesting lot. As they define it, extropy is "a metaphor referring to attitudes and values shared by those who want to overcome human limits through technology." Just as transsexuals are people trapped in the bodies of individuals of the opposite gender, extropians are prototypical transhumans of the future trapped in the bodies of present day humans. For more information about their liberating philosophy of life and the world, check out their website.

[12] The websites for the two main cryosuspension organizations are: Alcor and Cryonics Institute.

[13] The exact structure of human DNA has now been mapped as a series of billions of letters, each representing one of the four nitrogenous bases, adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymidine. Human DNA defined by hundreds of thousands of pages even more unintelligible than Finnegan's Wake. Page after page, chapter after chapter, volume after volume of prose even harder to pronounce than street signs in Wales: CCGGATTATCG CGCACCGGATTATCG CGCACCGGATTATC, etc.