Thoughts on Cryonics

[Rogue Pit]

I went through an emo 5 minutes thinking to myself that I wouldn't have enough time on earth to do things I wanted. Or things that would make my life more simplistic or meaningful aren't invented yet, or released to the public. (Such things as the trip into space)

So I thought about preserving the body and reanimating it at a later date. Cryogenics was suggested to me so I looked it up. Apparently cryogenics is the study of the behavior of objects at low degrees. Like below 100 K if i remember correctly, and Cryonics is specific for humans to say the least.

So apparently there are a couple of people who are frozen right now and are awaiting the property way to be *unfrozen.* So by using a form of liquid nitrogen, or even colder liquid helium it freezes the body. But on a cellular level when water in the cells freeze it expands and could pierce the cell walls. I believe that problem has been fixed and there are successful freezes but the conflict lies with successfully warming the body back to it's normal state, with all the organs and brain working perfectly. I'm sure there is much more I'm missing.

If someone could elaborate and/or give their thoughts on this, that'd be cool.

 

[Mr.Freeman]

I wanna be frozen, but after I've been horribly mutilated. Then in the future, they can bring me back as a cyborg monstrosity.

I was gonna do a Six Million Dollar Man reference, but nah.

 

[UberMario]

They have never perfected cryonics. When the body is frozen virtually all of the cells are ruptured from the ice crystals, killing them. The only animals, such as arctic fish and the alpine weta, that can be frozen have natural "antifreeze" in their bodies that prevent the cells from having crystals form in them.

 

[lsparrish]

Actually they are getting pretty good at preventing crystal damage. The trick is to pump antifreeze into the bloodstream really quickly after you are clinically dead. The colder you get the less toxic antifreeze is.

Of course they only need to save your head (brain) since the rest of the body can be regrown or replaced. Luckily the brain has a lot of blood vessels which makes it easier to deliver cryoprotectants (antifreeze) to where they need to be. The only other organ like this is the kidney... which has been successfully frozen and thawed.

The thing about crystals bursting the cells is a total myth BTW. The damage is mainly from the fact that it dehydrates the cells. Crystalline ice is pure water, so as it forms it sucks the water out of the cells like a vacuum cleaner.

 

[StinkomanFan]

Well I find awesome! That dude from the 1860's in 20XX would be awesome! Like a IRL Futurama!
For all you who are wondering what I'm talking about, the first Cryogenics experiment was in the 1860's and preformed on a man with Cancer...Or atleast that's what the discovery Channel told me.