Should I Actually Be Working on Cryonics Rather than Rejuvenation?

The small, long-standing cryonics community and industry is focused on saving lives by offering the possibility of low-temperature storage at death, using cryoprotectants to induce a state of vitrification rather than straight freezing, a shot at preserving the structure and data of the mind for a future society capable of revival from this state. This has been an ongoing project for quite some time now, since the 1960s or so, albeit with a small budget and few research programs. I was recently in New York to attend the 50th anniversary gathering for the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, among the oldest of cryonics organizations. It was an occasion also marking the launch of a new book by Robert Freitas, a specialist in molecular nanotechnology and nanomedicine. The book, Cryostasis Revival, is essentially a 700 page scientific paper that outlines, in detail, what we know of the research and development that would be required to revive a vitrified individual. This starts as a matter of neuroscience, based our knowledge of the brain and its tissues and function, but encompasses a great deal more as well. People interested in progress in cryonics tend to be interested in progress towards the development of rejuvenation therapies, though there is too little overlap in the other direction. Both were once more fringe than they are now, but work on rejuvenation has expanded and found far more support than is the case for cryonics. There is an old debate, often held be...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Healthy Life Extension Community Source Type: blogs