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The Age of EM A Non-Profit Organization July - JanuAugustary 20152017 • VoVolumelume 36:138:4 The Age of EM Member Profile: Robin Hanson Page 8 An Interview with Robin Hanson Page 12 3 Scenarios: Ems, Nanotech, Both Page 18 ISSN 1054-4305 New Warming Breakthrough for Cryopreserved Organs? $9.95 Page 5 Improve Your Odds of a Good Cryopreservation You have your cryonics funding and contracts in place but have you considered other steps you can take to prevent problems down the road? ü Keep Alcor up-to-date about personal and medical changes. ü Update your Alcor paperwork to reflect your current wishes. ü Execute a cryonics-friendly Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. ü Wear your bracelet and talk to your friends and family about your desire to be cryopreserved. ü Ask your relatives to sign Affidavits stating that they will not interfere with your cryopreservation. ü Attend local cryonics meetings or start a local group yourself. ü Contribute to Alcor’s operations and research. Contact Alcor (1-877-462-5267) and let us know how we can assist you. Visit the ALCOR FORUMS www.alcor.org/forums/ Discuss Alcor and cryonics topics with other members and Alcor officials. • The Alcor Foundation • Financial • Cell Repair Technologies • Rejuvenation • Cryobiology • Stabilization • Events and Meetings Other features include pseudonyms (pending verification of membership status) and a private forum. Visit the ALCOR BLOG www.alcor.org/blog/ Your source for news about: • Cryonics technology • Speaking events and meetings • Cryopreservation cases • Employment opportunities • Television programs about cryonics Alcor is on Facebook Connect with Alcor members and supporters on our official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/alcor.life.extension.foundation Become a fan and encourage interested friends, family members, and colleagues to support us too. A Non-Profit Organization lume 38:4 July - August 2017 • Vo COVER STORY: PAGE 8 The Age of EM Member Profile: Robin Hanson Meet Robin Hanson, pioneering economist, social scientist, and author of 2016 book, The Age of Em, a plausible future of emulated minds and its social consequences. le: Robin Hanson Member Profi Page 8 An Interview with Robin HansonPage 12 3 Scenarios: Ems, Nanotech,Page Both 18 ISSN 1054-4305 New Warming Breakthrough for rved Organs? Cryoprese Page 5 $9.95 5 QUOD INCEPIMUS CONFICIEMUS New Warming Breakthrough for Cryopreserved Organs? Recently there has been a lot of excitement about new rapid warming technologies that incorporate nanoparticles. But how novel are these technologies and what are their implications for organ preservation and cryonics? 12 Cities in The Age of EM: An interview with Robin Hanson In his book, The Age of EM uses social science to predict what it will be like in a future where emulated minds rule. In this short interview with Robin we ask him what cities will look like in The Age of Em. 18 3 Scenarios: Ems, Nanotech, Both Life extensionists have been well aware of the potential of molecular nanotechnology and its implications for manufacturing and medicine. Cryonics magazine asked Robin Hanson to compare the different kinds of societies and economies that molecular manufacturing and widespread adoption of emulated minds will give rise, too. He also considers how a society will function that is impacted by molecular manufacturing and a high population of emulated minds. www.alcor.org Cryonics / July-August 2017 3 Editorial Board CONTENTS Saul Kent Ralph C. Merkle, Ph.D. R. Michael Perry, Ph.D. Editor 6 Rights of AI’s, Persogates, and Augments Aschwin de Wolf Instead of his usual CEO Update, Max More introduces the Contributing Writers topic of substrate-independent minds and their moral and David Brin legal standing to set the stage for this Robin Hanson-themed Aschwin de Wolf issue of Cryonics magazine. Christine Gaspar, RN Robin Hanson, Ph.D. 22 Membership Statistics James D. Miller, Ph.D. How many members, associate members, and patients does Max More, Ph.D. Oliver Nahm Alcor have and where do they live? R. Michael Perry, Ph.D. Vernor Vinge, Ph.D. 24 FOR THE FUTURE Nicole Weinstock The Age of Emp: An Alternative to Robin Hanson’s “Age of Em.” Copyright 2017 Robin Hanson’s “Age of Em” is considered, where brain by Alcor Life Extension Foundation emulations or “ems” become the dominant life on Earth All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or part, without and proliferate in vast numbers, with strong competition for permission is prohibited. jobs and pay at subsistence levels. An alternative, an “Age of Emp” (“Empathy”) is proposed in which the total population Cryonics magazine is published bi-monthly. is smaller and the individual fares better. Please note: If you change your address less 33 Physician-Assisted Death Comes to Canada than a month before the magazine is mailed, it Christine Gaspar discusses its potential for improving may be sent to your old address. cryopreservation outcomes in the presence of brain wasting Address correspondence to: disease or prolonged ischemic death. Cryonics Magazine 7895 East Acoma Drive, Suite 110 38 Stephen Bridge’s “Goodbye” speech as President of Alcor Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 20 years ago, Stephen Bridge retired after four years as Alcor Phone: 480.905.1906 President/CEO. As his last official duty, before handing the Toll free: 877.462.5267 job over to Fred Chamberlain, he gave a memorable speech Fax: 480.922.9027 at the Alcor ACT Conference. For the first time in print, here Letters to the Editor welcome: is the text of that speech, plus Bridge’s observations about [email protected] Alcor 20 years later. Advertising inquiries: 42 Revival Update 480.905.1906 x113 Mike Perry surveys the news and research to report on new [email protected] developments that bring us closer to the revival of cryonics ISSN: 1054-4305 patients. Visit us on the web at www.alcor.org Alcor News Blog http://www.alcor.org/blog/ 4 Cryonics / July-August 2017 www.alcor.org Quod incepimus conficiemus Photo: Cryo-Care Equipment Corporation at 2340 E. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Bedford’s “home” about 1970. NEW WARMING BREAKTHROUGH FOR CryopreserveD ORGANS? By Aschwin de Wolf lthough not of immediate concern to spots.” Ruggera and Fahy at the U.S. FDA This can be used beneficially to maximize cryonics, warming has always been and American Red Cross published the first warming rates during the most critical more of a challenge than cooling paper specifically studying RF warming of phases of rewarming. However classical forA cryopreservation by vitrification. This is vitrified organs in 1990. In the decade that RF warming is unavoidably inefficient because the initial formation of ice crystals followed, Pegg, Evans and their research at very low temperatures, below -100°C. is most rapid at very low temperature, group at Cambridge University published Nanowarming, in contrast, warms smoothly such as -120°C, but crystal growth is faster numerous papers on technical aspects of and efficiently at all temperatures, even the at warmer temperatures. Tissue being RF warming of organs. In 2013 Wowk, very lowest. Nanowarming may therefore warmed from the very cold temperatures of Corral and Fahy resumed development of be especially useful for uniform warming vitrification therefore often contains many RF warming for recovery of organs from through the “glass transition” – the very low tiny crystals that are ready to grow during vitrification at 21st Century Medicine, Inc. temperature at which vitrified organs change passing through warmer temperatures until In 2014 Etheridge and Bischof et al at from being solid to liquid in their behavior the melting point is reached. The warming the University of Minnesota published a – a critical phase of warming for avoiding rate required for successful recovery from new idea for warming of vitrified organs. thermal stress injuries. vitrification therefore tends to be about ten Magnetic nanoparticles were to be added With the development of nanowarming, times faster than the minimum cooling rate. to the cryoprotectant solution inside blood there are now two independent technologies Since Fahy first proposed vitrification vessels, and the nanoparticles warmed by for achieving the necessary rapid warming for organ cryopreservation in the 1980s, a radiofrequency magnetic field instead of organs from the vitrified state, bringing us it was envisioned that a technique called of electric field. This new method, called closer to an era of transplantable organ banking. radiofrequency warming (RF warming) “nanowarming,” received a great deal The relevance of these technologies to would be used to recover organs from of publicity in March of this year in cryonics remains speculative at this stage. In vitrification. In RF warming, a rapidly connection with a new paper about it in one envisioned resuscitation scenario, repairs oscillating electric field at a frequency the journal Science Translational Medicine. of the brain and/or body would be conducted ranging from tens to hundreds of megahertz While having the disadvantage of warming at cryogenic temperatures. It is reasonable is applied during warming. The oscillating occurring only in blood vessels, which to assume that these molecular machines electric field causes water molecules to could cause overheating of very large blood would also introduce novel (ice-blocking) vibrate and heat the organ uniformly from vessels, the method has a distinct advantage technologies that completely eliminate the the inside similar to a microwave oven. over classical RF warming. The energy risk of ice formation upon re-warming. However RF warming uses frequencies absorption efficiency, and therefore heating Another concern is cost. At this point much lower than microwave ovens to efficiency, of classical RF warming varies adding high-quality nanoparticles to the achieve more uniform heating without “hot with viscosity and temperature of tissue. perfusate would be prohibitively expensive. www.alcor.org Cryonics / July-August 2017 5 Rights of AIs, Persogates, and Augments By Max More [Note: Due to unexpected circumstances, Max was not able to contribute his regular CEO Update for this issue.
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