January-February 2016 • Volume 37:1

Cryonics Under Fire: Meeting the Challenges of Hostile Scientists Then and Now Page 8

The Science Surrounding Cryonics Page 28 The Importance of Local Standby Support and Emergency Response ISSN 1054-4305 Technologies Page 32

$9.95 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. COVER STORY: PAGE 8 CONTENTS

lume 37:1 y 2016 • Vo ruar ry-Feb Janua Cryonics Under Fire: Meeting the 5 Quod incepimus Challenges of Hostile Scientists conficiemus Then and Now Cryonics Without Cerebral Since it started in the 1960s, cryonics Dehydration? yonics Cr has had its share of critics, some of Perfusion of a healthy brain der Fire: Un whom had scientific credentials. with high concentrations of Meeting the nges Here we take a look at this scientific cryoprotectant produces severe Challe dehydration in humans. While of Hostile n hostility as it has manifested through ntists The this brain shrinking may not erase Scie w and No the years, including even some identity-critical information, we do Page 8 sentiments that it shouldn’t work, know that it compromises viability due to an imagined threat to society. and produces ultrastructural yonics nding Cr rrou We will see ISSNthat, 1054-4305 while there isn’t alterations. An important research nce Su by The Scie and e Local Stponsmuch open affirmation, today, of this priority in the next couple of Page 28 of cy Res rtance rgen $9.95 The Impo and Eme extreme position, when it comes to years is to further understand this pport Su ologies Techn phenomenon and design protocols Page 32 whether it will work, much the same criticism is being leveled now as half a to prevent it. century ago. As expected, cryonicists 31 Impressions from a Cryonics continue to feel their practice is Training in the Netherlands legitimate; arguments favoring its On the cover: In Autumn 2015, Cryonics UK a) Vitrified kidney vs frozen kidney continuation will be interspersed. took its standby equipment and b) A roundworm hatches larvae (One source for the latter is “The ambulance on the road for a after being cryopreserved Science Surrounding Cryonics,” also cryonics training in Utrecht, the reprinted in this issue—see below.) Netherlands. This successful meeting was attended by cryonicists 28 The Science Surrounding Cryonics from the Netherlands, the UK, On September 15, 2015 the MIT Technology Review published an Germany, and Switzerland and is a online article named “The False Science of Cryonics” that revealed a further step toward a coordinated poor understanding of the state of cryobiology and conflated cryonics European cryonics network. with connectomics and mind uploading. David W. Crippen, Robert J. Shmookler Reis, Ramon Risco, and Natasha Vita-More set the record 36 Membership Statistics straight with a fact-based response. How many members, associate members, and patients does Alcor have and where do they live? 32 The Importance of Local Standby Support and Emergency Response Technologies 38 Resuscitation Update As much as Alcor endeavours to employ a standby team to the bedside Mike Perry surveys the news in a timely manner, this is not always possible, especially in cases of and research to report on new sudden death or remote locations outside of the US. Carrie Wong offers developments that bring us closer an overview of basic local standby needs and current technologies to the resuscitation of cryonics and smartphone apps that can alert others in case of serious events or patients. sudden death.

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 3 2016 Annual Giving Program lcor provides a wide array of services for you the member, and the general Editorial Board public. We inform and educate, we protect and preserve, and we strive to Saul Kent Aremain at the forefront of cryonics technology. Ralph C. Merkle, Ph.D. Since its founding, Alcor has relied on member support to maintain its mission R. Michael Perry, Ph.D. and attract new members. Your support, regardless of size, can provide a better future for all cryonicists. Please act now. Editor Aschwin de Wolf Suggested Giving Levels

Contributing Writers $20 Friend David W. Crippen Aschwin de Wolf $60 Junior Supporter Gregory Jordan Torsten Nahm $120 Sustaining Supporter R. Michael Perry, Ph.D. $500 Advocate Supporter Robert J. Shmookler Reis Ramon Risco $1,000 Leading Supporter Natasha Vita-More Carrie Wong $2,500 Visionary Supporter

Copyright 2016 $5,000 Silver Supporter by Alcor Life Extension Foundation All rights reserved. $10,000 Gold Supporter Reproduction, in whole or part, without permission is prohibited. $25,000 Titanium Supporter

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Address correspondence to: Cryonics Magazine 7895 East Acoma Drive, Suite 110 The James Bedford Society Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 Phone: 480.905.1906 ifts have played a fundamental role in the cryonics Toll free: 877.462.5267 movement since its earliest days. Dr. James Bedford, a Fax: 480.922.9027 Gman whose extraordinary vision led him to become the first person to be cryopreserved, and the first to make a bequest to Letters to the Editor welcome: a cryonics organization, exemplified the determination of the early [email protected] pioneers of cryonics. We invite you to follow in his footsteps, and join the James Bedford Society. Advertising inquiries: 480.905.1906 x113 The James Bedford Society recognizes those who make a [email protected] bequest of any size to the Alcor Life Extension ISSN: 1054-4305 Foundation. If you have already provided a gift for Alcor in your estate, please send a copy of your relevant documents Visit us on the web at www.alcor.org to Alcor’s Finance Director, Bonnie Magee. If you’d like to learn more about setting up a bequest, send an email Alcor News Blog to [email protected] or call 480-905-1906 x114 to discuss your gift.  http://www.alcor.org/blog/ 4 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org Quod incepimus conficiemus

Photo: Cryo-Care Equipment Corporation at 2340 E. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Bedford’s “home” in 1970 or 1971.

Cryonics Without Cerebral Dehydration? By Aschwin de Wolf

ne of the interesting things about minimization or mitigation of ischemia). with M22 and other cryoprotectants show technological progress in cryonics Maybe because of this there has been ultrastructural alterations that are primarily Ois that awareness of technological relatively little interest in eliminating CPA- presumed to be due to CPA-induced problems, and the desire to solve them, is induced cerebral dehydration. Another dehydration. The significance of this issue often dependent on other problems being reason is that dehydration actually assists in was further reinforced in 2015 when a solved first. For example, cryoprotectant removing water from the brain to facilitate researcher from 21st Century Medicine toxicity became a more serious concern vitrification, perhaps even permitting showed electron micrographs of aldehyde- after it was possible to eliminate ice lower concentrations of cryoprotectant stabilized vitrified brains (vitrification after formation. After all, it is more important than are necessary for the vitrification of chemical fixation) that look considerably to eliminate severe (mechanical) damage other organs (preliminary evidence for this better than traditionally vitrified brains. In caused by ice crystals than to prevent exists). addition, while employed for the Cryonics (minor) alterations of biomolecules. One Institute, Yuri Pichugin demonstrated problem that is increasingly rising to the that the extreme dehydration associated top of technological issues to be solved “Electron micrographs of with modern vitrification solutions is not is the extreme dehydration caused by the compatible with good brain slice viability. perfusion of cryoprotectants. brains cryopreserved with M22 Since most researchers in cryonics would The fact that perfusion of the brain and other cryoprotectants show like to see a biopreservation protocol that with cryoprotectants causes substantial does an excellent job of preserving both dehydration has been known in cryonics ultrastructural alterations that viability and ultrastructure, eliminating for a long time. While no rigorous public are primarily presumed to be due this kind of injury is likely to be a rather studies are available about this topic, it is important research goal in the next couple usually assumed that the cause of this to CPA-induced dehydration.” of years. dehydration is that most (but not all) It is not desirable to deliberately induce cryoprotectants have poor blood brain ischemia to improve BBB permeability of barrier (BBB) permeability. Another line Cerebral dehydration was identified as cryoprotectants. This leaves a number of of evidence is that prolonged warm and a potential form of injury in a case report strategies to improve delivery vitrification cold ischemia eliminate this dehydration, for patient A-1097 (2006) but until recently agents to the brain: presumably because ischemia compromises the “advantages” of dehydration seemed the BBB in a time-dependent manner. to outweigh its potential disadvantages. 1. Osmotic opening of the BBB. One ironic consequence of this is that More serious concerns started to emerge Molecules such as mannitol have a in cryonics severe dehydration is often in the last couple of years. Electron transient effect on BBB permeability an indicator of good patient care (i.e. micrographs of brains cryopreserved but are probably not potent enough

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 5 dehydration is frequently seen in good cases with little ischemia (shrinking the brain down to almost 50% of its natural size). Switching to a cryoprotectant that has similar or even lower toxicity as M22 would be relatively straightforward but if potent agents are used to open the BBB it will be important to choose a dosage that does not produce serious side-effects such as fulminating edema or poor cell viability.

For 2016, my lab Advanced Neural Biosciences CT scans of Alcor patients with cerebral dehydration has made identifying such a to permit brain cryoprotection and weight loss/gain. BBB modifiers can brain-friendly cryoprotection without dehydration. be tested for viability in brain slices or even whole animals. We can compare whether protocol a high priority. 2. Yuri Pichugin has discovered the use of BBB modifying strategies that detergents such as sodium raises or lowers the concentration of dodecyl sulfate (SDS) permit cryoprotectant necessary to vitrify the In a 2007 Alcor article (“Securing cryopreservation of the brain brain. How do BBB modifiers affect overall Viability of the Brain in Cryonics”) I without dehydration. ultrastructure in electron micrographs? speculated that we should assume that What do BBB modifiers do to other cells viability of the brain (or slices made 3. Not all cryoprotectants are and the vasculature? Do BBB modifiers from such a brain) is currently lost about impermeable to the brain. Can produce more edema in the rest of the halfway through cryoprotectant perfusion these cryoprotectants be used in body? Will the use of BBB modifiers allow as consequence of cryoprotectant toxicity. low toxicity vitrification solutions? “extracellular” cryoprotectants and ice As we understand it now, the need to use blockers to cross the BBB or even cells? high concentrations of cryoprotectants Fortunately, the tools to screen the One challenge is how to validate and also produces brain shrinking. If efficacy of BBB modifying technologies authorize the use of BBB modifying we want to move Alcor closer to its for brain cryopreservation are already strategies in human cryonics cases. We mandate of developing reversible human known in the literature. Brains can be know from burr hole and CT scans of cryopreservation both problems will need inspected for post-perfusion morphology neuro patients at Alcor that severe cerebral to revolved. This will most likely involve a minor re-formulation of M22 or a novel cryoprotectant that is more “friendly” to the brain. For 2016, my lab Advanced Neural Biosciences has made identifying such a brain-friendly cryoprotection protocol a high priority. The good news is that we already know of strategies that work. Now we need to identify protocols that maximize high viability and excellent ultrastructure to make the next step in further closing the gap between cryonics and suspended animation. 

CT scans of Alcor patients with cerebral dehydration

6 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org Item# 01808 Item # 01907 Item

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cryonics under fire: Meeting the Challenges of Hostile Scientists Then and Now By R. Michael Perry

Introduction only happen if a massive research effort Since its inception in the 1960s cryonics were undertaken to perfect the primitive has not lacked its share of critics, some techniques then available. For the short of whom had scientific credentials. Many term he was a pessimist and strongly cryobiologists, for example, have been opposed the newly-introduced practice of hostile to the practice, though not these cryonics, which he thought to be premature, alone among scientists. Cryonics, the futile, and fraudulent. Prehoda was both critics say, is an “unproven” technique, scientifically trained and articulate, and his diverts resources that should be being well-stated opinions are worth considering used for basic research, gives people false today for much more than purely historical hope, and will alienate scientists from reasons, even if some of his reasoning doing the very research that would be is dated or otherwise flawed. (As one needed to make it worth pursuing in the indicator of relevance, our techniques first place. Some also emphasize that, as today are still unacceptably primitive, a corollary, cryonics services should not inasmuch as there is no demonstrated, be offered to the public now or before reversible cryopreservation of large tissue such time as cryonics can gain scientific masses or sizable organisms.) Prehoda’s feud with cryonics started in “respectability.” In addition some hostility Robert Prehoda, high school has been based, not on the belief that graduating class, 1949. 1963, when he received for evaluation a pre- cryonics won’t presently work, but that it PHOTO CREDIT: Sentinel (Harvard School, publication version of Robert Ettinger’s might work, with unhappy consequences N. Hollywood, Calif. yearbook) 1949, 41. The Prospect of Immortality, the book that for society. largely started the cryonics movement. Here we take a look at this scientific Robert Prehoda, Pioneering Though impressed with the colorful hostility as it has manifested through Cryonics Skeptic1 writing style, he took issue with the “freeze the years, starting in the early days and Robert Prehoda was a chemist, reduced now” concept of preserving the recently continuing today. We will see that, while metabolism expert, and futurist who (clinically) dead for eventual reanimation, there isn’t much open affirmation, today, promoted his ideas through a number and tried to persuade Ettinger to drop it. that cryonics shouldn’t work, when it of books.2 Back when cryonics was in its Ettinger refused, and, after the book was comes to whether it will work, much the infancy, he tried to interest the scientific commercially published the following same criticism is being leveled now as half community in suspended animation. For year, Prehoda became a leading voice of a century ago. As expected, cryonicists the long term he was optimistic: cryogenic opposition. In its April 1966 issue Pageant continue to feel their practice is legitimate; preservation would prove reversible, thus published an article by Prehoda contending arguments favoring its continuation will qualify as suspended animation, meaning that perfusing and freezing a large organ be interspersed. Extensive portions of that people could be put “on hold” until such as the human brain would damage what follows are excerpted and adapted their diseases could be cured, or might most of the cells “beyond any conceptual from various sources, most notably an undertake long planetary voyages in a means of future repair and restoration article of mine on Robert Prehoda. state of ametabolic coma. But this would to original function.” He was certain

8 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org question.” Finally, Ettinger takes issue with Audrey Smith and her coworkers, Sir the low probability estimates of Prehoda Alan Parkes and Dr. Christopher Polge, and others, arguing that they have not who pioneered the resuscitation of small done any calculations but only given in to mammals (hamsters) from partial freezing emotional blocks.6 in the 1950s. No prominent cryobiologist Prehoda was not, of course, deterred had endorsed cryonics; Prehoda thus felt by such rebuttals. Instead, he presents his justified in labeling it pseudo-scientific. case more definitively in “The Lunatic (Negative comments from other scientific Fringe,” chapter 8 of his 1969 book, authorities are also noted. Ettinger’s Suspended Animation, with some further rebuttal above stops short of saying that elaboration in the chapter that follows, on cryobiologists endorsed cryonics, even if the freezing of James Bedford in 1967. It is still allowing it some chance success.) worth remarking that, despite its negativity, Moreover, Prehoda’s objections do not there is no indication of malicious intent. stop with simple labeling, nor are they Prehoda, by appearance, was sincere and particularly dependent on specialists, Prehoda at the freezing of believed he was presenting issues fairly. beyond noting their lack of support. Dr. James Bedford, 12 Jan. 1967, The opening sentence of “Lunatic Instead Prehoda offers his own arguments, Dr. Dante Brunol behind him. Fringe” sets the tone for what follows: “For laying his groundwork with care. Photo courtesy of Robert F. Nelson. the past six years, serious scientists engaged He opens with a discussion of in reduced metabolism research have been pseudoscientific movements in general, confronted by the unexpected emergence and considers why they flourish in the that “[t]he very process of attempting of a pseudo-scientific cult which is absence of confirming scientific evidence to repair billions of separate brain cells presenting a completely distorted picture or even in the face of contrary evidence. would necessitate separating them, and this of the prospects for suspended animation The primary reasons will be familiar to would sever inter-cellular connections that to the general public.”7 The “cult”—the students of religion. Basically, people would be almost impossible to rejoin.” The newly-formed cryonics movement—had gain an important sense of meaning and odds of completing such a repair task he by then achieved a few human freezings, a purpose from certain beliefs, which may estimated at “less than one chance in ten dozen or so, with great difficulty. It is worth then override objections that others find trillion.” Of the leading cryobiologists he noting that at least the frozen were, by and compelling. It is not necessary that the said that “[n]ot one of them thinks there large, still frozen at this point, though one beliefs themselves be false, of course, is even a remote chance of reanimating or two little-publicized thawings had already just that they be especially gratifying or people frozen under present cryobiological occurred. But criticism would naturally meaningful to adherents, and that there be techniques.”3 focus on scientific and technical issues at evidence for these beliefs in some form Prehoda’s article and other cryonics this early stage, a fortunate circumstance that seems convincing enough to overrule criticism was covered in the August- in view of the later failures. Prehoda limits any objections that others might raise. September, 1966 issue of Freeze-Wait- most of his attention to these issues, and In the case of UFO cults, believers Reanimate, the newsletter of the pro- to what he considers the unwarranted may think that benign extraterrestrials are cryonics Life Extension Society, founded in publicity of proponents, particularly that walking among us and about to usher in 1963 by Evan Cooper. In his reply Cooper of the “revered prophet,” Ettinger. an era of world peace and brotherhood. notes an experiment of Isamu Suda and Alleged alien encounters or sightings may colleagues at Kobe University in Japan. A be convincing, even if the world at large cat brain perfused with a glycerol solution What is glaringly overlooked is remains unpersuaded. Prehoda particularly was chilled to −20°C for more than six that the cells that do not survive notes the UFO cults as a modern counterpart months, then reanimated with recognizable to beliefs in angels or other spiritual brain waves.4 Cooper surmises that “it might still be repairable, much as beings. For some, claims of extraterrestrial might be extravagant to claim that most a car that will not start can often encounters, while extraordinary, possess a of the cells would be damaged beyond any scientific plausibility not found with angels conceptual means of repair.”5 Ettinger in be made to run with the right and thus seem more credible. Because the same issue disputes Prehoda’s claim mechanic’s attentions. of the general skepticism of leading that the leading cryobiologists all discount specialists such as astronomers, however, any chance of reanimating persons frozen beliefs in alien encounters would qualify as with current techniques. Instead, of the Prehoda defines a “pseudo-scientific pseudoscientific despite their grounding in ones Ettinger had corresponded with, proposal or idea” as “a hypothesis or presumed, non-supernatural effects. including some of the best known, “not combination of hypotheses which cannot Pseudoscientific movements may be one denied that there is some chance of be accepted by any of the leading specialists annoying in a minor way but, it may be eventual revival.” He also tellingly notes in the field.” For cryonics the “field” is asked, why get upset? No one is forced that “poll taking is an art, and the answer cryobiology, and the “leading specialists” to subscribe to their tenets; few generally you get depends on the way you ask the include such respected scientists as Dr. do. But Prehoda notes that such groups

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 9 can impede legitimate science. UFO of frozen patients might occur, envisioning the precise structure of these trillions of believers, for instance, may claim they have robot surgeons capable of superhuman altered RNA memory molecules before already achieved space travel through their feats of dedication and fine control. “[I]t is they were frozen.” Ettinger notes, however, extraterrestrial contacts. A gullible public not inconceivable that [such] huge surgeon- that memory is highly redundant, however could then become less enthusiastic about machines, working twenty-four hours a day it may be encoded, which should materially bearing the considerable expenses of for decades or even centuries, will tenderly lessen the dependence on “precise human-engineered space flight. (Though restore the frozen brains, cell by cell, or even structure,” much as a book might be this is a plausible argument, Prehoda offers molecule by molecule in critical areas.” (We reconstructed from a number of damaged no quantitative estimate of the putative today, of course, are conditioned by the copies. effects.) In the case of suspended animation, possibilities of nanotechnology and other Another issue involves the “six minute Prehoda fears a burgeoning “freeze now” advances and ask why the machines must limit” beyond which, Prehoda tells us, a movement that could convince the public be “huge.” A plausible alternative would person experiencing oxygen deprivation that more research is not an urgent priority, be swarms of tiny, intelligently controlled, generally loses his memory and intelligence, inasmuch as hopes are based on existing artificial microbes.) if he survives at all. The effect can be procedures. Discouraging such hopes, and Ettinger’s speculative thinking provides mitigated if body temperature drops opposing the practice that supports them, Prehoda a pathway for attacking cryonics, quickly, as in cold water drownings, but become priority items. though also exposing weaknesses in his such favorable conditions will often not be Prehoda then considers the specifics own position. He acknowledges that present when a person is cryopreserved. of cryonics, which were anticipated and brain cells can survive cryogenic freezing Prehoda assumes that the information loss delineated in The Prospect of Immortality. (this was well-established at the time), but is total and permanent; the brain, then, is (The term cryonics itself did not appear until notes that such survival is rare, thereby quite a fragile organ and trying to preserve 1965, a year after Prospect was published; concluding that the mind of a resuscitee its fine structure after clinical death is, at Prehoda in his book prefers “cryogenic “would be irretrievably lost.” What is best, highly problematic. Ettinger also interment.”) Prehoda defines “cryogenic glaringly overlooked is that the cells that do considers this problem, but reaches more suspended animation” as “the complete not survive might still be repairable, much optimistic conclusions. Many human body cessation of all metabolic activity for an as a car that will not start can often be made cells, he notes, are shown to resume some indefinite period by means which allow to run with the right mechanic’s attentions. function up to a day or two after death, future reanimation.” In general, of course, As another possibility, information from suggesting that the injury to brain cells it may not be known if a particular method damaged cells could be extracted and used might not be so severe as to obliterate the inducing this cessation of activity will in forming new, functionally equivalent encoded memories.9 On the other side prove reversible or not. Prehoda is only in cells. The brain might thus be rebuilt with of the coin, starting cryonics procedures favor of applying such a method when (if its original memories intact, or largely so, immediately after pronouncement of ever) there is general agreement, among even if few of its cells would “survive”— death would be feasible in many cases, to scientists in the relevant specialties, that that is to say, be able to spontaneously minimize any deterioration. prospects are good for reanimation. resume function on simple thawing. Near the beginning of Prospect, Ettinger In assessing the validity of the cryonics Opposing Cryonics Because It sets the tone of the proposed program, in premise, a critical issue is how memories Might Work10 direct opposition to Prehoda (emphasis are stored in the brain, an area where We have seen how Prehoda’s stance was original): “It must be made very clear that understanding is still inadequate and pro-suspended animation, thus really he our basic program is not one of ‘suspended divergent views are held. Many feel, for hoped cryonics would work even if he animation,’ and does not depend on any instance, that the long-term memories thought it unlikely so that more research special timetable of scientific progress, which would be important for recovering should be done before cryonics was but can be instituted immediately.”8 the personality reside primarily in the publicly offered. We turn now to something Cryopreservation might not be suspended synaptic connections between the neurons, entirely different: fearing the consequences animation—we don’t know yet if it will but this is not the only view. An alternative if cryonics works and hoping on that basis that prove reversible. So far we can only label that is favored by Prehoda in his book is it won’t work. Incredibly, this was the stance it “suspended death”—any metabolic to credit specially configured strands of taken by cryobiologists in general, according processes, including decomposition, are RNA. According to this hypothesis, these to Mike Darwin in a lengthy three-part put on indefinite hold, nothing more. memory molecules are present in large serial on the conflict between cryonicists This, then, is the best that could be hoped numbers in the brain’s neurons, and must and cryobiologists (Cryonics Jun.-Aug. for with cryopreservation, and it is what accordingly be restored if a prospective 1991): Ettinger is promoting in his book. resuscitee is to retain any sense of the “I have talked with many cryobiologists Suspended death, however, is not simply original self. On this latter possibility about cryonics over the years. Whether the known end of life but a possible Prehoda is characteristically doubtful. “The young or old it has been my experience gateway to future life, based on the hope memory RNA within many of the brain’s that almost universally cryobiologists that future technology will be able to neurons would be altered or damaged by consider the goal of human suspended restore a healthy consciousness. Ettinger present freezing techniques. The robot animation and/or vastly extended lifespans offers some thoughts on how resuscitation surgeons would have no way of knowing anathema.”11

10 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org CT scans of Alcor patients with cerebral dehydration (Yes, pretty ironic for a cryobiologist, not Another guest on the show was Dr. James to mention a physician!)”15 Southard, then vice president of the Society Darwin in his article documents how for Cryobiology. King asked Southard, Meryman, who around this time was “James, do you want this [cryonics] to president of the Society for Cryobiology, work?” Southard answered, “No. I don’t used his influence with Minnesota Valley see any reason why one isn’t satisfied with Engineering to halt their supplying of the one life that they have on earth. I mean cryogenic containers to cryonics groups: from a personal standpoint.”18 (In fairness, “Meryman reportedly approached Southard did make clear, later in the show Minnesota Valley Engineering (MVE), that he was not opposed to others seeking the cryogenic engineering company and cryopreservation if that is what they want, manufacturer of the custom storage vessels just that he was opposed to it personally.) for whole body patients, and threatened By this point the (pro-cryonics) reader them with loss of their institutional may be wondering what particular strange Dr. Harold Meryman testing blood-freezing membership and refusal of their advertising obsessions, complexes, et cetera would techniques at the Naval Medical Research in the Society’s journal, as well as a boycott motivate cryobiologists, of all people, to Institute, Bethesda, Md., 1957. PHOTO CREDIT: Electronic watercolor of purchase of their equipment unless they oppose the idea of human life extension by author, based on photo by Fritz stopped supplying patient storage vessels to which their very profession might especially Goro, LIFE Images; see, for example, cryonicists. MVE complied, and for nearly be able to offer. I think it fair to say that, http://www.militaryblood.dod.mil/ a decade there was no reliable commercial it’s not just cryobiologists but people more viewcontent.aspx?con_id_pk=239, source of whole body cryogenic equipment generally, including scientists outside of accessed 4 Nov. 2015. available to any cryonics organization cryobiology, that have this pro-mortality anywhere (this information was supplied to mindset. As one case in point consider none These sentiments were dramatically the author in the late 1970s by an individual other than Albert Einstein, probably the underscored in a letter from Harold T. in MVE management who wishes to most respected scientist of the twentieth Meryman to Charles Tandy in 1978. remain anonymous). Indeed, it was in part century. The preeminent physicist didn’t Meryman was an American Red Cross as a result of this storage unit embargo that spend all his time in that cerebral field but physician and for many years a leading Robert Ettinger and the Cryonics Institute on occasion would venture forth on art, cryobiologist. He is “credited with saving launched their program to build patient philosophy, religion and other subjects: countless lives for his innovative work dewars in-house so as to be protected from “The fairest thing we can experience refining the process of freezing blood, such manufacturer black-listing.”16 is the mysterious. It is the fundamental allowing thousands of units of blood to Matters culminated in September 1982 emotion which stands at the cradle of be kept in long-term storage in banks when a new version of the Society’s bylaws true art and true science. He who knows around the world.”12 Tandy was a young took effect. Section 2.04 provides that it not and can no longer wonder, no longer transhumanist philosopher and cryonics cryonicists are unwelcome and might be feel amazement, is as good as dead, a enthusiast,13 interested in the possibility expelled: snuffed-out candle. It was the experience of creating a National Institute of Low “Upon a two-thirds vote of the Governors of mystery—even if mixed with fear— Temperature Biology which would focus in office, the Board of Governors may that engendered religion. A knowledge on the goal of achieving suspended refuse membership to applicants, or of the existence of something we cannot animation. Meryman responded: suspend or expel members (including both penetrate, of the manifestations of the “I am quite unsympathetic with individual and institutional members), profoundest reason and the most radiant the goal of preserving human beings whose conduct is deemed detrimental beauty, which are only accessible to our through freezing. I find the proposition to the Society, including applicants or reason in their most elementary forms— mischievous in the extreme and fear that, members engaged in or who promote any it is this knowledge and this emotion that like some other scientific ‘breakthroughs’ practice or application which the Board constitute the truly religious attitude; in one might mention, the end result would of Governors deems incompatible with this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply be impossible to control and far more the ethical and scientific standards of the religious man. I cannot conceive of a God damaging than beneficial to society. Society or as misrepresenting the science who rewards and punishes his creatures, “In short, I think that a national institute of cryobiology, including any practice or or has a will of the type of which we are of low temperature biology is unjustified application of freezing deceased persons conscious in ourselves. An individual who and the goal of freezing humans is deeply in the anticipation of their reanimation.”17 should survive his physical death is also disturbing.”14 There is much else in Darwin’s article beyond my comprehension, nor do I wish Ettinger had this to say in 2001: which documents the long hostility of it otherwise; such notions are for the fears “I have correspondence from Meryman, cryobiologists to cryonics, which I will or absurd egoism of feeble souls. Enough many years ago, showing that his antipathy have to omit here. I note one more item for me the mystery of the eternity of life, to cryonics has religious or/and ideological however, relating to an appearance of Mike and the inkling of the marvelous structure roots—he doesn’t think human life should Darwin and Brenda Peters on the Larry of reality, together with the single-hearted be extended beyond the “natural” span. King Live show which aired July 11, 1991. endeavor to comprehend a portion, be it

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 11 CT scans of Alcor patients with cerebral dehydration ever so tiny, of the reason that manifests Some Recent Exchanges simulation is an abjectly false hope that is itself in nature.”19 Some recent, strongly anticryonics beyond the promise of technology and is Einstein in his thinking was far from sentiment from a scientific source started certainly impossible with the frozen, dead alone but could be said to exemplify an innocently enough, and positively too, with tissue offered by the ‘cryonics’ industry. attitude common to many thoughtful an article by Amy Harmon in the New Those who profit from this hope deserve people who seek meaning and value in a York Times.20 “A Dying Young Woman’s our anger and contempt.” life that, on the face of it, seems destined Hope in Cryonics and a Future” tells the Responders soon noted considerable to end rather soon in eternal oblivion. gripping story of Kim Suozzi, who was a flaws in Hendricks’s arguments, such his Many find his resolution of the problem bright, college-level neuroscience student tendency to wander off topic, conflating both comforting and inspirational. Death, at Truman State University (Kirksville, cryonics with uploading and obsessing, however prevalent, cannot deprive life of Missouri) when stricken herself with as he does, over whether a computer meaning and purpose. But in discounting brain cancer. Ailing but still alert and simulation of you, if it could be engineered the idea of a life after death they, also eloquent, she spoke briefly at Alcor’s someday, would be you. A firm if polite like Einstein, disparage and distance conference in Scottsdale in October 2012. rebuttal article, “The Science Surrounding themselves from the “feeble souls” who Though initially she had little funding, Cryonics” by David W. Crippen, Robert J. would misguidedly seek such a life by way money had been raised by the Venturist Shmookler Reis, Ramon Risco, and Natasha of “fear or absurd egoism.” organization and others to cover the Vita-More,22 appeared a few weeks later in Yet Einstein was not suicidal, and it $80,000 fee for neuropreservation and she the same online journal, offering words of seems likely he would have accepted rescue was cryopreserved by Alcor three months encouragement: from the debilitating and eventually lethal later. Several speakers at the conference “We agree there is more to the mind than effects of aging, had such deliverance been with scientific credentials spoke well if the synaptic connections between neurons. possible—as would most of the rest of cautiously about cryonics. This is recounted The exact molecular and electrochemical the human species. His attitude, then, can in Harmon’s article of September 12 and features of the brain that underlie be seen as a consequence of the principle overall the tone is respectful, scientifically the conscious mind remain far from that one’s values tend to conform to one’s responsible, and positive. completely explored. However, available expectations. Einstein found a way to The same cannot be said of a followup evidence lends support to the possibility value his lot as a mortal, which seemed article which appeared within days in a that brain features that encode memories inescapable based on his understanding, respected scientific publication, the MIT and determine behavior can be preserved and to dismiss as undesirable any putative Technical Review.21 “The False Science of during and after cryopreservation.” amelioration. It is the old principle of the Cryonics” by Michael Hendricks, who is Some recent evidence actually was fox thinking the grapes he wants but cannot a neuroscientist and assistant professor of obtained by one of the authors: reach must be sour, not worth having biology at McGill University (Montreal, “Direct evidence that memories can anyway. When the prize is the “grapes” Quebec), offers a determined attack. survive cryopreservation comes from the of radical life extension, the frustration is “I study a small roundworm, roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, the very exacerbated by fears and anxieties imposed Caenorhabditis elegans, which is by far the animal model discussed in Hendricks’s by natural selection’s survival instinct, and best-described animal in all of biology. We response. For decades C. elegans have is hardened and transmogrified into a know all of its genes and all of its cells (a commonly been cryopreserved at liquid mortalist bias. Paradoxically, one is repelled little over 1,000). We know the identity and nitrogen temperatures and later revived. by and disparages what one really desires complete synaptic connectivity of its 302 This year, using an assay for memories of but is convinced is unobtainable. neurons, and we have known it for 30 years. long-term odorant imprinting associations, Einstein died in 1955, a little before the “If we could ‘upload’ or roughly one of us published findings that C. elegans cryonics movement got started, but it’s not simulate any brain, it should be that of C. retain learned behaviors acquired before hard to see why its advent did not have much elegans. Yet even with the full connectome cryopreservation. Similarly, it has been effect on attitudes of scientists and others in hand, a static model of this network of shown that long-term potentiation of more generally. To most people cryopatients connections lacks most of the information neurons, a mechanism of memory, remains are only frozen corpses, just as dead as if necessary to simulate the mind of the intact in rabbit brain tissue following they had been buried or cremated. We make worm. In short, brain activity cannot be cryopreservation.” the case that they should not be treated as inferred from synaptic neuroanatomy.” Further, older, supporting arguments dead, there is still hope for getting them up Cryonicists, however, never say the for cryonics concern the likely survival and going again, but the rest of the world connectome would necessarily be enough. of information-bearing structure. In isn’t convinced. As Einstein was hostile It is not all that is preserved, allowing for “Cryonics, Cryptography, and Maximum to the idea of extending his life beyond resuscitation by other paths. But Hendricks Likelihood Estimation”23 encryption expert nature’s limits, we should not be surprised flatly dismisses any such possibility, and Ralph Merkle likens the cryopreservation that so many others, including mainstream closes with nasty afterthoughts: process to message encryption, inasmuch cryobiologists, have this bias also, and that “No one who has experienced the as “text”—the body’s original structure, it persists today, given we are not close to disbelief of losing a loved one can help but is typically somewhat damaged or resuscitating any of our cryopreserved. sympathize with someone who pays $80,000 “scrambled” by existing protocols. The to freeze their brain. But reanimation or “plain text” (original, undamaged tissue)

12 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org thus turns to “ciphertext” and for the goal fee they are effectively making it impossible of resuscitation one must “decrypt” or for mainstream scientists to engage in civil “unscramble” the “ciphertext” to obtain discussion on the topic.”26 the “plain text” or refurbished tissue Earlier he said, in an interview: similar to its original, undamaged form. “We can argue to a certain extent about That this should be feasible depends what level of criteria should be used for on such properties as that (1) preserved when [a preservative method] is ready tissue tends to show fine structure down to apply to a human being but I think, to the molecular level, and (2) as a physics if you look at the lessons from cryonics, principle, information is relatively hard to it was applied to human beings way too destroy, particularly by methods that rely, early, and the scientific community, rightly, mainly, on greatly lowering the temperature. had to distance itself from that. And the overcompensation that the scientific Kenneth Hayworth, a New community did, from those applications Prehoda? to humans, was detrimental to the entire Kenneth Hayworth is a Ph.D. neuroscientist human race. Because what it basically said and is president of the Brain Preservation is now we’re not going to do the mainstream Foundation (BPF) which he cofounded. He scientific research that is required, to get was a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Dr. Kenneth Hayworth in 2011. this to work, to eventually be applied to University and then became a senior PHOTO CREDIT: Author’s human beings. We cannot let that happen scientist at the Howard Hughes Medical personal collection. on chemical brain preservation. And we Institute’s Janelia Farm Research Campus need to undo it on cryonic preservation.”27 (JFRC) in Ashburn, Virginia. There he So Hayworth is much more a Prehoda is working on ways to extend focused might be thought that Hayworth would be than he is either an Ettinger or a Meryman, ion beam scanning electron microscopy a supporter of cryonics, and he does favor favoring research that will lead to some (FIBSEM) imaging of brain tissue to it in the sense of wishing it could work, form of suspended animation, while encompass much larger volumes than are and feeling that scientific research should opposing the idea of putting people in currently possible. He is a coinventor of be directed to making it work. His support, “suspended death” for now. (In one way a tape-to-SEM process for rapid imaging however, is highly qualified and appears to Hayworth differs from Prehoda. Prehoda of volumes of brain tissue by splitting exclude current practices, which he feels are was interested in preserving viability for the tissue into many very thin slices, and inadequate, as indicated in his own rebuttal suspended animation, whereas this does not designed and built several automated to the article of Michael Hendricks: appear to be a strong interest of Hayworth. machines to implement this process.24 As “[P]lease do not conflate what a small, Both, however, and other scientific critics he says: “The BPF has offered a challenge highly-suspect company like Alcor is through the years can be accused of prize for the development of a medical offering with what is possible in principle “repair denialism”—discounting of the procedure which can preserve a human if the scientific and medical community possibility that future technology may be brain so that people today can potentially were to start research in earnest. I started able to repair damage inflicted by current take advantage of mind uploading the Brain Preservation Prize as a challenge methods of preservation and bring about technology [more than] 100 years in the to Alcor and other such companies to ‘put resuscitation.) To his credit Hayworth does future.”25 up or shut up,’ challenging them to show not, like Meryman and other cryobiologists, Hayworth’s approach, then is not that their methods preserve the synaptic feel that cryonics ought not to work. But necessarily cryonics but still (equivalently) circuitry of the brain. After five years he thinks that present and past cryonics a form of biostasis—preserving the brain they have been unable to meet our prize practices have repelled the scientific or its information after cardiac arrest— requirements even when their methods community from doing the research that until future methods can be applied to, in were tested (by a third party) under ideal would be needed to develop a method that some way, recover the functioning patient. laboratory conditions. Out of respect would demonstrably work and this has been (In this case uploading, simulating the mind for loved ones I will not comment on “detrimental to the entire human race.” in a computer, is explicitly referred to as a any particular case, but it is clear from He may be convinced that prospects for possible mechanism for this restoration. It online case reports that their actual results resuscitating existing cryonics patients are might be used under the circumstance that are often far worse than the laboratory negligible, as underscored by his comment only brain information not original material prepared tissue we imaged. Speaking that the methods used were “unable to is preserved—or a duplicate brain with personally, I wish that all such companies meet our prize requirements.” Or if not, body might be made, as usual assuming would stop offering services until, at a that saving a few lives by cryonics now will advanced technology of the future is minimum, they demonstrate in an animal not compensate for the loss of life that available. Some are comfortable with such model that their methods and procedures must follow because the alienated scientists prospects, but for those who aren’t, other are effective at preserving ultrastructure are not doing their work that would make possibilities exist through cryopreservation, across the entire brain. By offering cryonics attractive and widely adopted by since the original tissue is preserved.) It unproven brain preservation methods for a the masses.

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 13 Either possibility seems highly other research encouraged by him.) I would speculative at best. In general, we know also, however, take a hard look at (1), and References people are strongly affected by their own ask if better tests of existing procedures mortality, and don’t like to be reminded might show more favorable results leading 1. MP1 (entire section, except as of it. Because it is a fact of life, however, to a more positive assessment. The new noted). people are forced in one way or another tests could take different forms. One would 2. MP2. to make peace with it, which leads to an be new testing methodologies applied to attitude of acceptance, from which, it tissues preserved by the existing methods, 3. RP1; quoted in RP2, 113. seems, it is but a few short steps to a kind another, new algorithms for processing 4. IS. of approval and even reverence. In the data obtained and used in previous testing. case of Einstein, we see how an eminent In regard to the latter, we could ask if 5. EC. scientist expressed hostility to the idea of some, legitimate “unscrambling” of 3-D 6. RE2. extending human life beyond the natural models of cryopreserved neural tissue limits and disparaged those who would might yield “corrected” tissue that could 7. Quotes by Prehoda and think otherwise. The same mortalist bias is meet Dr. Hayworth’s prize requirements.29 summarization of his views in the apparently prevalent among cryobiologists I think this should be investigated; current remainder of this section are from and has been. It seems quite plausible that computer capabilities should make it RP2, 100-107. the presence or absence of a cryonics possible. 8. RE1, 2. practice has little to do with this—there In any case we are surely on the right 9. RE1, 34. was no cryonics when Einstein was alive. track. We are still here doing our thing, and So it is not clear that if cryonics had our movement is stronger than ever. Time 10. The main source for this section is not developed, cryobiologists and other is on our side. A case could even be made MD. scientists would have felt more disposed to for doing cryonics if it proves impossible 11. MD, 148. perfect a method of extending life. to fully restore patients with no amnesia or memory distortions. The amnesia problem 12. RS. Some Final Thoughts is the most serious one we are likely to 13. Author’s personal knowledge. There is the issue of whether cryonics, as face in any case, and having the preserved practiced now and up to now, is likely to information alone—whatever its deficits— 14. MD, 148. work. Some of us, this author included, should be of interest to future historians. 15. RE3. think its prospects are good, and base our Patients with amnesia but otherwise assessment on informational grounds. fully functional, on the other hand, could 16. MD, 119. Ralph Merkle, I think, has done the best be helped through the use of records, 17. CB. job of explicating this point of view, including personal memorabilia. They seconded by Eric Drexler.28 I don’t have should at minimum end up fully able to 18. MD, 146. space to go again into the arguments speak their native language, with basic 19. AE, quoted in MP3, on which the (briefly addressed in an earlier paragraph) knowledge and comprehension at former remainder of this section is based. but suffice it to say that the confidence I levels, and also know their name and other think is warranted means that cryonics basic data which should be available from 20. AH. clearly should continue. The other kind of records. They should, in particular, know 21. MH, including Hendricks quotations. objection, that, if we grant that cryonics that they had been cryopreserved and has a significant chance of saving lives, still, resuscitated and when and where these 22. DC, including quotations. there is too much cost overall in alienating events occurred. Personal memorabilia, 23. RM. the scientists, is too speculative and shaky photos, diaries and the like, could help to take seriously—unless and until more to further fill out missing memories (and 24. KH1. corroborating evidence is found. So we can cryonicists are encouraged to maintain files 25. KH3. be grateful that we have a cryonics practice of such memorabilia). 26. KH4. that is active today and not just promised Our hope of defeating death through our for an unknown future that could only help practices is serious and an important source 27. KH2. those alive in that future. of meaning. But it also supplies a motive 28. See ED for an easy introduction As for the validation problem, it appears that otherwise would be lacking, one whose to ideas about nanotechnology, that up to now skeptics have mainly been absence would, I think, greatly slow or halt including possible application to the saying (1) the current practice won’t work our progress toward suspended animation, problem of cryonic resuscitation. or is unlikely to, based on tests that have given the mortalist bias that seems to creep been done, thus (2) some new, improved in when such hope is shackled. We must 29. MM suggested using deep practice is essential. A better practice is, of continue our work, both in doing research learning methods to electronically course, always desirable and worth seeking, and in preserving our patients, in the latter reverse the damaging effects of which means that research must continue. case using the best available methods when cryopreservation. (This includes Dr. Hayworth’s research and the need arises. 

14 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org Sources (REFERRED TO IN REFERENCES ALSO MH. Michael Hendricks, “The False Science of Cryonics,” MIT INTERNALLY): Technology Review, 15 Sep. 2015, http://www.technologyreview. com/view/541311/the-false-science-of-cryonics/, accessed 1 Nov. AE. Albert Einstein, The World as I see It, abridged ed., http:// 2015. cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/science_and_technology/physics/ Albert%20Einstein%20-%20The%20World%20as%20I%20 MM. Michael Maire, private communication (email) 17 Jun. See%20it.pdf, accessed 12 Sep. 2015, quote from p. 7. 2015.

AH. Amy Harmon, “A Dying Young Woman’s Hope in Cryonics MP1. R. Michael Perry “For the Record,” Cryonics 28(3) 28-31, and a Future,” New York Times, 12 Sep. 2015, http://www. 33 (3rd Quarter 2002). nytimes.com/2015/09/13/us/cancer-immortality-cryogenics. html?_r=0, accessed 2 Nov. 2015. MP2. Mike Perry (R. Michael Perry), “Death of Robert Prehoda,” Cryonics 36(2), 7 (2nd Quarter 2010), http://www.alcor.org/ CB. Bylaws, Society for Cryobiology, Incorporated, amended Library/html/RobertPrehoda.html, accessed 1 Nov. 2015. May 15, 1995, https://mega.nz/#!1Qd0SBZL!amSUIgluRM7L wAHaj0S9VWnpsEvOwu5ugBayigss3f0, accessed 2 Nov. 2015. MP3. R. Michael Perry, “Religion, Science, and Reductionist Prospects for an Afterlife: Amending the Thought of Einstein and DC. David W. Crippen, Robert J. Shmookler Reis, Ramon Others,” to appear in Charles Tandy, ed., Death and Anti-Death Risco, and Natasha Vita-More, “The Science Surrounding 13. Ann Arbor, MI: Ria University Press, 2015. Cryonics,” MIT Technology Review, 19 Oct. 2015, http://www. technologyreview.com/view/542601/the-science-surrounding- PM. Preserving Minds, Saving Lives: The Best Cryonics Writing cryonics/, accessed 1 Nov. 2015. from the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, Aschwin de Wolf, Stephen Bridge, eds., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.: Commercial Printers, EC. Evan Cooper, “How Reanimation of the ‘Presently’ Frozen Inc., 2015. Might Be Possible in the Future,” Freeze-Wait-Reanimate 3, no. 27 (August-September, 1966), 3-4. RE1. Robert C. W. Ettinger, The Prospect of Immortality. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1964. Reprint, London: Sidgwick and ED. K. Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation: Challenges and Choices of Jackson, 1965; Oak Park, Mich.: Immortalist Society, 1987. the Last Technological Revolution, Garden City, New York, Anchor Press, 1986. RE2. Robert C. W. Ettinger, letter, Freeze-Wait-Reanimate 3, no. 27 (August-September, 1966), 5. IS. Isamu Suda, K. Kito and C. Adachi, “Viability of long term frozen cat brain in vitro,” Nature 212 268-70: 15 Oct 1966; RE3. Robert C. W. Ettinger, Cryonet message #15333, 13 Jan. Gregory Fahy, private communication 14 Aug. 2012. The 2001, http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dsp.cgi?msg=15333, remarkable work of Suda and colleagues nearly a half-century accessed 31 Oct. 2015. ago has not been repeated but prominent cryobiologist Fahy RM. Ralph C. Merkle, “Cryonics, Cryptography, and Maximum has carefully examined it, including extensive unpublished notes Likelihood Estimation,” PM 401-14, originally appeared in supplied by the late Dr. Suda, and judges it scientifically sound. Cryonics, 2nd Quarter, 1995. KH1. Kenneth Hayworth, Brain Preservation Foundation, RP1. Robert W. Prehoda, “To Freeze the Dying or Dead at the undated, http://www.brainpreservation.org/team/kenneth- Present Time Is Totally Unfeasible,” Freeze-Wait-Reanimate 3, hayworth/, accessed 3 Nov. 2015. no. 27 (August-September, 1966), 1 (quoting material from an KH2. Kenneth Hayworth, Singularity 1 on 1: Brain Preservation article by Prehoda in Pageant, April 1966), 1-2. is the Logical Lifeboat, 25 Jan. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/ RP2. Robert W. Prehoda, Suspended Animation: The Research watch?v=w6-cs-T0U6g, 35:35-36:35, accessed 2 Nov. 2015. Possibility That May Allow Man to Conquer the Limiting Chains KH3. Kenneth Hayworth, “I Am Kenneth Hayworth,” 21 Nov. of Time. Philadelphia: Chilton, 1969, “The Lunatic Fringe,” 100- 2013, https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1r6exr/, 110; “January 12, 1967,” 111-120. accessed 3 Nov. 2015. RS. T. Rees Shapiro, “Harold T. Meryman, 88, Dies; Found KH4. Kenneth Hayworth, “Ken Hayworth’s Personal Response Method to Freeze Blood,” Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2010, http:// to MIT Technology Review Article,” 16 Sep. 2015, http://www. www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/20/ brainpreservation.org/ken-hayworths-personal-response-to-mit- AR2010012004754.html, accessed 2 Nov. 2015. technology-review-article/, accessed 2 Nov. 2015.

MD. Michael Darwin, “Cold War: the Conflict between Cryonicists and Cryobiologists,” PM 109-53, originally appeared in Cryonics, June, July, August 1991.

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 15 Interview with Robert W. Prehoda (1969) & CRYONICS REPORTS: What is your background? individuals in any non-aging population. Extreme examples of unavoidable accidents include meteorite PREHODA: My degrees are in chemistry and my impact or a cosmic ray (heavy element ion) striking a research experience has been Qfocused primarily on A suitable target atom nucleus in a vital portion of the propulsion chemistry (rockets, ramjets, etc.), although brain. These and other extreme examples would rule I have had considerable research experience in the out immortality. However, the human life span can be biological sciences. I have participated in investigations significantly extended via control of the aging process, of natural hibernation, partially successful attempts to human hibernation or a synergistic combination of induce hibernation in animals that do not hibernate, both. and unsuccessful experiments involving whole animal DMSO perfusion and freezing. CRYONICS REPORTS: What was your role in the freezing of Dr. Bedford? CRYONICS REPORTS: When did you first become interested in the possibility of extending the human PREHODA: I was present at the request of Norman lifespan? Bedford and served as his representative on that occasion. However, I am still opposed, as I was before PREHODA: I have been interested in life span extension Dr. Bedford’s death, to freezing people at the present since I was in my teens, and have been contacting time because this money should be spent on research. scientists active in various phases of gerontology Any human freezing is premature and without and reduced metabolism throughout the world since scientific basis until a mammal can be revived from about 1950. Many of them are now close friends. the frozen state. CRYONICS REPORTS: How bright do you feel the CRYONICS REPORTS: What is the Bedford Foundation? prospect of immortality is? PREHODA: It is an organization, set up by Prof. James PREHODA: Immortality is statistically impossible H. Bedford before his death, whose only purpose is to because accidents would eventually eliminate all engage in basic cryo-biological research.

16 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org CRYONICS REPORTS: What activities is it engaged in? physical sciences. I will continue to do everything I What are its plans? can to promote responsible research in gerontology and reduced metabolism, with particular attention PREHODA: The Bedford Foundation started to to my original conceptual research contributions to undertake a program of research along the lines fully both of these vitally important branches of applied described in my new book on reduced metabolism, biomedicine.  SUSPENDED ANIMATION. Unfortunately, litigation to break Dr. Bedford’s will intervened, and the case has not been settled in the courts.

CRYONICS REPORTS: What are the titles of your books and what are they about?

PREHODA: DESIGNING THE FUTURE, THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGICAL FORECASTING (Chilton Books, 1967) was the first American publication on technological forecasting and the importance of this new discipline to economic growth, education, military defense and the allocation of funds between contending R & D options. EXTENDED YOUTH, THE PROMISE OF GERONTOLOGY (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1968) is the first popular book to be published since 1960 on the research areas that may allow senescence to be overcome. SUSPENDED ANIMATION (Chilton Books, 1968) is the first semi-popular book to deal with the research requirements and options that may allow human hibernation and cryogenic suspended animation to be achieved.

CRYONICS REPORTS: What area of scientific research do you believe should receive first priority?

PREHODA: Dr. John Bjorksten’s molecular cross-linking aging research, which I believe will be recognized in the 1970’s, as the most important and momentous scientific discovery of the 20th century.

CRYONICS REPORTS: What are your immediate plans?

PREHODA: My immediate plans include the continued refinement of technological forecasting methodology and the writing of a series of future-oriented books on emerging branches of applied biology and the

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 17 Fearless in the face of death: Buddhist Detachment, Epicurean Equanimity, and Contemporary Immortalism By Gregory Jordan

Buddhism and Epicureanism combat the fear of death by accommodating the emotions to the reasonable certainty of death. Contemporary immortalism (which includes projects such as life extension, cryonic suspension, and universal immortalism) argues that scientific and technological solutions to the problem of death can be found, thus questioning the inevitability of death. Buddhist, Epicurean, and contemporary immortalist approaches to death and the fear of death are explored, compared, and contrasted.

eath and the fear of death were In beings subject to aging [and] death . . . the genuine nature of the human condition. If prominent among the problems wish arises, “O, may we not be subject to aging this is so, then belief in an unchanging self Dconsidered by many ancient [and] death.” . . . But this is not to be achieved is a delusion. If people cling to belief in religions. Buddhism and Epicureanism, in by wishing. an unchanging self, and if they desire such particular, proposed rational solutions to However, the inevitability of death was unchanging selves, then they will inevitably the fear of death, solutions which required explicitly assumed: be frustrated by change, and this frustration counter-intuitive emotional assessments It’s impossible that one could forbid anything will cause them to experience anguish. of the human condition and the nature of born, existent, fabricated, and subject to For this suffering, Buddhism proposed death. Buddhist and Epicurean solutions to disintegration from disintegrating. the cure of detachment. Detachment the fear of death attempted to accommodate Even if people could extend their life embraced, as it were, the chaos and flux of the emotions to the reasonable certainty of spans significantly by rare techniques, they change in the universe, finding joy in the death. These solutions depended upon the would still grieve over the deaths of their very lack of desire for the universe to be assumption that death was inevitable. less-long-lived loved ones. otherwise. If people realized that they were In recent times, a kind of immortalism Even if a person lives a century / – or more not unchanging selves, and if they let go of has arisen which challenges the assumption – / he’s parted / from his community of relatives, their desire to be unchanging, then causes of death’s inevitability. Expectations about / he abandons his life / right here. . . . seeing the and effects could change around them, future advances in science and technology dead one whose time is done, / [think,] “I can’t and change them, without causing them have raised the prospect of combating fetch him back.” suffering. This detachment from one’s death itself by rational methods. This For Buddhism, the root of all types of self and all other objects of desire entailed contemporary immortalism does not suffering, including grief and fear of death, letting go of the desire to have those things assume the inevitability of death and sees was the desire for unchangeableness in a stay the same and letting go of the desire the fear of death as both a logical warning world in which all things were continually to have those things stay in the same, and a problem to be solved. Questioning the changing. Human beings themselves were attached, relation to one’s (nonexistent) self. inevitability of death disturbs the ancient seen as examples of constant change, According to Buddhism, this detachment rational solutions to the fear of death part of a continuum of causes and effects eliminated the fear of death. found in Buddhism and Epicureanism. which constituted the world. And who is the person who, subject to death, is People feared growing old and dying, not afraid or in terror of death? There is the case Buddhist Detachment according to this perspective, because of the person who has abandoned passion, desire, For one swept to old age / no shelters exist. / they wished to stay the same. However, fondness, thirst, fever, and craving . . . Then he Perceiving this danger in death, / one should drop the very understanding of one’s self as an comes down with a serious disease. As he comes the world’s bait and look for peace. unchanging entity, a single spirit or soul down with a serious disease, the thought does not – Tripitaka. Sutta Pitaka, Samyutta seems to be an error, since one continues occur to him, “O, those beloved sensual pleasures Nikaya, Sagatha Vagga, Devaputta- to change throughout life, even from one will be taken from me, and I will be taken from samyutta, Uttara Sutta (2,19) life to another. them!” He does not grieve, is not tormented; does Early Buddhism was concerned with the If self is defined as an entity that persists not weep, beat his breast, or grow delirious.” problem of all types of suffering, especially unchanged through time, and if there is no Buddhism accepted the prevalent the suffering caused by aging and death. unchanging self that persists across time, traditional belief in reincarnation, but, The desire for immortality was recognized: then there is no self, and selflessness is the perhaps surprisingly, reincarnation

18 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org did not solve the problem of fear self in a particular life. It was the particular Epicurean Equanimity of death. Reincarnation could not self in a particular life which was subject You have persuaded me to laugh at [death]. prevent the frustration of the desire for to change, and it was this change which – Inscription of Diogenes of Oinoanda, unchangeableness, since it led to separation caused suffering. fragment 73 from an old life, new suffering in a new Was Buddhism making a virtue of a For Epicureanism, fear was a central life, and a new experience of aging, dying, necessity? Things do change, and people cause of human suffering, and fear of and death. In fact, reincarnation prevented change over time. Accepting this fact of life death was perhaps the strongest fear. In the the release from suffering that even death would seem to be the reasonable course of Tetrapharmakos, a four-sentence distillation as total annihilation might provide. Thus, action. A critical assumption in the framing of Epicureanism, fear of death was for Buddhism, reincarnation was a problem of the problem here was that humans explicitly repudiated: “Death is not to be not a solution. desire unchangeableness. Detachment as feared.” (Warren 2002, 7). According to Buddhist thought, perfect a solution depends on a presumed choice Upon what basis did Epicurus repudiate detachment from self eliminated intentional between two options, (1) chaotic change fear of death? In a famous passage, action, which depended upon the that destroys our attachments and frustrates Epicurus asserted, perception of selfhood and the valorization our desires, and (2) an unattainable, pure, Death is nothing to us, . . . because so long as of selfhood. The elimination of intentional and eternal unchangeableness. Surely, we are existent death is not present and whenever action in turn eliminated the causes of however, many people do not desire pure it is present we are nonexistent. (Strodach 1963, reincarnation — the regular consequence unchangeableness, but rather reasonable Letter to Menoeceus 125) of intentional actions. Thus, detachment control over the circumstances of their That is, since conscious awareness ends eliminated future birth (reincarnation), and lives. They wish things to change, but with death, the state of death cannot be by extension, future death. only in certain ways. For example, we may sensed or experienced by any person. With the arising of birth there is the arising of want our friends to grow and mature, but From this statement, the implication is aging and death. With the cessation of birth there we do not want them to sicken or die. We often drawn that the state of death cannot is the cessation of aging and death. may want our bodily appearance to vary in be considered a form of suffering or Therefore, the remedy Buddhism beauty, but not to become ugly. It is possible misfortune for a person who has died. But proposed for emotionally accepting to be happily attached to a continuity which Epicurus’s point here may actually have the inevitability of physical death was changes in ways we like, by desirable variety, been stronger than that. detachment, and the remedy it proposed or by desirable progress and evolution— By saying that life required real presence, for endless future physical deaths (by that is, changes which relate one instant of he could conclude that life was the only reincarnation) was also detachment. life to another, or one form of a self to possible state of existence for a human Detachment was thus the price of another, in a positive and desired manner. being. Life was the only possible field of overcoming fear of death in this life, and it Detachment during suffering eliminates concern for human thought and action, was also the price of preventing any future suffering, but detachment during and death was impossible for sentient, deaths in future reincarnations. enjoyment would seem to eliminate aware persons to experience. By what at Did Buddhist detachment depend upon enjoyment. Is attachment necessary for first seems a specious trick of definition, a sleight of hand in denying the existence enjoyment? If one enjoys something, one Epicurus conferred immortality on all of the self? The criteria of eternity and will reasonably wish it to continue so that humanity. This existential immortality identity (everlasting unchangeableness) one can continue enjoying it. It is not always combated the fear of death and thus in were the grounds of being for many ancient the case that enjoyment will continue, but turn conferred equanimity upon the mind. ontologies. But it is possible to understand if it does, the desire to have the source of it Is this equanimity reasonable? In selfhood differently, as a dynamic, evolving, continue is entailed. If one subtly separates everyday life, we must calculate how we are continuous pattern. enjoyment from the desire to continue to preserve our lives and thus in some way Buddhist scholars seem to have enjoyment, provisional and temporary we may take measures to avert death if we recognized this, because they saw enjoyment is possible, but detachment can. The Epicureans granted this much as reincarnation not as the preservation of means accepting an end to enjoyment, if preserving the good of life. The Epicurean an unchanging soul, but rather as the the source of enjoyment must end. This was supposed to cultivate physical health provisional transfer of some ever-changing subtle resignation confronts the emotion in order to maintain life (Strodach 1963, elements. Later sects of Buddhism of frustration with the reasonableness of Letter to Menoeceus 128). developed the concept of “mind-stream” accepting the inevitable. [The wise Epicurean] . . . spares no effort in to handle the continuity of patterns in Buddhist detachment was a solution to all those opportunities which can bring something the chain of causes and effects associated the problem of death, grief, and fear of better, in the expectation of living longer. And with a person. This allowed Buddhists to death which concluded that release from he takes particular care of his health and having refer to the progression of an individual pleasure was necessary for release from considered illnesses and death he vigorously through many changes within one life and suffering, and that an abandonment of undergoes measures to ward them off. across many reincarnations. This mind- pleasurable attachments is necessary to Epicurean equanimity was supposed to stream, then, was eternal and unchangeable quell the suffering caused by the eventual, combine with such efforts to make a long as a pattern, but it was not eternal or inevitable loss of all the sources of pleasure life possible to enjoy. unchangeable as manifested in a particular which constitute our lives. In what sense, however, can one preserve

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 19 life without regard for death? Presumably, and also for ourselves: “Whenever [death] “nothing” to us. Epicureanism does not any method to prevent death would work is present we are nonexistent.” Death is explain how we can distinguish between an by preserving life. Combating death and “nothing to us” in an emotional sense, avoidable and an unavoidable death, and perpetuating life seem to be two sides of that it is of no concern to us because so it cannot be clear to us which possible the same coin. If Epicureans worked to we will not experience it. But it can have death will result in our actual death (which preserve and prolong their lives, what emotional meaning to us even if we do we have no reason to fear) and which would be gained by not fearing death, by not experience it (by being dead or by possible death will be successfully averted adopting the attitude that “death is nothing avoiding being dead), if it is a possibility by our own efforts (which we should fear so to us”? that we can avert. Our deaths can be that we can be motivated to avert it). If we Epicurus’s definition of life put important to us as states of affairs that we assume every possible death we encounter one’s own death beyond one’s notice endeavor to avoid and prevent. But our in our lives, that is, every deadly danger, and concern, because it involved one’s deaths should be “something to us” only if is one we can resolve satisfactorily by our nonexistence. Even if one made plans we can effectively avoid and prevent them. own effort, then we must reasonably fear for the future, these plans could never be Epicureanism seemed to grant that we can every possibility of death. This is the most frustrated because at the moment of death postpone certain possible deaths, and that reasonable way we can best preserve our the plans would disappear at the same time we should. But those possible deaths are goods, including our lives. as the one who made the plans. the exact possible deaths which we will not However, Epicureanism assumed that Nevertheless, one would have no only be able to avoid, but that we will, in there would certainly be an unavoided reason to try hard to preserve or safeguard fact, avoid. The only reason for postulating death, which we might not be able to one’s life if one did not attend to the a death that we should not fear would be identify in advance, which was what should phenomenon of death. The Epicurean who the existence of a death that we will not be be “nothing” to us, and which should not be “considered illnesses and death” in order able to avoid, and that we will not avoid. If feared. This implied that we would certainly to “ward them off ” perhaps had in mind we could be certain that all deaths could be, fail to avert one possible death, and that we an abstraction of death from the example and by our own efforts would be, avoided, must someday lose all our goods, that is, of others who had sickened and died. But then we would have no use for Epicurus’s our lives. Thus, for Epicureanism, freedom if “death is nothing to us” then one’s own remedy. from fear of death was bought at the price death cannot be a possible concern. I may Epicureanism assumes mortality, the of assuming the inevitability of death. be aware that others sicken and die, and I existence of an inevitable death, in order may know how to prevent sickening and to assess it as a state of unconsciousness Contemporary Immortalism dying, but if “death is nothing” to me, then and nonexistence for the person who has Death is an imposition on the human race, and no I am experientially immortal and so I will died. It is this phenomenon, this unavoided longer acceptable. . . . Mobilize the scientists, spend have no reason to take steps to ward off death, which is evaluated emotionally as the money, and hunt death down like an outlaw. my own death. Although I can, practically, “nothing to us.” We may be aware of many – Alan Harrington, The Immortalist preserve my life without fearing death, I possible deaths in our lives, and assess (1969) have no motive for doing so if I do not them as dangerous threats which we can The rational approaches to death attend to the possibility of my death. avoid by our own efforts. These possible and fear of death in Buddhism and If Epicureanism was compatible with deaths are not “nothing” to us, and yet they Epicureanism assumed the inevitability of taking precautions to effectively prevent are reasonable pretexts for fear. death, but then suggested ways one could certain states that could cause death, how Fear involves an emotional assessment look upon this eventuality with detachment could the state that actually causes death be of circumstances which may be dangerous. or equanimity. These approaches were not treated differently? What confers upon it a Fear is not useful to us if fear fails to necessarily opposed to the possibility, or special status? enable us to avoid danger. However, fear desirability, of prolonging life by ordinary We fear things that we can avoid, and is reasonable and useful if we are uncertain care for one’s body, using existing medical Epicureanism had a prominent concern whether we are facing an avoidable or an practices, and avoiding unnecessary with avoiding bad things that could be unavoidable danger. Epicureanism then dangers. However, neither Buddhism nor avoided. Still, the Epicurean language was must assume that some possible death, at Epicureanism took into consideration any careful—it is not the possibility of death that some point in one’s life, will result in an possibility of indefinitely prolonging life. was not to be feared, but death that was not actual death, in order to assess that the fear The last hundred years or so, however, to be feared. The state of death must follow of this actual death is unreasonable and have seen many dramatic advances in a failure to prevent possible death. What useless. medicine and biology. Scientists have good, then, does it do us to believe that The Epicurean remedy was thus an begun exploring the causes of aging “death is not to be feared” if we already attempt to adapt the emotions, by reasoning, and methods for intervening in them to pursue the rather common-sense practice to the inevitability of death. If a death is slow, stop, or even reverse aging (Panno of attempting to avoid possible death? avoidable, it is reasonable to fear it, and so 2005). It now seems plausible to wonder The answer is that Epicureanism be motivated to endeavor to avoid it. In such if extremely advanced medicine and assumed the existence of a final failure to a case, it is the possibility of death which biotechnology of the future might be able avoid possible death, resulting in a state is the object of awareness and concern. A to prevent aging or all natural causes of of death. This death existed, for others possible death that can be avoided is not death. Nanotechnology (Drexler 1986) and

20 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org new methods of freezing (Pichugin et al. almost any damage to the human body, including means of restoring life, at least all those that exist 2006) may give new support for the idea freezing damage and senile debility or other cause in nature and have been discovered by the human of cryonics. of death. race, have been tried and have failed… Mortality Developing and implementing scientific Hence we need only arrange to have our bodies, is an inductive conclusion. We know that we are and technological strategies to prevent and after we die, stored in suitable freezers against the the offspring of a multitude of deceased ancestors. reverse death may be considered the goals time when science may be able to help us. But however great the number of the deceased, this of a renewed, contemporary immortalism. – Robert Ettinger The Prospect of cannot be the basis for incontrovertible acceptance Contemporary immortalism’s novel Immortality of death because it would entail an abdication approach is to try to combat the problem It is possible, in some cases, for death not of our filial duty. Death is a property, a state of death and fear of death in the most to be avoided, but also not to be permanent conditioned by causes; it is not a quality which direct way possible—by eliminating it. or irreversible. The notion of temporary determines what a human being is and must Contemporary immortalism includes death confounds traditional definitions be. a diverse variety of specific projects, of death, which associated it with a – Nikolai F. Fedorov, What was man created but among the most noteworthy are permanent condition. Since the invention for? The philosophy of the common task. life extension, cryonic suspension, and of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), If it is true that science and technology universal immortalism. over two hundred and fifty years ago, the will continue to advance indefinitely, then understanding of death as the cessation of it must follow that future technologies and Life Extension certain vital functions such as breathing and the feats possible by them may at some [In the future] all diseases may by sure means heartbeat has had to accommodate the fact point exceed even our wildest imaginations. be prevented or cured, not excepting even that of that these vital functions, once stopped, can As Arthur C. Clarke said, ‘any sufficiently old age, and our lives lengthened at pleasure even be restarted under the right circumstances. advanced technology is indistinguishable beyond the antediluvian standard. Today many cases of “death” can be from magic.’ It is unclear, then, for – Benjamin Franklin, letter to the reversed by a variety of methods—mouth contemporary immortalists, where to draw scientist Joseph Priestly in 1780 to mouth resuscitation, cardiac pulmonary the line of hope, and some have concluded Life extension includes a wide variety resuscitation, vasopressin, defibrillators, that there is, in fact, no reason to draw a of dietary and medical interventions to and so on—and, as medical technology line at all. Science in the future might reveal increase lifespan—for example, calorie advances, more cases of death are being ways by which people from the past could restriction (Delaney and Walford 2005; reversed all the time. Death is now even be brought back to life, even if their bodies Masoro 2002) or calorie-restriction medically induced in some cases, because it were not preserved by means such as mimetics such as resveratrol, antioxidants, can be so reliably reversed. cryonic suspension. phytochemicals, comprehensive nutritional However, a particular death is Universal immortalism is the belief supplementation, and scrupulous diagnostic usually considered reversible only if the in the possibility and desirability of and preventive health care—in addition to technologies to reverse it already exist developing material technologies advanced following the usual recommendations of and only if they are employed in a short, enough to bring back to life all those weight control, exercising, healthy habits, controlled amount of time. Since it who have ever lived. The technologies and risk-avoidance. seems likely that new technologies for that would be required for such a feat, These practices, in themselves, do not reversing death will be invented in the such as universe simulations, wormholes constitute immortalism if the aim is only future, contemporary immortalists have in space-time, parallel universes, or time to lengthen life or increase the quality of argued that it would be best to preserve travel, are certainly much more remote life. Contemporary immortalists, however, those patients whose deaths cannot be and hypothetical than those of either life pursue life extension in order to live long presently reversed, in case their deaths extension or cryonic suspension. enough to take advantage of the more might be able to be reversed by future Universal immortalism, however, is the effective medical technologies which they medical technologies. Such resuscitation form of contemporary immortalism that assume will exist in the future, thus allowing would depend upon preserving a patient can address the problem of grief over them to extend their lives even further, for an indefinite period of time, as well loved ones who have died without being and so on until the time when lifespan can as developing more advanced medical physically preserved. It can also suggest a be extended indefinitely (Kurzweil and technologies in the future. Cryonic way to act on the ethical concern for human Grossman 2004, 14-32; De Grey 2005). suspension is the practice of preserving the beings in the more distant past whose lives, Then, the only danger of death would be “dead” by freezing (Ettinger 1964; Drexler even if they have long since been forgotten by accident, a danger which might also be 1986, 130-46; Immortality Institute 2004). by people today, were in their time just as avoided by additional future technology. important to them as our lives are to us. Universal Immortalism All those who have ever wished to live Cryonic Suspension Humans admit nature to be a blind force even when longer, who have had enough sense of the The fact: At very low temperatures it is possible, they regard themselves as part of it and accept death possibilities of their own lives extending right now, to preserve dead people with essentially as a kind of law and not as a mere accident which into the future, may be considered to have no deterioration, indefinitely… permeated nature and became its organic vice. Yet suffered by being limited to finite life spans. The assumption: If civilization endures, death is merely the result or manifestation of our In this train of thought, if it were possible medical science should eventually be able to repair infantilism . Death can be called real only when all to extend lifespan indefinitely, even beyond

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 21 the lifespan of this universe, it would be And how, monks, does one not yearn for the limited. It is not even clear that the capacity unethical not to try to share this lifespan future? He thinks: “I may have such form in for pleasure is strictly limited. Epicurean with all people who have ever lived. the future” but brings no delight to bear on it. equanimity depends upon the notion of He thinks: “I may have such feeling… such “the best life possible,” and thus upon the Problems perception… such formations… such consciousness entire theory of what is possible and what Although contemporary immortalism in the future” but brings no delight to bear on it. is impossible. sets forth future scenarios, these still That is how, monks, one does not yearn for the In addition, Epicureans typically denied remain possibilities rather than certainties. future. that the future would contain any novelty. Contemporary immortalism, then, However, the entire purpose of Do you expect me to invent some new contrivance combats a basic source of fear—the detaching one’s self from one’s life was to for your pleasure? I tell you, there is none. All phenomenon of death itself as a physical avoid the suffering that would be caused things are always the same. and mechanical problem, while at the same by losing it. If it were not certain that one This argument seems fairly weak. time introducing reasons for at least two would lose one’s life, then the purpose of Even by ancient standards, the variety of new fears: (1) the fear that immortalist detachment would be put into question and specific changes observable throughout a technologies will fail to develop at all, even it would become possible again to consider person’s life must be reasonably considered though they are theoretically possible, and that it might be valuable to suffer in order as novelty, even if not very marked or (2) the fear that immortalist technologies to live. significant novelty. If, as Epicureanism will develop, but fail in particular instances Epicureans might also have questioned maintained, the universe was eternally old, (for example, one’s own case). the value of suffering in order to extend all arrangements of atoms would endlessly For example, life extension might be one’s life. Even if Epicurean equanimity recur. But this would not be apparent theoretically possible, but the technologies grants preserving one’s goods (in this to any individual who was not eternally to extend lifespan indefinitely might never case, one’s life), still life extension invokes old, because that person would not have develop because of lack of funding, lack a notion that longer life is of greater experienced all the arrangements of atoms. of political support, and so on. Also, life value than shorter life, a notion which Contemporary science holds that extension practices might work, but not Epicureanism vigorously denied. nature itself can produce novelty well enough for some individuals to live Infinite and finite time afford equal pleasure, if through emergence and evolution, and long enough to use medical technologies one measures its limits by reason. contemporary technology has advanced for indefinite life extension. Epicureans invoked a large set of and produced many “new contrivances” arguments against the value of longer life indeed. Historically, along with the growing The Effort of Immortality so that the frustration of the desire for a perception of significant progress in Life extension, cryonic suspension, longer life would not make fear of death human affairs has come a concomitant and universal immortalism all propose reasonable. For example, it was argued that frustration with limited lifespan, with the methods of combating the fear of pleasure had natural limits; that once the inability to live long enough to see a better, death by combating death, yet all of the maximum of pleasure had been attained, or at least very different, future. In the contemporary immortalist proposals there was only variety of pleasures; and context of expectations of the future, the require incredible effort and dedication that indulging in insatiable desires was human lifespan has come to be seen as a to research and development. Is life really unreasonable. limit on the ability to enjoy and understand worth this much effort? It would be impossible within the space the world. From a Buddhist point of view, to live is of this paper to fully treat these arguments, Even though Epicureanism argued that to suffer. Longer life means longer suffering, but in general it will be noted that the there was no novelty in the world, it was since aging, grief, and death are only some assumption about the inevitability of death still prepared to combat the notion that of the examples of suffering we experience was also key here. a life could be considered incomplete in life. Buddhist detachment is part of a Bodily pleasure seems unlimited, and to provide because of premature death. In order to larger strategy against suffering, not just it would require unlimited time. But the mind, feel as though one might die prematurely, death and fear of death. But surely in a recognizing the limits of the body, and dismissing or live an incomplete life, one would calculation of value that includes the value apprehensions about eternity, furnishes a complete have to grant physical reality to a life not of pleasure and happiness in life as well as and optimal life, so we no longer have any need of lived, to time not experienced, which is suffering, eliminating the suffering caused unlimited time… When the end of life approaches, impossible by the Epicurean framing of the by aging and death must be significant. [the mind] does not feel remorse, as if it fell short problem. Whatever experiences one will not Buddhist detachment is not ascetic in in any way from living the best life possible. experience are not one’s experiences; they the sense that it finds fault with concern Epicurean equanimity depends upon the do not form part of one’s life. Therefore, for the health of one’s body. But if one mind’s recognition and acceptance of the by definition, no one’s life can actually be is not attached to one’s life, there can be “limits of the body,” including the “end curtailed in any way. The length of a life no reason to introduce suffering for the of life.” A desire for infinite variety of is whatever length it is found to be by the sake of extending that life forever. The pleasures and infinite duration of pleasures limits of experience. Buddhist remedy for suffering caused by is insatiable only if its object is, in fact, However, we do not form our emotions death is not to restore life, but to cultivate unattainable. But contemporary scientists on the basis of experience only, but also detachment from life. are not agreed that lifespan must be on the basis of expectations about the

22 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org future. If we do not know for sure whether longer life and its greater happiness are still separated in time or space. According to or not we will live or die, then a possible real possibilities. Once the possible loss of modern physics, the past, while practically death could be imagined as cutting short life becomes real in death, those who stand inaccessible, is not “nonexistent” in the a possible life. If this doubt cannot be to lose something become nonexistent at absolute sense. If time is a dimension, then resolved in any way, then any emotional the same moment that the thing which they the past exists in a timeless sense, just as assessment is useless. stood to lose, the longer life, is also found much as the present. “So long as we are It should be borne in mind, then, that the time to be nonexistent. However, while we are existent death is not present”—but if to come is neither ours nor altogether not ours. In alive, if we do not know whether or not death merely interrupts part of our lives this way we shall neither expect the future outright a particular danger will surely result in our (as it would in both cryonic suspension and as something destined to be nor despair of it as deaths, then life and death are both real universal immortalism), then discontinuity something absolutely not destined to be. (Strodach possibilities, and we are faced with choices. in life must be acknowledged even if death 1963, Letter to Menoeceus 127) Our emotions analyze circumstances is not. If resurrected persons were to look But to be perfectly in doubt about the with regard to our safety or danger. We do back on their lives before the discontinuity resolution implies an inability to affect not only desire the things that we desire of death, they would reasonably judge the outcome. If we are faced only with while we are alive; we also desire to be safe themselves to have been “existent” at that possible futures about what is destined to from deadly danger—that is, we desire to time. be and what is destined not to be, then stay alive. It is this desire which leads us Therefore, we cannot, in the terms our emotional assessment is irrelevant— to try to avert deadly harm and loss of of Epicureanism, judge the dead to be we cannot affect the outcome and thus life, and to seek the pleasure and benefits nonexistent unless such a resumed life will our emotions are useless to motivate us to available from a longer life. This desire never take place. Everyone who will exist effectively bring about a desired state of could be considered an unnecessary desire again in the future can be an object of affairs. Epicurean equanimity rejects both only if death were inevitable, so that we our ethical concern. If we are not certain expectation and despair as useless, but it could speak of conditions obtaining when whether or not the dead will be resurrected, also rejects fear, which is the emotion which the desire is not fulfilled. then we could not decisively dismiss the could motivate us to do what we must do in If it is not certain whether or not dead as nonexistent. The resurrected dead order to stay alive. the desire to stay alive will be fulfilled or may experience the resumption of their unfulfilled, then in such a case the desire lives as the absence of death, but the gap in The Need for Eternal Life to stay alive cannot be judged necessary their lives will be the consequence of death Epicureans might have argued that the or unnecessary because of lack of on their lives and their existences. Death desire for life extension is an “unnecessary” information about the future. If we knew will not be “nothing” to them, and the desire. that this desire enabled future life, then it dead in that case would not be “nothing” All desires which create no pain when unfulfilled would have to be judged necessary because to us. Epicurean equanimity depends upon are not necessary; such desires may easily be its fulfillment would be the precondition rejection of the possibility of resurrection. dispelled when they are seen as difficult to fulfill or for the existence of a being about whom it If it were possible to be resurrected after likely to produce harm. could be predicated that there is happiness. death, then the possibility of missing this If we accepted this argument, we could What is central in the Epicurean argument resurrection would be a reason for fear, and conclude that the desire for indefinite against the necessity of desiring to live this fear would motivate one to do whatever lifespan is an unnecessary desire, since indefinitely is the pessimistic assumption is in one’s power to be resurrected. when it is unfulfilled (if a person dies), there that death is inevitable. This argument is no pain. If extending lifespan indefinitely would be valid only if an actual end of Conclusion required the slightest pain, it would thus life were approaching, and only if one Buddhism, Epicureanism, and contemporary detract from the overall happiness in a were absolutely certain that this was the immortalism all confront the problem of person’s life. Thus Epicureans must argue inevitable end. death and the proper emotional reaction against life extension even if life extension to death. Buddhism and Epicureanism were merely “difficult to fulfill,” let alone The Need for Resurrection assume the inevitability of death and impossible. Epicureans might also find it difficult to be thus work to adapt the emotions to that However, surely necessity must be judged concerned about those in the past who have phenomenon, modulating the natural from the vantage point of the living, died. If the dead are nonexistent, then they and spontaneous human tendency to fear since the dead have no vantage point— could not be an object of concern. Their death into a calm detachment or serene the dead are nonexistent, according to desires and their ambitions to continue equanimity that extends throughout life. Epicureanism, and so they need nothing living died with them. Although the living The inevitability of death is not only a and desire nothing. It does not matter, can care to live, the dead are without cares; fundamental assumption of these religions; then, to the dead if they experience no pain therefore, the dead cannot be raised to in both cases, the inevitability of death is when they are dead; what is important to the satisfy them or for their sake. one of the main starting points for a train living is the life they stand to keep if they The ethical basis of universal immortalism of logic which developed many of the do not die. seems to be the common responsibility of distinctive beliefs of both religions. Given While we are still alive, and as long as we human beings to each other, or concern that death is inevitable, how should we think we might be able to avert death, our for each other, regardless of how they are handle our fear of death?

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 23 Contemporary immortalism uses References the resources and methods of modern science and technology to approach the Cetron, Marvin, and Owen Davies. Lobo, Francisco, S. N. “Phantom Energy same question from a novel direction. Cheating Death: The Promise and Future Traversable Wormholes.” Physical Review In the traditions of empiricism and Impact of Trying to Live Forever. New York: D71 (April 13, 2005) 084011. progress, it responds to the problem of St. Martin’s Press, 1998. death by hypothesizing, developing, and Masoro, Edward J. Caloric Restriction: A promoting rational, scientific, and applied Clarke, Arthur C., and Stephen Baxter. Key to Understanding and Modulating Aging. technological methods to combat death The Light of Other Days. New York: Tor, Boston: Elsevier, 2002. as a natural phenomenon. Contemporary 2000. immortalism thus revisits one of the Merkle, Ralph C. “Molecular Repair of fundamental assumptions of both De Grey, Aubrey. “A Strategy for the Brain.” Cryonics (January 1994): 16-31, Buddhism and Epicureanism, namely, the Postponing Aging Indefinitely.”Studies (April 1994): 20-32. Also available at inevitability of death. in Health Technology and Informatics 118 http://www.merkle.com/cryo/techFeas. For contemporary immortalism, the (2005): 209-19. html. Buddhist and Epicurean approaches Delaney, Brian M., and Lisa Walford. The Panno, Joseph. Aging: Theories and Potential could be cast as forms of resignation and Longevity Diet. New York: Marlowe & Co., Therapies. New York: Facts on File, 2005. fatalism. If we do not lose our lives, then 2005. we will not suffer from being separated Pearce, David. The Hedonistic Imperative. from them. If we will not suffer separation Deutsch, David. The Fabric of Reality. New http://www.hedonistic-imperative.com. from our lives or the lives of our loved York: Penguin Books, 1997. ones, then we do not need to be detached Perry, R. Michael. Forever for All. U.S.A.: from them. If we have a future, we do not Drexler, K. Eric. Engines of Creation. Universal Publishers, 2000. need to be detached from it, and yearning Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/ for the future will not be frustrated or Doubleday, 1986. Pichugin, Yuri, Gregory M. Fahy, and result in suffering. Rather than equanimity, Robert Morin. “Cryopreservation of Rat contemporary immortalism might suggest, Fedorov, Nikolai Fedorovich. What was Hippocampal Slices by Vitrification.” what we need now is an urgent research man created for? The philosophy of the common Cryobiology 52 (2006): 228-240. program. The Epicurean approach that task. Selected works translated from Strodach, George K. The Philosophy of “neither begs off from living nor dreads the Russian and abridged by Elisabeth Epicurus. Northwestern University Press, not living” (Strodach 1963, Letter to Koutaissoff and Marilyn Minto. N.p.: 1963. Menoeceus 126) would lack the confidence Honeyglen Publishing/L’Age d’Homme, 1990. and vision necessary for the technical Tandy, Charles, ed. Death and Anti-Death, development of physical immortality. Ettinger, R. C. W. The Prospect of Volume 1: One Hundred Years After N. F. For many religious traditions, beliefs Immortality. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Fedorov (1829-1903). Palo Alto, California: about death and solutions to the problem 1964. Ria University Press, 2003. of death and fear of death lie at or close to their cores, comprising some of their Gruman, Gerald J. “A History of Ideas Tipitaka: The Pali Canon. http://www. most valued beliefs. Contemporary about the Prolongation of Life: The accesstoinsight.org/canon. immortalism’s goal of eradicating the Evolution of Prolongevity Hypotheses Tipler, Frank J. The Physics of Immortality: physical phenomenon of death obviously to 1800.” Transactions of the American Modern Cosmology, God, and the Resurrection has profound consequences for all the Philosophical Society 56 (1966) pt. 9. religious traditions which assume the of the Dead. New York: Anchor Books, inevitability of death. Until now, religions Immortality Institute. The Scientific 1995. have arisen within, and defined themselves Conquest of Death: Essays on Infinite Walford, Roy L. Maximum Life Span. New by, a human condition which has always Lifespans. Buenos Aires: Libros en Red, York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1983. included mortality. Contemporary 2004. immortalism challenges the very nature of Warren, James. Epicurus and Democritean Kurzweil, Ray. The Singularity is Near: that human condition.  Ethics: An Archaeology of Ataraxia. When Humans Transcend Biology. New Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, York: Viking, 2005. 2002. Kurzweil, Ray, and Terry Grossman. Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever. Rodale. 2004.

24 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org Cryonics as a measure of rationality?

By Aschwin de Wolf

ost cryonics advocates are for an enthusiastic personal endorsement distant and unknown future. This should often frustrated by the amount of cryonics. Closely related to having a not be easily dismissed. Personal identity is Mirrationality, ignorance, and desire to live and to pursue life extension not identical to the brain or the body (as a hostility when other people encounter the is an optimistic temperament. A cryonicist simplistic version of cryonics would have idea of human cryopreservation. It should is not necessarily “wildly” optimistic, it) but extends to all the things and people not be surprising then that some of us have but (s)he should at least think that life is that have become part of a person’s life. To simply concluded that most people “just worth living and not be prone to thinking many people, the cryonics proposal means don’t get it.” Which raises an important about the future in dystopian terms. I am survival at the cost of losing everything question. Is making cryonics arrangements also inclined to think that such a person that gives meaning to their lives. a strong measure of rationality? After all, is prone to think “like an economist” (to If we look at the limited acceptance a close examination of Alcor members use Bryan Caplan’s phrase). By this I mean of cryonics from this perspective, does indicates that most of them are highly that a person can think in a probabilistic this inspire optimism in persuading more educated, a disproportionate number of manner, does not see the world as a people? An immediate response would be them have PhDs, and their backgrounds “zero-sum game,” and sees developments negative because fundamental character are often in fields where strong analytic like automation, computerization and traits are hard to change. Another approach, skills are required; computer science, biotechnologies in a positive light. however, is to change the conceptualization neuroscience, biochemistry, etc. Another Do these combined traits produce a and delivery of cryonics so that these fears indicator is that cryonics is relatively popular favorable attitude towards cryonics? This are not triggered. In particular, it might in communities with a high proportion of still cannot be the complete story because serve a cryonics organization well to “nerds.” In fact, a number of “leaders” the traits discussed so far are shared by transition from an organization that just in the “rationality” community (Robin many millions of people in the world and “stores” a human body or brain without Hanson, Eliezer Yudkowsky) have cryonics support for cryonics is extremely small. specific resuscitation and reintegration arrangements and have made public I want to single out two additional traits scenarios to an organization that offers arguments in favor of cryonics. In short, that are usually required to prime someone more comprehensive means of identity one could argue that someone who has for cryonics. The person also needs to be preservation. Such an organization puts a made cryonics arrangements is not prone a non-conformist of some kind. When strong emphasis on the cryopreservation to short term gratification and minimizes cryonics is as small as it is, strongly of families and friends. It will offer cognitive biases, one could argue. endorsing cryonics makes someone stand means of preservation of assets and The problem with this characterization out (to put it mildly). And this “standing personal belongings. It develops specific of cryonics as a measure of rationality is that out” is not comparable to just having a resuscitation protocols which are updated it does not explain why the overwhelming bizarre hobby or a strange sense of style. and calibrated as our knowledge and number of people who can be considered It can sometimes produce confusion or technologies improve. And it makes serious highly analytical or rational have not made hostility in other people, which can turn efforts to provide a reintegration program cryonics arrangements. Many cryonicists even our most life-affirming friends and which seeks to minimize adjustment to the are smart but most smart people are not family into apologetic pro-mortalists. time in which an individual is resuscitated. cryonicists. To explain this we will have to The most important trait, in my opinion, Is endorsement of cryonics a measure look elsewhere. and the one that really distinguishes the of rationality? Yes, but without a desire The 18th century skeptic and analytical cryonicist from the non-cryonicist, is the to live, a reasonably optimistic attitude, philosopher David Hume once wrote that ability to deal with vulnerability, uncertainty an independent mindset, and, most of all, “reason is a slave to the passions.” In the and the unknown — in some cases, to even confidence in a cryonics organization to case of cryonics, no matter how smart a welcome it. People who have been around preserve all that is important to a person, person is, if the person does not have a in cryonics for awhile know that ultimately being smart by itself is not going to do it.  passion for life (and an aversion to death (that is, when you dig a little deeper) skeptics and aging), that person will not be primed are really afraid to be resuscitated in a

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 25 ORDER Preserving Minds, NOW! Saving Lives The Best Cryonics Writings of The Alcor Life Extension Foundation

“Cryonics magazine introduced me to Alcor and cryonics at its best back in 1983. The visions and technological breakthroughs that you will read about in this book continue to shape Alcor’s mission to preserve life through science.” – Max More, Ph.D. President and CEO of Alcor

ryonics is an experimental medical procedure that Cuses ultra-low temperatures to put critically ill people into a state of metabolic arrest to give them access to medical advances of the future. Since its inception in the early 1960s, the practice of cryonics has moved from a theoretical concept to an evidence-based practice that uses emergency medical procedures and modern vitrification technologies to eliminate ice formation.

Preserving Minds, Saving Lives offers an ambitious collection of articles about cryonics and the Alcor Life Extension Foundation. From its humble beginnings in 1972, and its first human cryonics patient in 1976, Alcor has grown to a professional organization with more than 1,000 members, more than 140 human patients, and more than 50 pets, all awaiting a chance to be restored to good health and continue their lives.

This book presents some of the best cryonics writings from Cryonics magazine from 1981 to 2012. There are clear expositions of the rationale behind cryonics, its scientific validation, and the evolution of Alcor procedures. Also covered are repair and resuscitation scenarios, philosophical issues associated with cryonics, and debates within the cryonics community itself.

Soft Cover Edition: $20 – Hard Cover Edition: $35 To order your copy, go to: www.alcor.org/book or call 1-877-GO ALCOR (462-5267) Table of Contents Foreword: Cryonics and Hope • Introduction

WHAT IS CRYONICS? Why We Are Cryonicists • Cryonics: Using Low Temperatures to Care for the Critically Ill • Medical Time Travel • The Bricks in the Wall HISTORY OF CRYONICS John Hunter, Cryonics Forerunner • The Society for the Recovery of Persons Apparently Dead • Riding the Jameson Satellite • The First Cryonicist • Robert Ettinger: Some Brief Historical and Personal Notes • Notes on the First Human Freezing • The Realities of Patient Storage • Suspension Failures: Lessons from the Early Years • Dear Dr. Bedford • Robert Nelson and the Bedford Freezing: A Comment • Cold War: The Conflict Between Cryonicists and Cryobiologists HISTORY OF ALCOR A Brief History of Alcor • Where did the name Alcor come from? • New Home, New Life: Alcor Moves to Arizona • The Alcor Patient Care Trust RESEARCH IN CRYONICS Evaluation of the Condition of Dr. James H. Bedford after 24 Years of Cryonic Suspension • A Brief History of Alcor Research • The 21st Century Medicine Seminar: Amazing Breakthroughs in Cryobiology and Resuscitation Systems for Intermediate Temperature Storage for Fracture Reduction and Avoidance ALCOR PROCEDURES AND TECHNOLOGIES How Cold is Cold Enough? • History of DMSO and Glycerol in Cryonics • Mathematical Analysis of Recirculating Perfusion Systems, with Application to Cryonic Suspension • Getting to 8M Glycerol and Other Perfusion Problems • How Cryoprotectants Work • Vitrification Arrives: New Technology Preserves Patients without Ice Damage • New Cryopreservation Technology • Cooling Down • Elements of a Transport • Cardiopulmonary Support in Cryonics: The Significance of Legal Death in Cryonics • Rapid Stabilization in Human Cryopreservation • Securing Viability of the Brain at Alcor • Case Reports in Cryonics RESCUSCITATION OF CRYONICS PATIENTS To Wake Refreshed • The Anabolocyte: A Biological Approach to Repairing Cryoinjury • Cell Repair Technology • Realistic Scenario for Nanotechnological Repair of the Frozen Human Brain • A Cryopreservation Revival Scenario Using MNT • Neural Archaeology • Cryonics, Cryptography, and Maximum Likelihood Estimation • Information Storage and Computational Aspects of Repair PERSPECTIVES ON CRYONICS A Message for Terminal Patients • The Death of Death in Cryonics • Why Suspension Members Need More Than Minimum Funding • Conservative Medicine • Binary Statutes, Analog World: Burke’s Paradox and the Law • Why a Religious Person Can Choose Cryonics • Cryonics and Emergency Medicine • Ethics of Non-ideal Cryonics Cases • Let’s Talk About Cryonics • How to Protect Your Cryonics Arrangements from Interference by Third Parties DEBATES WITHIN CRYONICS But What Will the Neighbors Think? A Discourse on the History and Rationale of Neurosuspension • The Neurocryopreservation Option: Head First Into the Future • The Case for Whole Body Cryopreservation • Responsibility, Probability, and Durability • The “I” Word • The Road Less Traveled: Alternatives to Cryonics • The Myth of the Golden Scalpel • Has Cryonics Taken the Wrong Path?

Afterword • Biographies of Contributors

“Society’s failure to take cryonics seriously is a tragedy “Alcor appears to be the leading organization that is probably costing countless lives. Alcor, notably in the application of cryonics in medicine. via its magazine, is leading the fight to change that.” I’m proud to be a part of this effort.” – Aubrey de Grey, Ph.D. – Michael D. West, Ph.D. Biomedical Gerontologist and Chief Science Officer Stem Cell Scientist and Chief Executive of the SENS Research Foundation Officer of BioTime, Inc.

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 27 The Science Surrounding Cryonics

First published in MIT Technology Review, October 19, 2015

By David W. Crippen, Robert J. Shmookler Reis, Ramon Risco, and Natasha Vita-More

What the nervous system of the Cryopreservation is already used in roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, the very roundworm, frozen embryos, and laboratories all over the world to maintain animal model discussed in Hendricks’s extreme hypothermia tell us about animal cells, human embryos, and some response. For decades C. elegans have preserving the mind. organized tissues for periods as long as commonly been cryopreserved at liquid three decades. When a biological sample is nitrogen temperature and later revived. cryopreserved, cryoprotective chemicals This year, using an assay for memories of such as DMSO or propylene glycol are long-term odorant imprinting associations, added and the temperature of the tissue one of us published findings that C. elegans is lowered to below the glass transition retain learned behaviors acquired before temperature (typically about -120° C). At cryopreservation. Similarly, it has been these temperatures, molecular activities are shown that long-term potentiation of slowed by more than 13 orders of magnitude, neurons, a mechanism of memory, remains effectively stopping biological time. intact in rabbit brain tissue following A roundworm hatches larvae cryopreservation. after being cryopreserved. Reversibly cryopreserving large human organs, such as hearts or kidneys, is more Last month, the New York Times difficult than preserving cells but is an published a front-page article about Kim active area of research with important Suozzi and her decision, at the age of 23, to public health benefits, since it would greatly have her brain cryopreserved after learning increase the supply of organs for transplant. she had terminal cancer. Her hope was to Researchers have made progress in this be able to preserve biological information area, successfully cryopreserving and later that could someday be used to restore her transplanting sheep ovaries and rat limbs, mind, a practice known as cryonics. Michael Researchers are attempting to preserve and routinely recovering rabbit kidneys Hendricks subsequently published a critique whole organs at ultra-low temperatures. after cooling to -45 °C. Efforts to improve of this concept in MIT Technology Review The animal kidney at left is frozen at these technologies provide indirect support (see “The False Science of Cryonics”). While -140º C, while the kidney at for the idea that the brain, like any other right is preserved in a glass-like his article focuses primarily on hypothetical organ, may be adequately cryopreserved state called vitrification. brain “uploading” to computers, he and by current methods or methods under others have raised an intriguing question: can development. any technology, even in principle, preserve For those who hope to preserve and the unique features of an individual’s mind? Although no one understands every restore the unique information-encoding We agree there is more to the mind than detail of the physiology of any cell, cells features of the mind, a key question is when the synaptic connections between neurons. of virtually every conceivable kind are this information is actually lost following The exact molecular and electrochemical successfully cryopreserved. Similarly, while cardiac arrest. It is clear from examples of features of the brain that underlie the the neurological basis for memory, behavior, emergency resuscitation that information conscious mind remain far from completely and other features of a person’s identity may loss occurs not at the moment heart or explored. However, available evidence lends be staggeringly complex, understanding this brain activity stops, but when the chemistry support to the possibility that brain features complexity is a problem largely independent or structure of life becomes irreversibly that encode memories and determine of being able to preserve it. damaged—often significantly after clinical behavior can be preserved during and after Direct evidence that memories can death has been established. For instance, cryopreservation. survive cryopreservation comes from the although brain activity is suspended at

28 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org temperatures below 18°C, the medical temperatures of less than 10 °C) in critically treating patients. Even today, physicians literature contains many cases of people injured trauma victims, effectively shutting are frequently incorrect when predicting who have survived profound hypothermia the brain down and restarting it later to buy outcomes in end-of-life situations. without permanent brain damage. In one time to save the patient’s life. Cryonics deserves open-minded famous example, Swedish radiologist Anna It is easy to dismiss controversial discussion, as do mainstream efforts to Bågenholm was trapped under ice during a practices such as cryonics and gloss over understand the nature of consciousness, skiing accident and then resuscitated after the research surrounding them, but we preserve human tissue and organs for life- being considered clinically dead for more should remember and even respect that saving transplants, and rescue critically than two hours. prevailing views are often shown to be injured patients by understanding the Some surgical procedures also rely incorrect, and that what is impossible boundaries between biological life and on intentionally arresting brain activity now may be possible in the future. For death.  with the help of hypothermia. One of example, Ignaz Semmelweis, the father of the authors’ institutions is carrying out a germ theory, was widely ignored when he Credit: Images courtesy of Greg Fahy and Defense Department-funded clinical trial proposed in the 19th century that nurses Natasha Vita-More to induce profound hypothermia (body and doctors should wash their hands before About The Authors David W. Crippen is a professor in the Departments of Ramon Risco is a professor of engineering and director Critical Care Medicine and Neurological Surgery, University of the CryoBioTech Cryobiology Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh. of Seville, and senior physicist at the National Accelerator Centre, Spain. Robert J. Shmookler Reis is a professor in the Departments of Geriatrics, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and Natasha Vita-More is a professor and chair of graduate Pharmacology/ Toxicology at the University of Arkansas for studies at the University of Advancing Technology. Medical Sciences.

Longecity

By Alvin Steinberg, Justin Loew, and Sebastian Sethe

hrough the course of browsing the and discussion related to life extension. grants awarded to emerging students/ internet in search of life extension Though this, LongeCity provides a researchers. Tnews and conversation, you might responsive infrastructure to develop and Many in the community could be have come across a website www.longecity. support community initiatives, including, considered original ‘bio-hackers’, org. Some readers might be quite familiar over the years: the anthology “The experimenting on themselves with various with the organization because many people scientific conquest of death”; the feature- supplements and sharing the results on the are members of LongeCity as well as major length film “Exploring Life extension”; LongeCity forum. This has also led to a cryonics organizations. a regular podcast featuring interviews very active niche in cognitive enhancement. LongeCity is a web-based non-profit with people from the life extension field; Voting Membership rates are currently organisation (registered in the U.S as a the ‘crowdsourcing’ of a specialised $50 per year, with discounts and merit “501-c-3” entity) whose mission is “to multivitamin supplement’; various ‘citizen schemes available — but LongeCity conquer the blight of involuntary death”. It science’ projects; local meetings and forum is available for free to anyone. was originally founded as the “Immortality scientific conferences. Due to the sprawling, community-based Institute” in 2002 and has since adopted Through crowdfunding, the LongeCity nature of content on the site, it can take a the website moniker of LongeCity, which community has raised funds to support while to become familiar with LongeCity. is a hybrid of the terms “longevity” and scientific projects, including research Navigation buttons in the site-wide menu “city” – Think of it as a community, or into lipofuscin ablation, oxidative stress, and search functions (such as the handy online city, of longevity activists. mitochondrial rejuvenation, stem cell search box at the upper right of every LongeCity’s central feature is its open treatments, life extension supplementation, page) help to locate topics and further forum for the exchange of information and cryoprotectant toxicity, and small information. 

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 29 The revolution against aging & death (RAAD) starts with you

JOINJOIN US US FOR FOR THIS THIS HISTORIC HISTORIC RADICAL LIFE LIFE EXTENSION EXTENSION EVENT. EVENT. August 4-7, 2016, San Diego, CA Town and Country, Resort & Convention Center Information. Inspiration. Celebration. • Learn the latest scienti c advancements. • Gain vital insights to extend your health and well-being. • Connect with like-minded people and scientists. • Enjoy live music and performances.

Aubrey Ray Joe Numerous de Grey, Ph.D. Kurzweil Mercola, M.D. presenters

include: Bill Mark William Andrews, Ph.D. Gordon, M.D. Faloon

Take advantage of the early registration special until February 29th. $897 reduced to $347*— when using Promo Code: CRYONICS *includes: Healthy Lunch and Dinner, Friday and Saturday Register now at: www.raadfest.com If you’d like live personalized assistance in registering, call 1-866-595-6577 (24 hours).

MKMCAD160101_RAADfest_LE_CRYONICS.indd 1 1/18/16 5:10 PM Cheese, clogs and … liquid nitrogen? Impressions from a cryonics training in the Netherlands By Torsten Nahm

hen Cryonics UK announced cryonics-uk.org), and their training dummies cryonics group) that some used, inexpensive that they would do a road show and materials. LUCAS devices were on sale on eBay. We Wand training session in 2015 It was the first time the ambulance had procured two for a really good price (less in mainland Europe, we got very excited. been across the channel, and so this was than $300 each), but the supplier could only Cryonics UK organizes sessions in UK four also a good testing case for a deployment ship to the UK. So Cryonics UK was kind times a year, and members of our group, to mainland Europe. If a case arises in enough to have them delivered to their place, Cryonics Germany, had been going there Germany, we will operate in joint fashion: and bring them to Utrecht for us. They are every once in awhile for the last few years. Cryonics UK will handle the case and now at our main hub in Dresden. But logistics are much easier when there is come over in their ambulance, and our Altogether, the weekend in Utrecht was no air travel involved, so we not only looked volunteers will act as local liaisons to the fun and productive, and I really liked the forward to getting hands-on training from hospital and doctors, as well as helping with spirit of openness, enthusiasm, and shared the experienced folks from Cryonics UK, procedures and equipment. While we are aspirations. It was great to see that cryonics is but also brought along the full set of our equipped to handle a case by ourselves on a growing healthily in Europe. Where a decade equipment. This way, we could show what minimal basis, the UK team has much more ago there was (almost) only Cryonics UK, we had, and get instructions and feedback equipment and experience. For this reason, we now have strong organizations in many on our kit. their cooperation is vital to us, and we are European countries. There was actually The training took place on the weekend very grateful for their continued support quite a bit of talk of forming a European of November 14 and 15 in the city of (for example, our equipment is in large part Cryonics Organization to coordinate our Utrecht in the Netherlands, and was based on their inventory lists). efforts. I certainly feel the time for this is graciously hosted by the Dutch Cryonics Apart from the training sessions, we also coming, and I am pleased and proud to see Organization (DCO). The Dutch guys did a had detailed discussions of the last two cryonics developing so well here on this side fantastic job of organizing the meeting. We cryonics cases in the UK (one in 2014 and of the Atlantic. had a nice location, a spacious room where one in 2015; members from Germany joined Thanks again to Cryonics UK and the we could set up and train, and a great dinner in for both cases), practical experiences and DCO for making this wonderful meeting on Saturday evening. lessons learned. An important part of any happen. This was the first, but certainly not In all, 19 cryonicists from four different case is securing the cooperation of hospital the last pan-European training weekend. countries joined. There were 5 members staff and doctors. Cryonics UK does a great Stay tuned! from Cryonics UK (with Tim Gibson as job here, which has allowed them to initiate always doing a fabulous job in leading cooling quickly, often within minutes of the meeting and the training sessions), 7 cessation of heartbeat. members from DCO (with Jappie Hoekstra The training sessions were intense, and as the main organizer), and 5 members some of our newer members felt their heads from Cryonics Germany. We were especially spinning from all the information. But from pleased that 2 members of CryoSuisse, the my experience, with the second and third newly founded Swiss cryonics organization, training, the equipment and steps become were present as well, including its president more familiar and things fall into place. And Patrick Burgermeister. luckily, there was time to relax as well. When The training sessions covered two full we weren’t in session, we had lots of fun Tim (left) giving instructions days, and included setting up the ice bath, the getting to know each other, and discussing as Torsten (right) works administration of medications, operating the cryonics, life and everything else. on the meds tubing. thumper and setting up the perfusion circuit, As a nice bonus, we were also pleased as well as a summary / walk-through of a to take into our possession two LUCAS-1 whole case, from preparation to shipping. thumpers. Their story serves as a neat Contacts: Tim Gibson (Cryonics UK): Cryonics UK had brought along their example for our well-functioning [email protected] & fully equipped ambulance, which is always cooperation in Europe: We had gotten a hint Torsten Nahm (Cryonics Germany): great to see (have a look at their website at from our friends at KryoFIN (the Finnish [email protected]

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 31 The Importance of Local Standby Support and Emergency Response Technologies

By Carrie Wong

INTRODUCTION to get to know other cryonicists nearby. information in the hands of someone close What would you do if a cryonicist passed They are in the best position to help in to the cryonicist; it could be their family or away unexpectedly? an emergency, including an unexpected roommate. Basically anyone who would be The lack of immediate standby response arrest. This is especially true when a the first to know if a cryonicist has passed is one of the biggest problems facing cryonicist’s family members or friends do away should have the contact information cryonicists today. Cryonics providers are not understand cryonics or do not have any of local cryonicists or supporters. The very well-equipped for deaths occurring to interest in doing what needs to be done. instructions at the top of this page would individuals that have terminal illness like The lack of action from family members be to simply go down the list and call each cancer, where there is some idea of when or friends may not always have to do with person until someone responds. Hopefully someone could die. However, there is not unwillingness; it might just be because someone will respond and notify others much in terms of immediate local support they don’t know what to do in a crisis. of the situation. This is a very low-tech, for the majority of cryonicists who could Furthermore, the shock of having a loved low-cost way of increasing your chances face accidental and sudden death. This one pass may make cryonics preparations of getting local support in a sudden-death especially applies to cryonicists that live more difficult for someone who is a close scenario. This contact information could further away from cryonics facilities and family member or friend. be placed in your wallet and on the fridge providers. As a cryonicist living outside of or anywhere easily accessible. the United States, within a province that How to Create Minimal Local The third step is to put together a basic has laws on the books against cryonics, I Standby local standby kit which Cryonics Institute have spent some time with my local group The first step in creating local standby is offers for $400 which includes Heparin. brainstorming the best ways to deal with to get to know other cryonicists. Usually One way to offset the cost of this is to sudden death within our group. you can find a cryonics club at a state level reach out to other cryonicists to make a Within five minutes of cardiac arrest, and then contact them to see if there are group-buy. The more people involved the ischemia sets off a cascade of events any members in your city or town. If there better. There always needs to be someone that ultimately ends in cell death. When are no other cryonicists around who are present to advocate against autopsy or there is an unplanned death or accident, interested, then turn to friends and family. embalming. Someone else needs to rush there needs to be some way of notifying Let them know explicitly that if you pass off to get 100 pounds of ice. Someone local cryonicists for immediate attention away you want them to call Alcor or CI else needs to do CPR and someone else and response. Alcor encourages its immediately. Let them know that you want needs to prepare and administer Heparin. members to wear their medical bracelets or to be cooled after death; and that if you Ice-water cool-down and CPR ideally need necklaces. Certainly the best response is to were to pass away, these would be your last to occur for a full hour; this is not a single immediately notify the individual’s cryonics wishes. person task. service provider after someone has had a The second step is to put together a list What I have just outlined are very life-threatening event or is dead. However, of people who are interested in helping basic, minimal standby requirements. cooling should start immediately after with cryonics standby. Obtain their name, Ideally, cryonics procedures should death and the quickest response would be location and number. Print this information begin immediately after legal death (i.e., from local cryonicists to show up as soon out on a single piece of paper, have each and cardiopulmonary arrest) has been declared. as possible to deal with the situation. Every every cryonicist hand it out to the people Ideally, trained medical professionals from cryonicist should make a special effort around them. The idea is to put this contact Suspended Animation or Alcor would be at

32 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org the scene, immediately after death, instead and it is a good starting point for local if the user accidentally leaves their phone we have a volunteer force of amateurs who standby. However, there are a number of around the house like many people do and have to be the first responders. All cryonicists (smartphone) apps and other devices that the alarm goes off and nobody is around should plan for the worst and hope for the could also aid in notifying local cryonicists to turn it off. best. The reality of the situation is that and supporters of sudden death or crisis. There are many apps for people who even if Alcor were notified immediately, it In terms of apps specifically for want additional safety features, emergency would still take them hours to mobilize their cryonicists, there’s only one at the response and assistance. Some features standby teams to the location of arrest. If moment. Cryonics Institute released their that are useful in emergency response are absolutely nothing is done at a local level, first app in November of 2015, available GPS tracking, unconscious emergency there will be ischemic damage that may on Google Play. Alcor is also working on detection, escalating levels of alerting, make perfusion of cryoprotectant into the their own alert and standby system, but multiple methods of checking sensory brain difficult or even worse, if enough time this technology hasn’t been released yet. data, and long battery life. GPS tracking has passed (days), produce information- The Cryonics Institute’s Check-In app is useful for immediately locating the theoretic death. A cryonicist today cannot is an alert system that allows the user’s person in trouble; ideally an app could be complacent about local standby. phone to send messages for help when the send the location of the user to their user is unable to. The app uses a simple contact list when the alarm system goes alarm system that checks in on the user at off. Unconscious emergency detection Every cryonicist should make selected times during the day. If the user could be in the form of a simple alarm fails to respond to one of the scheduled system where the user has to periodically a special effort to get to know alarms, the app will automatically send turn off alarms, as in the case of Cryonics other cryonicists nearby. They a text message for help to up to five Institute’s Check-In app. Check-ins are contacts. The app is ideal for older a primitive method of unconscious are in the best position to help people who live alone or for times when emergency detection. There are also heart in an emergency, including an someone is fishing, hiking or otherwise or glucose monitors and fall detectors. out of contact, adding an extra level of Escalating levels of alerting is useful to unexpected arrest. security in the event of an emergency. diffuse and diminish the chances of false Some of the downsides include reliance alarms. It should be very easy to turn off on phone battery life, which is usually a false alarm. First the alarm could call out In the future, it would be fantastic if less than 20 hours and reliance on having to different levels of responders, from cryonics were integrated into our current a phone signal. Also there is a potential close family to professional emergency medical system and infrastructure. Quick for too many false alarms. For example, services. So far there is no app that has all and immediate emergency response capabilities already exist for the majority of people in North America today. What if medical staff and professionals simply started cryonics procedures on people immediately after arrest? Almost everything that a cryonicist needs already exists, cheaply, in ambulances and hospitals. What if cryonics was a perfectly normal and acceptable mainstream practice? This is not the current reality. The current reality is that we cryonicists have to have our own infrastructure to deal with emergencies, spread out thinly and left in the hands of a few. If more cryonicists were advocating the practice, perhaps one day we could push this practice into the mainstream.

Current Standby and Emergency Response Technology Having contacts of local supporters on a single piece of paper costs nothing

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 33 the features that could be useful but there devices and apps. SenseGiz is one example the user to try to calm down since stress are many with some combination of the of this type of technology. It tracks exercise can trigger cardiac arrest. Heart disease is features I listed above. and activity, has an emergency button and the leading cause of death in the world, so furthermore, has crash or fall detection. really anyone over age 60 should seriously This handy, multi-purpose device is sort consider keeping an eye on their cardiac The Cryonics Institute’s of like a Fitbit but has added emergency health. response features. If someone crashes their In summary, there is an entire range Check-In app is an alert system bike or falls, the device has the capability of monitoring apps and alert systems for that allows the user’s phone to to send a GPS location and map to the cryonicists to consider in standby, but it programed contacts. This device has three all starts at the local level. Fundamentally send messages for help when the levels of sensitivity: for young people, we all require some degree of social user is unable to. middle-aged people and older people. The connectedness in making standby work battery life of SenseGiz is a week, which is for us. From a single sheet of paper to much better than a phone. Another upside sophisticated heart monitors, the idea of these types of devices is that there is no is the same, to create a quick method of There are a number of personal safety subscription cost and SenseGiz only costs communicating a crisis situation to all the apps that send out messages to preset a bit more than a Fitbit. local people for immediate response and contacts that include a linked map and help.  address of the user’s current location. SOS One Click is one of these apps There always needs to be someone and it’s available on iTunes. Help Me! is Carrie Wong is a another example, available on Android. present to advocate against young Canadian There are many other low cost apps like autopsy or embalming. cryonicist. She these. However, they only help when the graduated in user is conscious and experiencing some 2011 with degree acute injury, or has time to respond to a Last but not least, there are in geology from threat. In addition, all these apps rely on comprehensive biomonitoring, emergency The University of some aptitude in technology and having a devices which can detect death or near- British Columbia charged phone. death conditions with high levels of and worked in There is a flourishing market of accuracy. These new products detect cardiac gold exploration for a few years. emergency monitoring for old folks at arrest. I have not done an exhaustive search In addition to writing for Cryonics subscription cost. These systems require of available devices but Cardiac Guard is a Magazine, she is also writing for monthly payments as opposed to one-time very good example of this type of device. geologyforinvestors.com and running app purchases. The current products that It has an optical heart rate sensor, 9-axis a cartography business. dominate the market rely on a press of a accelerometer, skin conductivity sensor button in case of emergency and a few and skin temperature sensor. All these products that can sense when a user falls biosensors are built into what looks to down. Examples of this type of technology be a simple wristwatch. As most people include Medical Guardian, Lifefone, Bay know, any sort of life-threatening injury Alarm Medical and Alert1 Medical Alert or accident will ultimately result in cardiac Systems. Alert1 stands out because of its arrest. Cardiac Guard can detect two wireless sensor, worn around the neck and key phases of cardiac arrest, ventricular its ability to detect falls. Furthermore it has tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. a 2-year battery life. Bay Alarm Medical When a cardiac emergency occurs, a only has 72 hours on one charge, but notification can be sent to saved contacts features GPS tracking and a connection such as friends, family or local emergency to a mobile network. Depending on the services. Furthermore, Cardiac Guard has age and circumstances of the user, using other useful features which focus on heart old-folks emergency monitoring systems health by analyzing body movement, heart for cryonics emergency response might rate and body temperature for a more work, but has the major downside of high comprehensive view of current activity subscription costs. levels. Interestingly, Cardiac Guard can also Another set of technologies to be detect when its user is stressed and can be considered for cryonics response are fitness programmed to send a notification telling

34 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org Reduce Your Alcor Dues With The CMS Waiver

Alcor members pay general dues to cover Alcor’s neurocryopreservation members under this election would operating expenses and also make annual contributions to be $110,000). Once this election is made, the member the Comprehensive Member Standby fund pool to cover the cannot change back to the original minimums in the future. costs of readiness and standby. Benefits of Comprehensive To have the CMS fee waived, these are the minimums: Member Standby include no out-of-pocket expense for standby services at the time of need, and up to $10,000 for • $220,000 Whole Body Cryopreservation relocation assistance to the Scottsdale, Arizona area. ($115,000 to the Patient Care Trust, $60,000 for Instead of paying $180 per year in CMS dues, Alcor also cryopreservation, $45,000 to the CMS Fund). provides members the option to cover all CMS-associated • $100,000 Neurocryopreservation ($25,000 to the costs through life insurance or pre-payment. Members who Patient Care Trust, $30,000 for cryopreservation, provide an additional $20,000 in minimum funding will no $45,000 to the CMS Fund). longer have to pay the $180 CMS (Comprehensive Member Standby fund) fee. This increase in minimums is permanent If you have adequate funding and would like to take (for example, if in the future Alcor were to raise the cost of advantage of the CMS waiver, contact Diane Cremeens at a neurocryopreservation to $90,000, the new minimum for [email protected].

Become An Alcor Associate Member! Supporters of Alcor who are not yet ready to make cryopreservation arrangements can become an Associate Member for $5/month (or $15/quarter or $60 annually). Associate Members are members of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation who have not made cryonics arrangements but financially support the organization. Associate Members will receive:

• Cryonics magazine by mail • Discounts on Alcor conferences • Access to post in the Alcor Member Forums • A dollar-for-dollar credit toward full membership sign-up fees for any dues paid for Associate Membership

To become an Associate Member send a check or money order ($5/month or $15/quarter or $60 annually) to Alcor Life Extension Foundation, 7895 E. Acoma Dr., Suite 110, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260, or call Marji Klima at (480) 905-1906 ext. 101 with your credit card information. Or you can pay online via PayPal using the following link: http://www.alcor.org/BecomeMember/associate.html (quarterly option is not available this way). Associate Members can improve their chances of being cryo- preserved in an emergency if they complete and provide us with a Declaration of Intent to be Cryopreserved (http://www.alcor.org/Library/ html/declarationofintent.html). Financial provisions would still have to be made by you or someone acting for you, but the combination of Associate Membership and Declaration of Intent meets the informed consent requirement and makes it much more likely that we could move ahead in a critical situation.

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 35

1020

TOTAL 120 11

Number of Alcor patients Alcor of Number

25 2 United Kingdom United

1 0 United Arab Emirates Arab United

3 1 Thailand

3 1 Spain

1 0 Singapore

4 0 Portugal

1 0 Norway

1 0 New Zealand New

1 0 Netherlands

1 0 Monaco

4 0 Mexico

4 0 Japan

3 0 Italy

Number of Alcor members Alcor of Number

1 1 Israel Israel

1 0 Hong Kong Hong

8 0 Germany

1 0 Finland

0 1 China

46 2 Canada

11 3 Australia Australia

Country

Patients Members

International

1379 1371 1358 1350 1339 1332 1327 1316 1306 1301 Total

196 193 190 170 163 157 159 155 152 151 Associate

141 141 141 139 139 138 135 134 134 134 Patients

1042 1037 1027 1041 1037 1037 1033 1027 1020 1016 Members

EC D NOV OCT SEP AUG JUL JUN MAY APR MAR FEB JAN 2015 Membership Statistics Membership Item # 02030

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$1,000 Whole Genome water and later exposed to sulfuric acid. Medical University of Vienna / Barrier Broken The team observed the acid eating away at ScienceDaily the calcite, expanding existing nanometer- 21 Dec. 2015 Veritas Genetics announced September sized pits in the material that quickly merged www.sciencedaily.com/ 29 that the company is making it possible and led to a layer-by-layer removal of releases/2015/12/151221111440.htm for participants in the Personal Genome calcite along the material’s crystal pattern, Project (PGP) to be among the first to over a period of several seconds. Kamal get their whole genome sequenced and Youcef-Toumi, a professor of mechanical Intelligence ‘Networks’ interpreted for less than $1,000. Led engineering at MIT, says the instrument’s Discovered in Brain for the sensitivity and speed will enable scientists by Veritas Genetics Co-Founder Dr. First Time George Church, Professor of Genetics to watch atomic-sized processes play out at Harvard Medical School and Director as high-resolution “movies.” The group’s design and images, which are based on the Scientists from Imperial College London of the Personal Genome Project, PGP is have identified for the first time two a long-term effort to sequence thousands PhD work of Iman Soltani Bozchalooi, are published in the journal Ultramicroscopy. clusters of genes linked to human of complete genomes to enable research intelligence. Called M1 and M3, these so- into personal genomics and personalized called gene networks appear to influence medicine. PGP has more than 16,000 Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office 14 Dec. 2015 cognitive function—which includes participants worldwide. The “$1,000 memory, attention, processing speed and Genome” has long been considered http://news.mit.edu/2015/ new-microscope-real-time-videos- reasoning. Crucially, the scientists have the tipping point when sequencing and discovered that these two networks— interpreting the human genome becomes nanoscale-1214 which each contain hundreds of genes— commonplace and begins to rapidly are likely to be under the control of increase what is known and to dramatically master regulator switches. The researchers impact healthcare. The catchphrase New Technology to Enable Us are now keen to identify these switches underscores how far science has come to ‘Chart’ All Cells in Brain and explore whether it might be feasible since the actual cost of the Human to manipulate them. The research is at a Genome Project, estimated at $2.7 billion The human brain is made up of hundreds very early stage, but the scientists would spent over a decade. of billions of cells. Many of these cells ultimately like to investigate whether it is and their functions are as yet unknown. possible to use this knowledge of gene PRNewswire This is about to change with a new networks to boost cognitive function. 29 Sep. 2015 technology that is being used for the first Dr. Michael Johnson, lead author of the http://www.prnewswire.com/news- time at the Center for Brain Research at study from the Department of Medicine releases/veritas-genetics-breaks-1000- MedUni Vienna and Karolinska Institutet at Imperial College London, said: “What’s whole-genome-barrier-300150585.html in Stockholm. By combining traditional exciting about this is that the genes we methods of identifying cells under a have found are likely to share a common microscope and so-called “single-cell RNA regulation, which means that potentially we Near-Real-Time Videos of sequencing,” it is possible to identify every can manipulate a whole set of genes whose Nanoscale Processes building block of any given excitable cell. activity is linked to human intelligence.” “We are well on the way to being able to Engineers at MIT have designed an atomic map many, if not all, neurons and their Kate Wighton, Imperial College, London force microscope that scans images 2,000 functions before too long,” explains lead 22 Dec. 2015 times faster than existing commercial investigator Tibor Harkany, Head of the http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/ models. With this new high-speed Department of Molecular Neurosciences newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/ instrument, the team produced images at MedUni Vienna. So far, we have only newssummary/news_22-12-2015-10-13-44 of chemical processes taking place at the been able to study neurons based on a set nanoscale, at a rate that is close to real- of scientific premises and to determine or time video. In one demonstration of the “search for” their function on the basis of instrument’s capabilities, the researchers a priori knowledge on their morphology scanned a 70-by-70-micron sample of (what does the cell look like?), biochemistry calcite as it was first immersed in deionized (what does it contain?) and what partners a cell might communicate with.

38 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Is potentially beneficial traits when they are Nicholas Wade, New York Times Potential Lifesaver manufactured at larger “product-scale” 31 Dec. 2015 dimensions, typically on the order of a few http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/01/ Lives of soldiers and others injured in centimeters, for integration into devices science/gene-therapy-muscular-dystrophy. remote locations could be saved with and systems. DARPA recently selected html?_r=0 a cell-free protein synthesis system 10 performers to tackle this challenge: developed at the Department of Energy’s Zyvex Labs, Richardson, TX; SRI, Menlo Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Park, CA; Boston University, Boston, Artificial Intelligence device, a creation of a team led by Andrea MA; University of Notre Dame, South Outperforms Human Data Bend, IN; HRL Laboratories, Malibu, CA; Timm and Scott Retterer of the lab’s Scientists Biosciences Division, uses microfabricated PARC, Palo Alto, CA; Embody, Norfolk, VA; Voxtel, Beaverton, OR; Harvard bioreactors to facilitate the on-demand An MIT startup’s computer software production of therapeutic proteins University, Cambridge, MA; and Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, MA. has proved capable of building better for medicines and biopharmaceuticals. predictive models than the majority of Making these miniature factories cell-free, [email protected] human researchers it competed against in which eliminates the maintenance of a several recent data science contests. Until living system, simplifies the process and 29 Dec. 2015 http://www.darpa.mil/news- now, well-paid data scientists have relied lowers cost. “With this approach, we can on their human intuition to create and produce more protein faster, making our events/2015-12-29 test computer models that can explain and technology ideal for point-of-care use,” predict patterns in data. But MIT’s “Data Retterer said. “The fact it’s cell-free reduces Science Machine” software represents the infrastructure needed to produce Gene Editing Offers Hope for a fully automated process capable of the protein and opens the possibility of Treating Duchenne Muscular building such predictive computer models creating proteins when and where you Dystrophy by identifying relevant features in raw need them, bypassing the challenge of data. Such a tool could make human data keeping the proteins cold during shipment After decades of disappointingly slow scientists even more effective by allowing and storage.” ORNL’s bioreactor features progress, researchers have taken a them to build and test such predictive elegance through a permeable nanoporous substantial step toward a possible treatment models in far less time. But it might also membrane and serpentine design. for Duchenne muscular dystrophy with help more individuals and companies the help of a powerful new gene-editing harness the power of Big Data without the Ron Walli, Communications, Oak Ridge technique, Crispr-Cas9. Duchenne aid of trained data scientists. “I think the National Laboratory muscular dystrophy is a progressive muscle- biggest potential is for increasing the pool 29 Dec. 2015 wasting disease that affects boys, putting of people who are capable of doing data https://www.ornl.gov/news/ornl-cell- them in wheelchairs by age 10, followed science,” Max Kanter, a data scientist at free-protein-synthesis-potential-lifesaver by an early death from heart failure or MIT’s Computer Science and AI Lab and breathing difficulties. The disease is caused co-creator of the Data Science Machine by defects in a gene that encodes a protein software, told IEEE Spectrum. Program Seeks to Assemble called dystrophin, which is essential for Atom-sized Pieces Into proper muscle function. Because the 20 Oct. 2015 Practical Products disease is devastating and incurable, and IEEE Spectrum common for a hereditary illness, it has http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/ DARPA recently launched its Atoms to long been a target for gene therapy, though computing/software/artificial-intelligence- Product (A2P) program, with the goal of without success. An alternative treatment, outperforms-human-data-scientists developing technologies and processes to drugs based on chemicals known as assemble nanometer-scale pieces—whose antisense oligonucleotides, is in clinical dimensions are near the size of atoms— trials. But gene therapy—the idea of curing Brain Waves May Be Spread into systems, components, or materials a genetic disease by inserting the correct by Weak Electrical Field that are at least millimeter-scale in size. gene into damaged cells—is making a At the heart of that goal was a frustrating comeback. A new technique, Crispr- Researchers at Case Western Reserve reality: Many common materials, when Cas9, lets researchers cut the DNA of University may have found a new way fabricated at nanometer-scale, exhibit chromosomes at selected sites to remove information is communicated throughout unique and attractive “atomic-scale” or insert segments. the brain. Their discovery could lead behaviors—but they tend to lose these to identifying possible new targets to

www.alcor.org Cryonics / January-February 2016 39 investigate brain waves associated with Case Western Reserve University / discrete processing centers – connected by memory and epilepsy and better understand Eurekalert! long fibrous projections known as axons. healthy physiology. They recorded neural 14 Jan. 2016 When these connections are damaged, by spikes traveling at a speed too slow for http://www.eurekalert.org/pub injury or diseases such as a Parkinson’s or known mechanisms to circulate throughout releases/2016-01/cwru-bwm011416.php Alzheimer’s, they, unlike many other cells the brain. The only explanation, the in the body, have very limited capacity to scientists say, is the wave is spread by a mild regenerate, thus permanently disrupting electrical field they could detect. Computer Hope for Axonal Repair the body’s signal transmission and modeling and in-vitro testing support their in the Brain communication structure. Senior author D. theory. “Others have been working on such Kacy Cullen, PhD and his team have been phenomena for decades, but no one has Lab-grown neural networks have the ability working to grow replacement connections, ever made these connections,” said Steven to replace lost axonal tracks in the brains of referred to as micro-tissue engineered J. Schiff, director of the Center for Neural patients with severe head injuries, strokes neural networks (micro-TENNS), in the Engineering at Penn State University, or neurodegenerative diseases and can be lab and test their ability to “wire-in” to who was not involved in the study. “The safely delivered with minimal disruption replace broken axon pathways. implications are that such directed fields to brain tissue, according to new research can be used to modulate both pathological from Penn Medicine’s department of Penn Medicine activities, such as seizures, and to interact Neurosurgical Research. Their work is 19 Jan. 2016 with cognitive rhythms that help regulate a published in the Journal of Neural Engineering. http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/ variety of processes in the brain.” Complex brain function derives from News_Releases/2016/01/cullen/ the activity of populations of neurons –

A Roadmap to Resuscitation uccessful rejuvenation of cryonics patients will Magazine (July-August 1977):80-83. Reprinted in Cryonics Srequire three distinct technologies: (1) A cure for the 29:4 (4th Quarter 2008),14-17. disease that put the patient in a critical condition prior to cryopreservation; (2) biological or mechanical cell Gregory M. Fahy, “A ‘Realistic’ Scenario for repair technologies that can reverse any injury associated Nanotechnological Repair of the Frozen Human Brain,” with the cryopreservation process and long-term care at in Brian Wowk, Michael Darwin, eds., Cryonics: Reaching low temperatures; (3) rejuvenation biotechnologies that for Tomorrow, Alcor Life Extension Foundation, 1991. restore the patient to good health prior to resuscitation. OR it will require some entirely new approach such as (1) Ralph C. Merkle, “The Molecular Repair of the Brain,” mapping the ultrastructure of cryopreserved brain tissue Cryonics 15(January 1994):16-31 (Part I) & Cryonics using nanotechnology, and (2) using this information to 15(April 1994):20-32 (Part II). deduce the original structure and repairing, replicating or simulating tissue or structure in some viable form so the Ralph C. Merkle, “Cryonics, Cryptography, and Maximum person “comes back.” Likelihood Estimation,” First Extropy Institute Conference, Sunnyvale CA, 1994. The following list is a list of landmark papers and books that reflect ongoing progress towards the resuscitation of Aubrey de Grey & Michael Rae, “Ending Aging: The cryonics patients: Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime.” St. Martin’s Press, 2007 Jerome B. White, “Viral-Induced Repair of Damaged Neurons with Preservation of Long-Term Information Robert A. Freitas Jr., “Comprehensive Nanorobotic Content,” Second Annual Conference of the Cryonics Control of Human Morbidity and Aging,” in Gregory M. Societies of America, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Fahy, Michael D. West, L. Stephen Coles, and Steven B. April 11-12, 1969, by J. B. White reprinted in Cryonics Harris, eds, The Future of Aging: Pathways to Human Life 35:10 (October 2014), 8-17. Extension, Springer, New York, 2010, pp. 685-805.

Michael G. Darwin, “The Anabolocyte: A Biological Chana Phaedra, “Reconstructive Connectomics,” Cryonics Approach to Repairing Cryoinjury,” Life Extension 34(7) (July 2013): 26-28.

40 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org Options for Sa fe, Sec ure a nd Lega l Asset Preserva tion for Post-Resusc ita tion Ac c ess The Seventh Annual Young Cryonic ists Gathering Teens & Twenties 7 2016: Getting to Kno w Yo u - Yo u Getting to Kno w Eac h Other Fri-Sun; April 8-10, ’16 Ontario CA Host: Life Extension Founda tion SCHOLAR SHIPS AVAILABLE iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Greetings to Young Cryonicists, You are receiving this invitation because you are among the future leaders in cryonics.

All attention will be focused on: Enjoy this exciting & fulfilling weekend. our getting to know you and SCHOLARSHIPS: you getting to know each other. Life Extension Foundation, through a gener- PLUS: an update on the latest emergency ous education grant, is offering 40 scholar- response technologies and revival strategies. ships that pay for ALL of the following: Who is Eligible? — U.S. airfare to/from South Florida (or up to $1000 for origin outside the U.S.) Fully signed up young cryonicists from all — Hotel accommodations for Friday & Satur- cryonics organizations in their late teens day nights - plus Thursday & Sunday through age thirty (18-30) a s of April 10, nights for scholarship attendees who room 2016 - may apply to attend. together. Younger Cryonic ists With Pa rent(s): — Meals and beverages on Friday night, all day Saturday, & Sunday breakfast & lunch Thirteen thro ugh seventeen year o ld s — Registration fee - $350 - also covered may attend w hen ac c o mp anied b y their p arent(s) o r guard ian(s). Please click on this website for a full Parents/guardians of attendees aged 18-19 packet with all details and application are also encouraged to accompany their forms. child. All attending parents will be put in http://www.alcor.org/T2_7_2016_details.pdfAschwin, please fill this in. touch with each other should they choose to have their own “get together” during the Forever, “young cryonicists” gathering. Cairn Erfreuliche Idun Progra m Founder/Director: T2 Some individuals are social butterflies. PS Come Early. Stay Late. This is not so for everyone. And we want Some attendees to T2 enjoy spending extra everyone to meet everyone. time in California - especially since their Therefore, I have designed a diverse range flight is already paid for via their scholarship. of “getting to know you” activities. IF yo u This is at their own expense for w o uld enjo y p artic ip ating in these additional lodging and food. vario us getting ac q uainted ac tivities, THEN this is fo r yo u. I look forward to getting to know you. MEETINGS

About the Alcor Foundation British Columbia (Canada): The Alcor Life Extension Foundation is a nonprofit tax-exempt scientific and The contact person for meetings in educational organization dedicated to advancing the science of cryopreservation the Vancouver area is Keegan Macintosh: and promoting cryonics as a rational option. Being an Alcor member means [email protected]. knowing that—should the worst happen—Alcor’s Emergency Response Team is ready to respond for you, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Oregon: The contact person for meetings in Alcor’s Emergency Response capability includes specially trained technicians and the Portland area is Aschwin de Wolf: customized equipment in Arizona, northern California, southern California, and [email protected]. See also: https://www. south Florida, as well as many additional certified technicians on-call around the facebook.com/portland.life.extension United States. Alcor’s Arizona facility includes a full-time staff, and the Patient Care Bay is personally monitored 24 hours a day. ALCOR PORTUGAL Alcor Portugal is working to have good ARIZONA stabilization and transport capabilities. The Flagstaff: San Francisco Bay: group meets every Saturday for two hours. Arizona without the inferno. Cryonics Alcor Northern California Meetings are For information about meetings, contact group in beautiful, high-altitude Flagstaff. held quarterly in January, April, July, and Nuno Martins at n-martins@n-martins. Two-hour drive to Alcor. Contact eric@ October. A CryoFeast is held once a year. com. The Alcor Portugal website is: www. flagstaffcryo.com for more information. For information on Northern California alcorportugal.com. meetings, call Mark Galeck at (650) 772-1251 PHOENIX or email [email protected]. TEXAS VALLEY OF THE SUN: Dallas: This group meets monthly, usually FLORIDA North Texas Cryonauts, please sign up in the third week of the month. Dates Central Florida Life Extension group for our announcements list for meetings are determined by the activity or event meets once a month in the Tampa Bay (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ planned. For more information or to area (Tampa and St. Petersburg) for cryonauts-announce) or contact David RSVP, visit http://cryonics.meetup. discussion and socializing. The group Wallace Croft at (214) 636-3790 for details com/45/ or email Lisa Shock at lisa@ has been active since 2007. Email of upcoming meetings. alcor.org. [email protected] for more information. Austin/Central Texas: At Alcor: A new group for the Austin area Alcor Board of Directors Meetings and NEW ENGLAND has been started for those interested in Facility Tours—Alcor business meetings are Cambridge: discussion and understanding of the generally held on the first Saturday of every The New England regional group relevant technologies and issues for month starting at 11:00 AM MST. Guests strives to meet monthly in Cambridge, cryopreservation, genomics, epigenetics and are welcome to attend the fully-public MA—for information or to be added medical research for increased life/health board meetings. Facility tours are held every to the Alcor NE mailing list, please span. Contact Tom Miller, 760-803-4107 or Tuesday at 10:00 AM and Friday at 2:00 PM. contact Bret Kulakovich at 617-824-8982, [email protected]. For more information or to schedule a tour, [email protected], or on call Marji Klima at (877) 462-5267 x101 or FACEBOOK via the Cryonics Special JAPAN email [email protected]. Interest Group. Cryonics meetings are held monthly in Tokyo. Send queries to grand88(at)yahoo. CALIFORNIA PACIFIC NORTHWEST com. Los Angeles: A Yahoo mailing list is also maintained Alcor Southern California Meetings— for cryonicists in the Pacific Northwest UNITED KINGDOM For information, call Peter Voss at at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ Alcor members in the UK can contact (310) 822-4533 or e-mail him at peter@ CryonicsNW/. Garret Smyth at [email protected] for optimal.org. Although monthly meetings information about local meetings. are not held regularly, you can meet Los Angeles Alcor members by contacting Peter.

If you are interested in hosting regular meetings in your area, contact Alcor at 877-462-5267, ext. 113. Meetings are a great way to learn about cryonics, meet others with similar interests, and introduce your friends and family to Alcor members!

42 Cryonics / January-February 2016 www.alcor.org What is Cryonics?

ryonics is an attempt to preserve and protect human life, not reverse death. It is the practice of using extreme cold to attempt to preserve the life of a person who can no longer be supported by today’s medicine. Will Cfuture medicine, including mature nanotechnology, have the ability to heal at the cellular and molecular levels? Can cryonics successfully carry the cryopreserved person forward through time, for however many decades or centuries might be necessary, until the cryopreservation process can be reversed and the person restored to full health? While cryonics may sound like science fiction, there is a basis for it in real science. The complete scientific story of cryonics is seldom told in media reports, leaving cryonics widely misunderstood. We invite you to reach your own conclusions.

How do I find out more?

he Alcor Life Extension Foundation is the world leader in cryonics research and technology. Alcor is a non- profit organization located in Scottsdale, Arizona, founded in 1972. Our website is one of the best sources of Tdetailed introductory information about Alcor and cryopreservation (www.alcor.org). We also invite you to request our FREE information package on the “Free Information” section of our website. It includes:

• A fully illustrated color brochure • A sample of our magazine • An application for membership and brochure explaining how to join • And more!

Your free package should arrive in 1-2 weeks. (The complete package will be sent free in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom.)

How do I enroll? Signing up for a cryopreservation is easy! Step 1: Fill out an application and submit it with your $90 application fee. Step 2: You will then be sent a set of contracts to review and sign. Step 3: Fund your cryopreservation. While most people use life insurance to fund their cryopreservation, other forms of prepayment are also accepted. Alcor’s Membership Coordinator can provide you with a list of insurance agents familiar with satisfying Alcor’s current funding requirements. Finally: After enrolling, you will wear emergency alert tags or carry a special card in your wallet. This is your confirmation that Alcor will respond immediately to an emergency call on your behalf.

Not ready to make full arrangements for cryopreservation? Then become an Associate Member for $5/month (or $15/quarter or $60 annually). Associate Members will receive: • Cryonics magazine by mail • Discounts on Alcor conferences • Access to post in the Alcor Member Forums • A dollar-for-dollar credit toward full membership sign-up fees for any dues paid for Associate Membership

To become an Associate Member send a check or money order ($5/month or $15/quarter or $60 annually) to Alcor Life Extension Foundation, 7895 E. Acoma Dr., Suite 110, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260, or call Marji Klima at (480) 905-1906 ext. 101 with your credit card information. You can also pay using PayPal (and get the Declaration of Intent to Be Cryopreserved) here: http://www.alcor.org/BecomeMember/associate.html

Call toll-free TODAY to start your application:

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