Cryonics: A Vision of Future Revival
Cryonics, the process of preserving human bodies after death in hopes of future revival, is no longer confined to science fiction. Tomorrow.Bio, Europe’s first cryonics lab, offers this service for $200,000—a sum comparable to the cost of a luxury car. With operations expanding to the US, the company believes this cutting-edge technology holds the potential to extend human life by pausing death itself.
How Does Cryonics Work?
Once a patient nearing death registers with Tomorrow.Bio, the company deploys an ambulance equipped with specialized cryonics technology. After a legal declaration of death, the procedure begins. First, medical technicians cool the body to sub-zero temperatures and replace bodily fluids with a cryoprotective solution. This fluid, made of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethylene glycol, prevents ice crystals from forming, which would otherwise destroy tissues.
The body is then cooled rapidly to -125°C and gradually to -196°C before being stored in Switzerland. Tomorrow.Bio’s founder, Emil Kendziorra, envisions a future where medical advancements can reverse the cause of death and revive the cryopreserved body, even if that takes centuries.
Challenges and Ethical Questions
Despite its ambitious goals, cryonics faces significant criticism. Neuroscientists like Professor Clive Coen argue that once the heart stops beating, cellular decomposition begins, making revival biologically implausible. He also points out that warming a cryopreserved body could restart the decomposition process.
Critics also raise ethical concerns about ultra-cooling brains and the uncertain fate of preserved bodies over centuries. Additionally, the field’s lack of comparative animal studies weakens its scientific foundation. While recent experiments, such as the cryopreservation of rat kidneys, show promise, they remain far from applicable to humans.
A Growing Movement
Nonetheless, the cryonics field continues to grow. Tomorrow.Bio has already cryopreserved a handful of individuals and pets, with nearly 700 people signed up. During the COVID-19 pandemic, interest surged, as people became more conscious of mortality.
Tomorrow.Bio has ambitious goals, including preserving the neural structures responsible for memory and personality by 2025 and achieving reversible preservation by 2028. Kendziorra compares cryonics to early organ transplantation—once considered impossible but now routine.
The Future of Cryonics
Cryonics represents a speculative, yet intriguing, frontier in life-extension science. While critics label it as overpromising and ethically fraught, supporters view it as an opportunity to leap into the future. Whether or not cryonics succeeds, it sparks essential conversations about the limits of life, death, and human potential.
For those willing to invest in the possibility of a second life, cryonics offers a gamble: slim odds, but a chance nonetheless.
