1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff from the Science Lab from how stuff 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 1: works dot com. Wow, hey, guys, welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: This is us and I don't know, like the science 4 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: editor how stuff works dot com. And this is Robert Lamb, 5 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: science writer at how stuff works dot com. And uh, 6 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: in the podcast room here, the temporary room is pretty, 7 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: uh it's kind of toasty, but the rest of the 8 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 1: office it's uh, pretty freezing, pretty frigid. Yeah, it's the 9 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: time of the year where like it's getting warmer outside, 10 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 1: but the air conditioning is already on and it's a 11 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: little too ambitious, right, And there's somebody in the office 12 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:42,480 Speaker 1: who's always hot, you know, so you've got to turn 13 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: it down for them. And then there's somebody who's always 14 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: all tiny and keeps space heaters on underneath your desk 15 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: and piles on the shawls. And then there's that one 16 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,880 Speaker 1: guy that's bringing in frozen corpses of like dead rich 17 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: people so that they can be thought out like centuries 18 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: from now in the future when they created cures for 19 00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:01,279 Speaker 1: their various ailments, right right, the cryonics guy. Yeah, so 20 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: that's the topic of today's podcast, is in fact cryonics 21 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: death on ice. Yeah, and this is I mean, this 22 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,960 Speaker 1: is a pretty snazzy topic. It's been in the news 23 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: pretty much a lot over the past decade especially, and uh, 24 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: and it's all over sci fi just you know, just 25 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 1: the idea of people people freezing themselves when they die 26 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: so they can live forever. It's kind of morbid neural answer. 27 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: The test or Ashpools, the clan, the main clan in there. Yeah, 28 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 1: they're all like frozen up in the orbit, right and 29 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: all as crazy as a rat and a coffee can indeed. Yeah, 30 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: so just to refresh your memory. Cryogenics is just the 31 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: area of science that deals with what happens at really 32 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,479 Speaker 1: low tempts. It doesn't just deal with us humans. Cryonics 33 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: is the technique used to store human bodies are really 34 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: low temperatures with the hope of one day reviving them. 35 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: And it is being performed today that the freezing part 36 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: that is not necessarily the reviving part. But the technology 37 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: is really still in its infancy. And here's the really 38 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: interesting thing that's stuck with me when we were researching 39 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: this is that you don't have to freeze your whole body. 40 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: You can, in fact, just freeze your your head. Yeah, 41 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: or if you want to get more reductionists. You can 42 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: just freeze your brain. Yeah, I mean, and you know 43 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:13,959 Speaker 1: this is uh if anybody's watched Futurama, you know there's 44 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: a whole deal with like celebrities and they're they're they're 45 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: just these all these heads and jars. So in the 46 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: future you can go to a museum and meet like 47 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: past presidents in there. You know, did they talk? They talk? 48 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:30,359 Speaker 1: You know, even people who are clearly not uh preserved 49 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: and frozen. You know, it'll be like like people like 50 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 1: George Washington will be ahead and at jar and then 51 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: it'll be the Beastie Boys. So why are we so 52 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: interested in this? Well, because it's it's that one. It's 53 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: one of those topics that that it once it's one 54 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: of those topics that is yes, it's kind of gasly 55 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:52,639 Speaker 1: engross and and uh and bizarre, but it's also chance 56 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: of immortality. It's it's a it's a shot at preserving 57 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: life or um postponing down. Yeah, yeah, preserving the human mind. 58 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: And yeah, I mean ultimately it's all about like cheating death. 59 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: It's it's kind of like the modern equivalent of the 60 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 1: of like the Pharaoh going into the pyramid, you know, 61 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: like based on the best information at the time that 62 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: he was getting from the priest that you know, if 63 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: you go into this pyramid with all your stuff, then 64 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 1: you're going to be set for the afterlife. And this 65 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,080 Speaker 1: is kind of like a scientific take on it, you know, 66 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: where it's like, hey, some people would argue it's not 67 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: very scientific, but we'll get into that. But it's using 68 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: the it's employing the science. Is you know, whether whether 69 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: the science actually backs it up completely and you know, 70 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: we can get into that, but but they're they're making 71 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: a scientific argument for delivery into what is essentially the afterlife. 72 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: Some scientists are interested in it, like astronauts, for example, 73 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: this would be pretty handy if you could freeze a 74 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 1: couple of astronauts for a long distance journey to another world. Um, 75 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 1: if you were if you happen to be suffering from 76 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: some incurable disease, you could go into the freeze until 77 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: the cure arrives. Yeah. Like Mr Burns and the Simpsons, 78 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: do you remember that one where it was the one 79 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: where Lisa is like in it's like if Lisa gets 80 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: to see what her future is going to be like 81 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: and and this your Burns, the evil boss you know, 82 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: has been has been frozen until medical science can create 83 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:23,720 Speaker 1: a cure for seventeen stab wounds to the back. Yeah. 84 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: One thing I was thinking about was I wonder if 85 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: this could be a facet of a witness protection program 86 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:30,679 Speaker 1: in the future. Oh yeah, yeah. I mean that's because 87 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: in a way, you're in trouble, it'll just freeze you 88 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: until yeah, put the eyes on him, um, and then 89 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: he can wake up sometime in the future when it 90 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: doesn't matter anymore. Yeah. I read the American Cranics Society 91 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: offers the quote unquote ultimate privacy option, in which your 92 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 1: attorney handles all the details and the society doesn't even 93 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: know your name, so you can be frozen anonymously. Just 94 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 1: corpsicle three, or it wouldn't be three, would be more 95 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: like a hundred and something now because according to those guys, 96 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: they're really stacking them up. So the chiggy thing about chronics, 97 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:03,040 Speaker 1: of course, is that you have to your heart has 98 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: to stop beating in order for this procedure to be 99 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: performed on you. It can't be performed on someone who's 100 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: still alive legally speaking, yeah, because that would technically be murder. Yeah, obviously, thanks, 101 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: that's a good point. So you have to be legally dead. 102 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: And what is legally dead mean. It means your heart 103 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:23,719 Speaker 1: stopped beating, not totally dead as in brain death. We 104 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:25,479 Speaker 1: have an article on brain death which I read and 105 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: got side checked in when I was researching this. So 106 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:31,279 Speaker 1: brains can survive, according to our article on brain death, 107 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: for up to six minutes after your heart stops speeding. 108 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,839 Speaker 1: So it's really interesting between the time your heart stops 109 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:39,160 Speaker 1: speeding and your brain cells start dying, there's this sort 110 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:43,799 Speaker 1: of purgatory Yeah, well window of opportunity anyway, Yeah, right, exactly, 111 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 1: And this is where the Chronics people jump in, and 112 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: after the heart stops speeding, there's some cellular brain function 113 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 1: that they think may remain for those precious few minutes. 114 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 1: So Chronics preserves that sell functions so that theoretically the 115 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: person can be resuscitated in the future. Yeah. It's kind 116 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 1: of like, um, if you say, a struggling actor at 117 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:04,480 Speaker 1: a pizzeria and you see like a family with a 118 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 1: bunch of breadsticks on the table and they like totally 119 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: get up and leave the breadsticks when they go. It's 120 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:11,599 Speaker 1: like if you can swoop in and get those breadsticks 121 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 1: before they come and bust the table window of opportunity. 122 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: So let's get into the process of freezing a body. 123 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 1: So you're interested in joining a chronics facility, Well, you'd 124 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 1: have to pay an annual membership fee and this can 125 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: be in the area of four hundred dollars a year, 126 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 1: or you can just get it all over at once, 127 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:30,039 Speaker 1: because what if your estate isn't taken care of. What 128 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 1: if your person who is the executor of your state, 129 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: you know, loaves off and decides to spend it on 130 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: something else, will you just pay up front? Essentially? Yeah, 131 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: we're talking long term planning here, Like you guess you 132 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: could have like if you're just rolling the dough, you 133 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:47,479 Speaker 1: could have some sort of account set up where the 134 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: interest off of your massive amount of money, um, you know, 135 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 1: goes to pay for your yearly fee. It's kind of like, uh, 136 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: what we need have those condos and you have to 137 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 1: pay for like the lawn time share. Yeah no, no, 138 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 1: but with the like the association fee. Oh yeah right, 139 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: And some of the organizations has cut me up offered 140 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 1: discounts on fees for students. So if you're struggling students 141 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: but are still interested in chronics, you can start now 142 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: and just pay a discounted fee weight, but you have 143 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: when you have to be dead, like that's you're not 144 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: really struggling anymore at that point. Well, I think they 145 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: offer payment programs. I think that's the idea behind it, 146 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: unless in that you're you're you're not brain dead, so 147 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: like for six years. So however long you're frozen, you're 148 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: still having that dream about about how you didn't drop 149 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 1: that class in time right right right, you're showing up 150 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 1: naked for a test. That's the worst. Um. So the 151 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:37,760 Speaker 1: first step is joining this facility and paying out some cash. 152 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: But then things start to get interesting. When your heart 153 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: stops speeding and you're pronounced legally dead. Then there's an 154 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: emergency response team from the facility and they spring into action. 155 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 1: So the problem here that I was thinking about is 156 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 1: what do you do if you die in accidental death 157 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:53,720 Speaker 1: and you're kind of stuck, and what happens is the 158 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: chronics company refund your money. I would hope you would 159 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 1: have like a voucher, you know that It's like if 160 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 1: I'm not able to use it, then I've got like 161 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:04,040 Speaker 1: a you know, a freezing voucher that I can pass 162 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: on to somebody else that I care about that's a 163 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:07,960 Speaker 1: good idea. I mean, that's just my idea. I have 164 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 1: no idea what they do, right, So the team springs 165 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: into action, and the first thing they do is they 166 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: stabilize your body. They're supplying your brain with enough oxygen 167 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: and blood to preserve minimal function until you can be 168 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: transported to the suspension facility. So at this point they 169 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:23,920 Speaker 1: put you on ice ice. Yeah, and we're just talking 170 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: normal ice here, just to cool you down. Um. And 171 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: then they also inject you with an antecout coagulant to 172 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,679 Speaker 1: keep your blood from clotting during the trip. And then 173 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 1: a medical team just awaits the arrival of your body 174 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: at the cryonic facility. And that is when the actual 175 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:41,040 Speaker 1: of freezing begins. When you get there, you can't really 176 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:43,559 Speaker 1: just put people into a vat of liquid nitrogen because 177 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: the water inside their cells would freeze, and when water freezes, 178 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,079 Speaker 1: it expands, and then your cells would be in bad shape. 179 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: They would shatter. Yeah. Anybody who's ever, you know, put 180 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 1: a glass of anything in the freezer has observed this. 181 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: Now imagine that with the whole body. That's not good, 182 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:04,320 Speaker 1: not good at all. So the cronics you must first 183 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:06,640 Speaker 1: remove the water from your cells and replace it with 184 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:10,480 Speaker 1: this funky mixture called a cryo protective. It's a sort 185 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:13,319 Speaker 1: of human anti freeze. Yeah, and the goal here is 186 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:15,600 Speaker 1: to protect the organs of the tissue from forming those 187 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,679 Speaker 1: ice crystals at those really low temperatures. Yeah. You don't 188 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:21,160 Speaker 1: want your organs to get freezer burned. Yeah. So this 189 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: is called vitrification, deep cooling without the freezing and puts 190 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:29,160 Speaker 1: the cells into a s state of suspended animation. Next, 191 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 1: your body is laid on a bed of dry ice 192 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 1: until it reaches the temperature necessary, which is roughly around 193 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 1: negative degrees celsius. And you you can only imagine it 194 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: looks really gnarly at this point because it's like a 195 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: like a haunted house. It's like all that dry ice 196 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:45,400 Speaker 1: is smoking and your corpse is setting on top and there. 197 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 1: I'm just saying, it probably looks pretty cool. Yeah, So 198 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:52,440 Speaker 1: that completes the vitrification process. Also, what he's with the 199 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 1: name that is not a very attractive name. I don't know, 200 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:56,839 Speaker 1: you feel okay with it? Well, it's kind of it 201 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:00,079 Speaker 1: sounds like it's got to be that strongly like vigorous. No, 202 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:04,720 Speaker 1: it's like a file. Anyway. The next step is inserting 203 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 1: the body into an individual container that's placed into this 204 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,439 Speaker 1: huge tank filled with liquid nitrogen at a temperature around 205 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:15,520 Speaker 1: negative one celsius. And check this out. They store you 206 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 1: head down, so if there's ever a leak in the tank, 207 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: your brain stays immersed in the freezing liquid. And if 208 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: there is a leak, they do check to see if 209 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 1: there are leaks periodically. Yeah, because you don't want to like, 210 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 1: you know, they crack the v open you know, um, 211 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,199 Speaker 1: a couple of millennium in the future and they're like, oh, well, 212 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: only as feet survive. The other thing is you're going 213 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 1: to have some company in your container, as a lot 214 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: of people, well not a lot, but a few people 215 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: are typically stored in a container. I bet, I bet 216 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:44,959 Speaker 1: if you paid down, you know, some more money, you 217 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 1: could probably get a solo tank totally if you're just 218 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:50,080 Speaker 1: like super you know, weird about that kind of thing. So, 219 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 1: now that you're all handy and frozen and upside down 220 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: in the tank, how do you revive someone? Well, you don't. 221 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: And this is where the chronics problem starts to get 222 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:00,400 Speaker 1: a little messy. Yeah, it's kind of a it's like 223 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:03,440 Speaker 1: a gamble, really, it's it's saying, Hey, we're gonna go 224 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 1: ahead and chill this out, and eventually science is gonna 225 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:08,840 Speaker 1: catch up with us and they're gonna be able to 226 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: do something with it. Yeah, in a weird way, it's 227 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:15,560 Speaker 1: sort of a faith in science, which is nice. Yeah. Again, 228 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:19,160 Speaker 1: it's like applying the it's applying science in the same 229 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:22,040 Speaker 1: way that one might have applied a religion in in 230 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 1: ancient times. So a couple of points in chronics favor 231 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,640 Speaker 1: if you're considering this. Living organisms can be and have 232 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:31,840 Speaker 1: been brought back from a dead or near dead state. 233 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:35,079 Speaker 1: You things like defibrillators and CPR are bringing back accident 234 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:38,600 Speaker 1: and heart attack victims all the time. Yeah. And then 235 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: you have other organisms that can quote freeze themselves, like 236 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: the wood frog. The wood frog is awesome. So it 237 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:48,720 Speaker 1: can deal with freezing of up to six seventy of 238 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 1: their body water. It can maintain a minimum body temperature 239 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 1: of negative six degrees celsius, and for four weeks it 240 00:11:56,200 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: can stay frozen. It's pretty good. I'm impressed. So what 241 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:03,959 Speaker 1: helps the wood frog to survive the freeze? Well, one 242 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: of the responses promoting the tolerance and these frogs is, uh, 243 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: they're able to redistribute the water within their body. So 244 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:13,440 Speaker 1: all that water that's normally found all over the tissues 245 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:17,000 Speaker 1: is concentrated within the limp system and the column. Oh cool, 246 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:19,720 Speaker 1: so they just, yeah, they repurpose it to areas that 247 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:23,319 Speaker 1: aren't going to be damaged by that crystallization process, exactly, exactly. 248 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 1: And the other cool thing about the wood frog is 249 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:28,280 Speaker 1: it has this inherent cryoprotectant in the form of glucose 250 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 1: from liver glacitchen and then it can quickly make and 251 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:32,640 Speaker 1: send it to the rest of the body. So this 252 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 1: happens really fast. O. Cool. So is it so basically 253 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:40,439 Speaker 1: that this is a creature that is evolved to deal 254 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,440 Speaker 1: with with cold spells? And uh, and so it can 255 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: survive cold spells. Yeah, and it has a good company. 256 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 1: They are about a dozen different reptiles and amphibians that 257 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,880 Speaker 1: can freeze themselves, according to Miami University Department of Zoology. 258 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 1: So maybe we should like just throw this out there. 259 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:59,200 Speaker 1: Maybe we should be looking to the continuing evolution of 260 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:03,880 Speaker 1: say Canadians or you know, Siberians. Yeah, anybody living in 261 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 1: extreme temperatures. You know, nature is eventually going to catch up. 262 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:08,199 Speaker 1: Just quit turning on the heat. And ruin and things. 263 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 1: You know. So one thing reassuring about about all this 264 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 1: is that we can freeze certain human materials, say embryos 265 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:21,320 Speaker 1: and semen most definitely, that was an interesting thing to 266 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: look into while we're researching this podcast. Yeah, human embryos 267 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 1: that are frozen in fertility clinics or defrost and implanted 268 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: and mother's theaters and they grow into you know, totally 269 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:34,360 Speaker 1: normal human beings. It's a great example we can put 270 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:37,400 Speaker 1: of us putting life on ice and then in a 271 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:41,000 Speaker 1: way reviving it. Right, So if I were considering chronics, 272 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,360 Speaker 1: I would think that would be something that would point 273 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:45,000 Speaker 1: me in its favor. Well, we can do it with 274 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:48,719 Speaker 1: seuman and embryos. Granted it's not a human body. And 275 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:52,719 Speaker 1: the argument there is that the human body is enormously complicated. 276 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:57,400 Speaker 1: So it's one thing to d ice semen or embryos, 277 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:00,960 Speaker 1: but it's another thing entirely to d ice human being. Yeah, 278 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:04,079 Speaker 1: but I guess it seems like a natural progression, um 279 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:08,040 Speaker 1: a complicated, natural, complicated one. But like I take for instance, 280 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: UM being able to freeze organs for transplant, Like you 281 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: might think, all right, that's a very practical means. You know, 282 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:18,520 Speaker 1: if we could, you know, somebody loses you know, dies, 283 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 1: we harvest their organs and then we can put them 284 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 1: on ice to make sure that they are ready when 285 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:25,600 Speaker 1: somebody needs them, or that they can be transported to 286 00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 1: the person who needs them. Uh, and that would be 287 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: you know, an actual need that would lead to better 288 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: freezing techniques. Right. Well, they are put on ice now, 289 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:38,680 Speaker 1: but yeah, the shelf life of them is so fast. 290 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: I mean you have to move it instantly, get that 291 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 1: kim me on ice and bomb send it to the recipient. 292 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:46,760 Speaker 1: It sounds like the U S courts haven't quite figured 293 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 1: out what to make of chronics just yet. Did you 294 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 1: see that new stories at you? Oh? Yeah, yeah, the 295 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 1: one from Iowa, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The Iowa 296 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:56,640 Speaker 1: Court of Appeals has ordered the family of a deceased 297 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 1: man to exhume his body so that his previous wishes 298 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 1: to have his head frozen by an arizona Um cryonics 299 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:07,000 Speaker 1: company can be met. Yeah. That was strange. Independent This 300 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: seems kind of like, because how long has he been 301 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:10,880 Speaker 1: in the ground, you know, it's just it's kind of 302 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 1: over at this point. What's the point of freezing it? Yeah. 303 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:15,600 Speaker 1: This story goes on to say that He died in 304 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:18,720 Speaker 1: February two thousand nine at age eight one, and prior 305 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:21,200 Speaker 1: to his demise, he'd entered into this contract with the 306 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 1: Crownics company called alk Core Life Extension Foundation. But his 307 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 1: his his brother, and his sister didn't want to do it, 308 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:32,800 Speaker 1: and so they had him buried and the appeals Kurt said, no, no, 309 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:34,560 Speaker 1: you gotta dig that guy up and you gotta stick 310 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 1: him in the Chronics facility. Yeah, that's I mean, it 311 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:39,600 Speaker 1: sounds like those breadsticks have been bust you know. I 312 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: mean there's I don't unless I'm missing something. Um in 313 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 1: the grounds really cold there. Um, that one's kind of 314 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:51,000 Speaker 1: done for. Yeah, kind of odd. So this is pretty cool. Um. 315 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:53,400 Speaker 1: I was pulling up some some different statistics and I 316 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,000 Speaker 1: think you were looking at this these two. Um. The 317 00:15:56,080 --> 00:16:00,960 Speaker 1: Cryonics Institute has a bunch of comparative proceidures and policies 318 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 1: on their website, so you can look at like some 319 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: of the different different places you could have your body frozen. 320 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: You can stop around steal. So there's like there's Altcore 321 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 1: Life Extension Foundation in Arizona, American Chronic Society in California, 322 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 1: Chronic Institute in Michigan, Creo Roussan and um. And then 323 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:25,720 Speaker 1: there's Suspended Animation Inc. In Florida that has a nice 324 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: ring to it. Yeah. I wonder if they do anime 325 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: there too. It's it does it sounds kind of um, 326 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 1: I don't know's it sounds like something out of a novel. Um. Oh. 327 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: And then there's trans Time Inc. Also in California. So 328 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 1: California is a hotbed of getting your body frozen pretty much. Um. 329 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:49,280 Speaker 1: But they have all this other stuff on there too, 330 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 1: about like all right, which ones offer you know, just 331 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:56,720 Speaker 1: the head um or you know, full body freezing? Um? 332 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:58,640 Speaker 1: You know what what kind of prices are involved in? 333 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:00,640 Speaker 1: There was one that was pretty that I was kind 334 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 1: of i because it had had some like it wasn't 335 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:07,199 Speaker 1: that much per year like I think they had like 336 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:12,720 Speaker 1: the yearly cost down to yeah, like trans Time and 337 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 1: uh Chronics Institute they headed down to like like one 338 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:18,240 Speaker 1: is like ninety six dollars for yearly fee and the 339 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:21,040 Speaker 1: other ones are and twenty And of course it still 340 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:23,639 Speaker 1: takes an enormous amount of money to to get frozen 341 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 1: to begin with, but it's like hundred twenty a year. 342 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 1: I probably you know, spend that much on I don't 343 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 1: know beer or something you know, indeed not beer, but 344 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,680 Speaker 1: I don't know. Fine coffee, yeah, something caffeine to keep 345 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 1: you awake during your podcasts. Yeah, definitely on caffeine. Yeah. 346 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:42,160 Speaker 1: So for the price of like one year's worth of coffee, 347 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 1: I could to have my body frozen until they figured 348 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 1: out how to restore me and like put me in 349 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:51,480 Speaker 1: like a new android body in the future. Or you 350 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:53,600 Speaker 1: could have the exact opposite done and you could be 351 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:58,440 Speaker 1: burned up proverb that's right, for a lot cheaper, yeah, 352 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,359 Speaker 1: or composted. This gonna be the next big craze, they say, 353 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:06,280 Speaker 1: human composting. Yeah. Yeah, there's actually a whole deal about it. Um. 354 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 1: And actually Mary roaches a stiff book kind of like 355 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:12,880 Speaker 1: body farm, um kind of. I mean, it's basically operates 356 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: along the principle that you know, it's kind of like, 357 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 1: you know, to I feel like today's generation, a lot 358 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 1: of us are like like I feel it's like I'm 359 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 1: I would be like telling my parents and I'd be like, like, 360 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:25,160 Speaker 1: I think, you know, being buried in the ground would 361 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:27,879 Speaker 1: be a waste because I'm taking up like valuable you know, 362 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:30,439 Speaker 1: real estate. It's costing money, and then what am I 363 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:32,639 Speaker 1: doing down there. I'm just you know, being kept in 364 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 1: like this artificial state, you know, and still decaying when 365 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: you could just burn me, right and that will be 366 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:40,800 Speaker 1: a lot clear and simpler. Um. But then there's this 367 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:43,080 Speaker 1: new movement saying, well, no, actually you're you know, you're 368 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:45,440 Speaker 1: creating emissions when you burn a body and you all 369 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:47,879 Speaker 1: this fire, et cetera. And also it keeps it. It 370 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:51,359 Speaker 1: requires a lot of energy to keep the incinerator at 371 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 1: that temperature. And then if you have you know, you 372 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: have any feelings, etcetera, you know, you might have some 373 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:57,480 Speaker 1: you know, something in there that it burns up and 374 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:00,800 Speaker 1: adds the pollution. Um. So they're people to say, hey, 375 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 1: what would be more natural than just simply becoming a 376 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,520 Speaker 1: part of the earth again. You know, you're burying and 377 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:10,240 Speaker 1: they have these these green burials you know where yeah, yeah, 378 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:12,040 Speaker 1: they they talked about it in there where not much 379 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:14,199 Speaker 1: as done to the corpse and you just you know, 380 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:18,160 Speaker 1: you're retaken by the ecosystem. And it's actually a lot 381 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:20,399 Speaker 1: like I believe they do that into bet you've probably 382 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:21,960 Speaker 1: seen the pictures where they take the body and they 383 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:25,480 Speaker 1: leave it up on the rocks for the for the scavengers. 384 00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:29,080 Speaker 1: So Yeah, it's you know, that's all about like continuing 385 00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:32,719 Speaker 1: the natural cycle, the complete opposite of freezing yourself so 386 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,399 Speaker 1: that robots can rebuild your body in the future. But 387 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:38,240 Speaker 1: go forward. If that's your thing, don't let me talk 388 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,119 Speaker 1: you out of it. Yeah. So I think that wraps 389 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:42,040 Speaker 1: it up for death and death on it in particular. 390 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:46,720 Speaker 1: If you're curious about jeff or chronics, we have many 391 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:49,600 Speaker 1: articles on both, so head on over to the homepage 392 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:53,280 Speaker 1: and type in cryonics or brain death or how dying works. 393 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 1: Molly Edmunds were a really good article on how dying 394 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:59,400 Speaker 1: works that I liked. Yeah, yeah, yeah, very interesting. All 395 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,679 Speaker 1: the processes are going on in it. Hey, and we 396 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:04,879 Speaker 1: also have Facebook and Twitter accounts, now be sure to 397 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: do There's stuff from the Science Lab on Facebook and 398 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:10,399 Speaker 1: Lab stuff over on Twitter. Yeah, and you should be 399 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,520 Speaker 1: able to put put Lab stuff into either, and that'll 400 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:16,240 Speaker 1: bring you right to us. We'll keep you updated on 401 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 1: what we're talking about, what we're podcasting about, what we're 402 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,840 Speaker 1: writing about, and uh, just what we find particularly amusing. 403 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 1: Like today, I ran across this awesome link from like 404 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:29,359 Speaker 1: two thousand five about this Japanese mixed martial artist who 405 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 1: started talking about like how he would like seriously want to, like, um, 406 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 1: have a fight with an alien and how he might 407 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,439 Speaker 1: carry it out. Excellent. Yeah, it's amazing. 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