Definition of Cryonics (Cryogenize)

Eternal life and the longing for eternal youth is a human concern that is related to the promise of the resurrection of some religious doctrines, with the transmigration of the soul in the realm of the philosophy and with alchemy medieval.

In the 21st century we maintain the same desire but now with a approach more or less scientific, cryonics. It consists, in short, in freezing a deceased in order to revive him in the future when technology has the appropriate tools for this purpose.

Can death be overcome?

This question generates a logic controversy. There are many who consider that the end of life must be accepted as something inevitable and that the natural process that leads to death should not be altered. Others, on the other hand, understand that the fight against aging and against death itself is totally legitimate.

Cryonics is a branch of cryobiology and consists of the preservation of living beings in capsules at extremely low temperatures

Through this procedure, all vital organs are kept intact until such time as the resuscitation of the living organism is possible.

From a scientific point of view there is already irrefutable evidence on this question: some fish that live in Antarctic waters have in their blood protein antifreezes that prevent tissue deterioration and, on the other hand, cryopreservation of some cell structures and simple tissues is already possible. These evidences constitute the theoretical foundation that allows to affirm that the cryonization of human beings makes sense.

Currently there are already companies that are dedicated to offering these services (for example, Kriorus in Russia and the Alcor corporation in the United States). In these projects the client deceased is subjected to low temperatures in nitrogen containers and it is assumed that in the future technology will allow the deceased to "resurrect" or implant their revived brain into a body different.

Proponents of cryonization claim that advances in nanotechnology, in engineeringgenetics and in medicine they will allow the long-awaited eternal life to be achieved in the future. On the other hand, they argue that what is Science fiction in the present it ends up becoming a reality in the future.

Criticisms of cryonics

Opponents of cryonization make several arguments. In the first place, they affirm that the human being cannot become a God who alters the natural order of life.

Second, the entrepreneurs involved in this business are considered simple con artists who prey on the illusion of immortality.

Third, the detractors emphasize one aspect: no living thing can survive freezing since the cells are destroyed by the effect of cold (in this sense, antifreeze fish are an exception to this pattern general).

Lastly, cryonics techniques are regarded as science fiction and there is no guarantee that brain cells can be reactivated.

Fotolia photos: Danomyte / Inspire / vrx123