PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel seeks cryonic preservation. What is it?
Peter Thiel, who co-founded PayPal in 1998, wants his body to be frozen once he dies so that he could be brought back to life in the future. Thiel confirmed signing up for cryonic preservation while speaking on a podcast and called it more of "an ideological statement." The billionaire, however, is unsure if cryogenic preservation will work.
I think we need to be trying these things: Thiel
"I'm not convinced it works. It's more, I think we need to be trying these things. It's not there yet," said the billionaire on the podcast. He also denied signing up his loved ones for cryogenic freezing.
So, what is cryogenic preservation?
In cryogenic preservation, the entire body is protected from decay by storing them at extremely low temperatures just after death. The biological material is preserved for indefinite periods in the hope that scientific advances may allow the body to be resurrected in the future. At present, there is no such technology to revive dead people and some call cryogenic preservation "wild science fiction."
Cryogenic preservation is associated with ethical concerns
It goes without saying that such technology is sure to have ethical concerns. Not to mention the costs involved. "Cryonics has risks for the patient, poses ethical issues for society, is highly expensive, but has no proven benefit," said Channa Jayasena, from Imperial College London, in a statement. "If this was a drug, it would never get approved."
Why do people want to be cryonically preserved?
Companies that offer cryopreservation, like Cryonics Institute, hope that in the future, technology will be able to revive dead people and perhaps even cure diseases that led to their death, giving them a "second chance at life." Also, the process of cryogenic preservation turns out to be expensive. Cryonics Institute charges a minimum fee of $28,000 (roughly Rs. 23 lakh) for cryopreservation.
How does cryogenic preservation work?
The process of cryogenic preservation involves three major steps, after a person is declared legally dead, according to the Cryonics Institute. The body is first placed in an ice bath. Simultaneously, a ventilation mask is used to continue providing oxygen to the body's organs, especially the brain. Blood flow is maintained using an anticoagulant, heparin, and automated CPR. The body temperature is continually monitored.
The second step involves 'vitrification'
Next, comes the process of "vitrification," where the body is prepared for ultra-low temperatures. This step involves replacing the body's fluids with cryoprotective agents which serve as an antifreeze, protecting the body from the damage of becoming frozen. After that, is controlled cooling, wherein the body is gradually cooled further. This is the final step before long-term storage.
For storage, the body is placed inside a 'cryosat'
The body is set in an insulating bag and then placed in a cooling box where liquid nitrogen is purged at a steady rate. This process takes place gradually over days until a temperature of minus 200 degrees Celsius is attained. Once the body is prepped for storage, it is placed inside a liquid nitrogen chamber called a cryostat.
