subject: Cryonics: Potential Life after Death [print this page] Cryonics: Potential Life after Death Cryonics: Potential Life after Death
After life and rebirth find a place in most religions. Some religions propound that the soul never dies but merely finds another body after death. Cryonics has developed as a science in the recent years which hopes to bridge the gap between belief and reality.
Cryonics is a science of preserving the dead in the hope of reviving them in the future. Cryonics is based on the greek work Cryos' which means cold'. In effect, cryogenic is a nanotechnology which seeks to preserve the bodies of deceased humans and animals in extremely cold temperatures in the hope of resuscitating them in the distant future.
The essence of cryonics lies in the belief that technological developments in the years to come will ensure that it may be inherently possible to revive deceased human beings. The question is to wait out for the opportune time. It is this core belief that has fueled the field of cryonics.
Cryonics is the science of preserving humans and other living organisms in extremely low temperatures. This is achieved by removing the major proportion of water from the human body and infusing cryoprotectants to slow down the cell destruction process. Once carried out, bodies are then immersed in large aluminum containers. Liquid nitrogen is pumped inside the container to maintain extremely low temperatures. The nitrogen may be periodically topped up to replace the small amount which evaporates over a period of time.
Cryonics has opened up immense possibilities in the art of preservation. However, the next question which arises is deciding what to preserve. Considering the cost and the potential need in the future, it may not replace refrigerators in domestic households. Thawing back chocolates, ice-creams and yoghurts may take a day or more before consumption.
There are several organizations and societies which make cryonics available. Organizations like American Cryonics Society offer custom built options like one time preservation and life time membership fees to subscribers at a price. In the early days of cryonics, storage of patients for a financial price proved to be uneconomical. Recent modification in the payment mechanism is by exploring the use of life insurance. The costs may spread over many years and is more affordable.
Cryonics is also used in the field of medicine for transplantation. Another use of cryonics in the field of science is to preserve a gene bank of extinct animals or species in the hope of reviving them in the future.
However, several ethical and religious issues have been raised over the use of cryonics since it breaks the cycle of life and death for living things.
