I’ll be back: Is there any point in living forever?

PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel wants his body cryogenically frozen after death and resurrected in the future – one of thousands of people who have had their bodies frozen. How advanced is our technology, and what are the implications of bringing the dead back to life? Peppermint telling:

What is Thiel planning to accomplish?

Speaking to a reporter, 55-year-old Thiel confirmed plans to cryogenically preserve his body and resuscitate it in the future. He didn’t give any details, but said, “… I don’t necessarily think it’ll work, but I think it’s the kind of thing we should try to do…” Alcor Life Extension Foundation, the largest The Cryopreservation Society, has 1,417 members and 205 patients who have cryopreserved their bodies with the same conviction. Alcor was founded in 1972 by Fred and Linda Chamberlain. Fred is cryopreserved at Alcor while Linda still works there.

What is cryonics? How much is it worth?

Cryonics, which Alcor refers to as the “ambulance of the future”, involves freezing legally dead patients and placing them in a vacuum-insulated metal box (10.6 feet high and 43 feet high) at subfreezing temperatures using liquid nitrogen instead of electricity. inch diameter) includes storing. Protect against power outages and keep maintenance costs low. Those using Alcor for cryopreservation today must carry a life insurance policy that pays $80,000 for neuropreservation, or $200,000 for whole-body preservation. Neuropreservation is also offered by KrioRus, a Russian cryonics company. for $12,000.

Where can you keep your mind or body safe?

You could try the Cryonics Institute in Michigan, KrioRus in Russia, or startups in Australia and England. Berlin-based Tomorrow Biostasis claims to have cryopreserved around 500 people since 1967. That said, while embryos are often cryopreserved and can be revived, Alcor says no company has yet revived a cryopreserved human patient.

How will the mind or body regenerate?

The Brain Preservation Foundation, which advocates preserving only the brain and not the body, believes the brain can survive years of being shut down. But Alcor says it doesn’t believe such patients would be revived with anything “as primitive as cloning or implants.” Instead, the technology will be advanced enough to allow a patient’s own cells to regrow a body that matches his or her preserved brain. Elon Musk has hinted at uploading human brains into robotic exoskeletons, giving rise to cyborgs.

Any philosophical, legal implications?

First, if a person’s brain was frozen in 2025 but revived in 2075, the world would have changed, as occurs in the film Demolition Man, where a police officer is assigned to fight a convicted criminal, Simon Phoenix. It was revived nearly 50 years after being cryogenically frozen. This would be a problem. Second, most of the people associated with the regenerated brain’s memories may no longer exist (unless they are also preserved and regenerated at the same time). Third, what would be the legal status of such a person? This is just the tip of the iceberg.

catch all technology news And updates on Live Mint. download mint news app to receive daily market update & Live business News,

More
Less