WHAT IT IS Supping from the cup of immortality
WHY YOU WON’T DO IT There are only two certainties in this life: death and taxes
‘Who wants to live forever?’ asked the rock band Queen in one of their hits. Quite a lot of us it seems – judging by the amount of time, energy and money thrown at stretching our lifespans ever further. And when it comes to longevity, the human race is definitely heading in the right direction.
In the days of the Roman Empire, life expectancy was a depressingly low 28 years, while today the global average sits at just over 67 years (with dramatic regional variations). But that is still a long way short of ‘forever’. The trouble is, we humans are hardwired to reproduce ourselves. For all the great achievements of humanity, like any other animal this is our primary function. And alas for us, we’re built to do this relatively early in our lives and, after that begin to wear down until we eventually die.
We can increase our chances of long life by looking after ourselves and avoiding all those foolish pastimes like drinking too much alcohol, smoking and eating too many cream cakes. But experts agree that even in conquering these health challenges, we cannot protect ourselves from unforeseeable dramatic events. We could still be cut off in our prime, just before our 12,000th birthday, by a speeding bus or massive meteorite.
However, some scientists believe that there are children alive today who might yet live to be 1,000. This would rely on several medical breakthroughs: in order to preserve life ad infinitum, we need to be able to replace lost cells, keep them clean of debris, avoid damaging mutations, stop cancerous multiplications and prevent ‘extracellular protein crosslinks’ that cause issues such as hardened arteries. New innovations such as stem cell technology increase the probability of us eventually being able to meet all these challenges. A further theory goes that the more we know, the quicker we’ll know more. That is to say, the rate of breakthroughs (such as cures for cancer) may accelerate exponentially.
Sadly, the chances of the necessary discoveries coming within our own lifetimes remain remote. Fortunately, there are other options, and some believe the best chance of eternal life lies with cryonics, a process in which dead bodies are stored at extremely low temperatures in the hope that at some point future technology will be available to revive them and address the causes of their original death. The theory was originally put forward in the early 1960s, and a 73-year-old man became the first person to go into ‘cryogenic suspension’ in 1967.
COLD AS ICE The cryogenically frozen body of James Bedford, wrapped in Mylar and placed in a cryo-capsule constructed of steel and aluminium. Bedford, a university professor from California, died in 1967, and his cryogenically preserved remains are the oldest to remain intact to this day.
It is illegal to put a living person into suspension. However, the legal definition of death as the permanent cessation of the heart allows for the preservation of bodies that still have ongoing cellular brain function. Once death has been confirmed, a cryonics team swings into action. They keep the brain minimally functional as it is transported to a company facility. The body is placed in ice and injected with coagulants to prevent blood clots.
Water is removed from the cells, so that when the body is frozen, welling ice crystals won’t split the cell structures as it expands. Instead, it is replaced with a sort of human antifreeze. Packing in ice brings the body temperature down to -130°C (-200°F). The body is then put in an aluminium chamber before going into a larger tank of liquid nitrogen (shared with up to five new friends also in suspension). Here the temperature is maintained at -196°C (-321°F). Then it’s just a question of waiting (and of course hoping that someone in the future will eventually be bothered to revive you even if the technology does become available).
Only a handful of companies offer the service, and it is expensive. Aside from a membership fee payable while you’re alive, the cost of suspension reportedly ranges from US$50,000 to US$150,000. So far, it’s thought that 200 people have gone into suspension, some taking the ‘whole body’ option and others opting for just their heads. The technology remains in its infancy and thus far no one has been successfully revived. Nonetheless, it offers perhaps the best chance of immortality should it ever emerge from the realms of science fiction.
