X-Message-Number: 17080
Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 05:29:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ben Best <>
Subject: Liquid Nitrogen Cryopreservation Electrifies Detroit

    As reported on page 75 of the 14-July-2001 issue of 
THE ECONOMIST, Detroit Edison is laying 400 metres of 
superconducting cables that can carry up to ten times as much
power as the same thickness of copper. The cables are made of
superconducting ceramic that has been powdered, wrapped in 
silver tubes and maintained at 77 Kelvins with liquid nitrogen.
Although this is a pilot project, it has been predicted that 
within ten years similar cables will make up more than 50% of
the underground transmission market. 

    This development may not seem to have much to do with cryonics,
but I believe that increasing use of low temperature technology in
all areas will benefit cryonics in unexpected ways -- at minimum
by making liquid nitrogen more readily available. The more 
scientists learn about low-temperature technology, the more 
efficiently cryonicists will be able to store patients and 
conduct cryobiological research -- due to greater knowledge of 
supporting technologies and more kinds of equipment. This may
be somewhat similar to the way semiconductor research and application
may be the driving force eventually leading to a nanotechnology
that may eventually repair DNA-damage and freezing-damage. 

         --------------------------------------------
            Ben Best ()
            http://www.benbest.com/

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