X-Message-Number: 26614
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 09:22:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: "D. den Otter" <>
Subject: Low-cost option, various replies

"Mathew Sullivan" <>

<<My father was one of those last minute tough luck
cases. If it had been anyone else, I doubt that
anything would have been done.>>

Yes, and that is exactly the problem. 

<<Unlike the average cryonics case, I should stress
that none of the cells are viable as a result of
fixation.>>

They don't have to be. NO brain or body that has so
far been cryogenically preserved can be deemed
'viable' in the traditional, mainstream sense. All
will need extensive (nano) reconstruction and
upgrading.

<<My father will likely be dependent on a mature
form of molecular nanotechnology to construct a new
brain after decoding the old one if there is anything
to decode.>> 

As long as there's a brain, there is always
*something* to decode. If you look at what is already
possible with today's relatively crude forensic and
archeological techniques, there is every reason to
believe that eventually we --or rather our
successors-- will be able to reconstruct pretty much
anything. The DNA alone should offer a wealth of
information, much of which is currently still
'invisible' due to our still primitive decoding (etc.)
techniques, just like germs were 'invisible' until
people developed microscopes.

<<In regards to room or refrigerated storage, don t
forget where there is water there is life. If
microbes can live within nuclear reactors, there
should be more than enough opportunity to survive in a
bath of fixatives.>>

That's why I have been suggesting freeze drying and
plastination, rather than just chemical fixation. 

<<Please note this was an experiment done on my part
with the gracious support of many others and is not
part of any formal procedure provided by any cryonics
organization as far as I know.>>

And Mike Perry wrote:

<<...I am not aware that Alcor or any other cryonics
organization has plans to offer chemopreservation as
one of its options, or to offer storage space to an
operation that does.>>

Time to set up a dedicated low budget non-profit org,
then. The sooner, the better. I am (among other
things) prepared to suck up a substantial part of the
incorporation costs, assuming they don't exceed $1,000
or so.
http://www.keytlaw.com/az/entities/nonprofits.htm
(just an example)


Doug Skrecky writes, regarding Mike Perry's idea:

<<I hate to rain on your parade, but deterioration of
aldehyde fixed brains precludes chemopreservation by
itself as a long term storage option. [...]  Long term
preservation requires that all liquid water be
removed, by storage at temperatures below the glass
transition temperature as with cryonics, or
alternatively by complete desiccation. The later
possibility still requires some temperature control,
as well as a complete oxygen seal.>>

Yes, which is exactly what I've been suggesting for
the last couple of years.

<<I suggest that low cost brain preservation options
fall into two main
possibilities:

1. freeze-dry
2. fixation followed by low temperature drying>>

And don't forget plastination... 

Anyway, my semi-educated guess it that freeze drying
would, generally speaking, be the easiest, safest, and
least destructive method. 

Basically, after deanimation the brain should be
extracted and put in a freezer as soon as possible.
{Alternatively it could be cooled to 3-5*C and
pre-treated with a preferably non-toxic fixative.} 

Once frozen solid, it is put into a small freeze dryer
and dehydrated for ~30 days. It is then either encased
in resin or put into an airtight, possibly vacuum
sealed container along with some dessicant, and stored
in a household freezer at about -20 C. The freezer
should ideally be placed in some kind of fire-proof
concrete vault.

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