X-Message-Number: 6779
From: Joseph Strout <>
Newsgroups: sci.cryonics
Subject: Re: How does "Prometheus" fit into mainstream research?
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 13:31:06 -0700
Message-ID: <>
References: <>

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On 15 Aug 1996, Joel Auslander wrote:

> 1) An earlier posting stated that there is currently active research
> into preserving organs for transplants. If this is so, wouldn't money
> better be spent in furthering this research?

Not necessarily.  No matter how many transplants you get, you're still
going to die (from cancer, pnemonia, car accident, etc.) eventually.  When
that happens, the only organ that MUST be preserved at all costs is your
brain.  With that, there's a chance future medicine may be able to save
you.  Without it, you're a goner for sure.

Plus, research on other organs is already fairly well funded.  The brain
is being neglected (see below...)

> 2) If there is even a slight chance that brain cryo-preservation and
> revival is within 10 years and $10M, why aren't the normal funding
> sources (government grants, Industrial R&D, venture capitalists)
> jumping on it?

Because cryonics is not politically correct.  The Society for Cryobiology
explicitly prohibits its members from doing cryonics research, amazingly
enough.  Curing diseases or improving the quality of life for the elderly
is fine, but actually trying to extend the lifespan by a significant
amount is considered unacceptable.

Part of the reason cryonics is frowned upon is that we are proceeding as
best we can without a large research base.  But it's difficult to fund
large amounts of research when you're frowned up.  That's a catch-22 which
the Prometheus project *may* be able to finally circumvent.

Sincerely,
Joe Strout

,------------------------------------------------------------------.
|    Joseph J. Strout           Department of Neuroscience, UCSD   |
|               http://www-acs.ucsd.edu/~jstrout/  |
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