X-Message-Number: 95
From att!uunet!mcvax!diku!stodol Thu Jun 15 15:53:01 1989
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Date: Thu, 15 Jun 89 20:16:13 +0200
From: David Stodolsky <uunet!mcvax!diku!stodol>
Message-Id: <>
To: dkuug!ho4cad!kqb
Subject: CRYONICS

Return-receipt-to: @uunet.uu.net:

>From BBC "Discovery" program (broadcast 89.6.13)
about Royal Society conference on
Low Temperature Biology (?).

Dr. Ken Storey interviewed:

Discussion of Canadian frogs that can be "frozen solid"
without damage repeatedly as a result of very high (100 x)
glucose levels and ability to tolerate lack of oxygen. Also 
investigates embryo turtles at -10 degree C. Snakes congregate
in "balls" of up to 10,000 in the winter.and can be "frozen" to
-6 degree C...

"Human organs were not meant to dehydrate like the frog. 
When we take even tissues and organs from things like rats 
and rabbits, and try what you could call the glucose trick on 
them... they don't even survive the high levels of glucose. When 
we take individual mammalian cells... and freeze them, they 
unfortunately don't survive. So at this point in time, the science 
of cryobiology is such that, really, we can't even freeze a liver, 
a heart, or a brain. So you can see how ridiculous it is to 
pretend that we can take a whole human.and put it in liquid 
nitrogen. 

Presently in North America there are many people frozen. 
Unfortunately, these people have willed money to cryogenics 
companies. These companies then pour liquid nitrogen on them 
and claim they will be revived some time in the future. These 
bodies are, unfortunately, completely destroyed at the cellular 
and molecular level, every cell is broken. Liquid nitrogen is 
nearly minus 200 degree C., which is much lower than even the 
adapted animals could stand. So unfortunately, at the current 
time, there is no possibility of cryo-preserving whole humans, 
indeed, we are having trouble with individual organs."
=====================================================

David S. Stodolsky, PhD      Routing: <@uunet.uu.net:>
Department of Psychology                  Internet: <>
Copenhagen Univ., Njalsg. 88                  Voice + 45 31 58 48 86
DK-2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark                  Fax. + 45 31 54 32 11

[ Message #43 cited the Oct. 22, 1988 New Scientist article that reported
  survival of (mostly) frozen Asiatic salamanders.  Also, the Dec. 10, 1988
  Science News (and the June, 1989 OMNI on page 35) reported Dr. Storey's
  finding that hatchlings of the painted turtle can tolerate freezing up to
  54% of their body water to ice. - KQB ]

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