Source: The Atlantic
Robert Ettinger, known as the "father of cryonics" for his idea in his book, The Prospect of Immortality, has had his physical body stored in a cryonic chamber since his death in 2011.
But what is cryonics?
Cryonics is the freezing of the human body or head at an extremely low temperature (-196°C) for preservation and possible resurrection of that same body in the future.
Ettinger, a professor proposed his idea in 1962 with his book and eventually went on found the Cryonics Institute in Michigan, where his mom, his two wives, and himself are held in storage. However, they aren't the only ones waiting to be resurrected.
Source: Longevity Facts
Currently, there are two major facilities in the United States and another in Moscow, Russia. Alcor one of the major institutions in the US, is based in Scottsdale, Arizona and is well-known for celebrity clients and higher prices. Whereas, KrioRus, the facility based in Moscow offers more affordable options for its clients due to communal storage for its bodies, and the option between a head or full-body storage. Interestingly enough, about 50% of their clients end up choosing the full-body storage option.
Unfortunately, the process isn't simple. To begin the corpses must be acquired as soon as possible after death, and transported on ice to one of the facilities. There the blood is drained from the body and replaced with anti-freeze and chemicals that preserve the organs. After undergoing this process the body is ready to be placed into liquid nitrogen for conservation. Regrettably, that process can be difficult as the body becomes brittle and can fracture due to its glass-like state upon immersion. After the entire process has been completed all that is left is to wait.
In spite of the recent interest and upsurge in cryogenically preserved bodies, many scientists argue that the science of cryonics isn't completely sound.
Clive Coen, professor of neuroscience says that the idea that antifreeze will protect a complex tissue like the brain is completely absurd. He claims that the biggest issue is that brain is so dense and the organically protected neurons need to be pumped with large amounts of the chemicals, to ensure that the brain is filled with the required amount of the chemicals to even allow its resurrection.
Nevertheless, the current 300 bodies cryogenically frozen is expected to grow as a few thousand people have signed contracts to have their bodies frozen upon death. The transhumanist movement continues to grow and the interest in possibly being able to resurrect your body is going anywhere. While the majority of its current focus has been in robotics or other ways to enhance or hack your present body, many people are looking beyond the current offerings into ways that their biological body may be able to revive or even become immortal through the cryogenic process.
Sources:
The Atlantic, "Die. Freeze Body. Store. Revive."
The Guardian, "The Cryonics Dilemma: Will Deep-Frozen Bodies be Fit for a New Life?"
Longevity Facts, Storage Facility Picture
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