The Doctor Will Freeze You Now

May 5, 2004 | Source: Wired

BioTime has developed a process that cools living bodies down to the brink of freezing — a state in which the brain takes hours, not minutes, to wither.

Given the need to preserve donor organs for as long as possible, brain-dead accident victims may lead the way in whole-body cryobiological research. The day may not be far off when we freeze these cadavers for transport, then thaw them and place their revived organs into the bodies of deeply hibernating transplant patients.

When this becomes routine, the next survival boost will come from freezing prospective organ recipients when death is imminent and no replacement organ is available. We’ll pause their lives for weeks, months, maybe even years. Hibernation for long space voyages could eventually follow.