We have all seen those movies where man gets frozen in a cryogenic chamber and then unfrozen or revived, years or centuries later, without being aged or ill. Ever wondered where science stands today when it comes to this? Is it still only reserved for movies and SF comic books?
Cryonics is a term for low-temperature preservation of human bodies that could not be saved by contemporary medicine, with hope that, at some point in the far future they could be revived and brought back to full health due to major medical advances.
Cryopreservation is already happening for quite some time. As of 2014, around 250 people were cryopreserved in the United States with many more who made arrangements for preservation after legal death.
Why wait until you're dead to be frozen?
According to the law, it is illegal to perform cryonic suspension on someone who is still alive. For a person to be exposed to this process, he needs to be pronounced clinically dead and his heart stopped beating.
So how could the person possibly be revived if it was pronounced dead? Scientist involved in cryonics believe there is a difference between "legal death" and "total death" which is the point when brain completely shuts and cease to function. That's why the preservation process is usually performed minutes after the clinical death occurs. It is believed that as long as brain is not permanently damaged it can recover and retrieve information even after being frozen and non-functional.
Cryonics process
Before the freezing process begins, it is first necessary to remove all the blood from cardiovascular system and water from person's body and replace it with something similar to antifreeze in an automobile. Otherwise, all this water would crystallize and shutter, causing the cells to die. This process is known as "vitrification" and it causes the cells to live in a suspended animation.
Finally the "patient" is immersed in a liquid nitrogen tank at -380 degrees Fahrenheit, where he'll wait for his resurrection.
Putting a body in a chamber and freezing it is the easier part. Scientists are yet to discover how to bring life back into this body. Not one case of reviving has happened up until this point. That's why cryonics is regarded with skepticism among the mainstream community (especially knowing the fact that preserving the full body in one of those clinics can cost up to $200.000).
When Han Solo was frozen in carbonite fridge in "Empire strikes back" all he had to do is wait for the sequel and princess Leia to press the "unfreeze" button. Outside the movie reality, we'll have to wait much longer.
Technology and medicine will continue to evolve. Will we eventually have the capabilities to restore what's once being preserved?
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