Suspended Animation

DukeNuke · **Joined:** Mon Apr 18, 2005 5:11 pm **Posts:** 2713

The Wikipedia wrote:

In July 2005 scientists at the University of Pittsburgh's Safar Center for Resuscitation Research announced they had managed to bring dogs back to life with no brain damage by draining the blood out of the dog's bodies and putting an ice cold solution into their circulatory systems, which in turn keeps the bodies alive in stasis. After 3 hours of being clinically dead, the dogs were revived by an electric shock to their hearts. The heart started pumping the blood around the frozen body, and the dogs were brought back to life. Scientists hope to begin human testing in 6 months and have already begun discussions with hospitals to use "suspended animation" if everything else fails. Safar Research also pioneered modern CPR techniques.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspended_animation

This stuff is quite awesome. In a matter of time, freezing down people for years might be something we could actually do.

Pros? Cons?

damik · **Joined:** Tue Mar 08, 2005 8:24 pm **Posts:** 580

Um... well, this may well be a stupid question, but *could* they actually use that technology to freeze people for longer than their remaining life expectancy?

DukeNuke · **Joined:** Mon Apr 18, 2005 5:11 pm **Posts:** 2713

I don't know, but I suppose that since the heart and lungs and stuff aren't doing much while suspended, they aren't worn out.
Tough, if there are germs that feed on the body, well, that can't be good...

Simon Zeno · **Posted:** Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:27 pm

They could probably freeze people longer than their life expectancy simply because the metabolic rate is pretty much zero. I mean, you're essentially dead.

If I was some kinda rich bored person, I'd get myself frozen for like fifty years, just for a change of scenery.

Ninti · **Joined:** Sat Nov 12, 2005 5:35 pm **Posts:** 3094

This is really cool. But. . . isn't it kinda dangerous?

(As I was reading that article, instead of marveling at how far science has gone, I was thinking "Pff, yeah, they better have brought those dogs back to life."

)

ramrod · **Posted:** Wed Aug 02, 2006 4:51 pm

While this is indeed amazing, I'm not too fond of it. If it's my time to die, then it's my time. I don't want my blood drained from my body and my body to be frozen to cheat death.

ramrod · **Posted:** Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:22 pm

Well Magna, I'm not saying that it should be illegal, but I'm just saying that I wouldn't want to do it. If someone else wants to though, go ahead.

Chekt · **Posted:** Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:45 pm

thats...kinda creepy, i'm not sure if i am comfortable with zombie-dogs wandering around.

but I like it i guess, it could be useful.

damik · **Joined:** Tue Mar 08, 2005 8:24 pm **Posts:** 580

Santa Zeno wrote:

If I was some kinda rich bored person, I'd get myself frozen for like fifty years, just for a change of scenery.

Yeah. It'd be kinda creepy though... all your friends/family would be dead or aged. It'd be like a form of time travel but with no way back.

ed 'lim' smilde · **Posted:** Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:00 pm

I wouldn't do it. If I wanted to see the future I'd rather fly a spaceship around close to the speed of light for a while...

damik · **Joined:** Tue Mar 08, 2005 8:24 pm **Posts:** 580

Isn't that supposed to make you see the past? Eh, what-the-hell-ever. I've never understood that crap and I never will.

Snailmail · **Posted:** Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:03 pm

It would work! I was about to say "Well the veins would explode after a while, because liquid expands in cold temperatures, and blood is a liquid." But removing blood, and replacing it... dang... they actually thought far a head. So yes, you could stay in for an extremely long time, even if you would die in two weeks, you could be frozen for a year, and your body would be preserved. So.. you could stay longer than your life expectancy.

Metal Head · **Posted:** Tue Sep 05, 2006 3:23 pm

One thing people haven't considered. If you do get frozen and wake up 50 years later a lot of your loved ones might be dead or waaaaaaaaaaaay older than you remember. I don't think I would be very happy if I lost a bunch of family in one fell swoop. A lot of people might commit suicide. On the other hand for shorter periods of time I guess you wouldn't have that problemd. I'd probably not urse it for the same reasons as ramrod. When I'm gonna die then let me.

Norman Rorqual · **Posted:** Wed Sep 06, 2006 9:43 pm

That would be awfully ironic, metal head... saving someone's life through freezing, and then once they're better they just commit suicide because of how much they'd lost.

Choc-o-Lardiac Arrest · **Posted:** Wed Sep 06, 2006 11:17 pm

well let me ask this: when your Clinically dead, does it just Click and then your like 10 years into teh future? or would it be like a long sleep for a few years? or would you be burning in agony in hell or living peaceful in heaven for a few years? or would it just be... Blah?

PianoManGidley · **Posted:** Wed Sep 06, 2006 11:34 pm

I would assume that since cryogenic sleep is supposed to freeze all the functions of the body until it's extremely slow or stopped all together, the functions of the brain--of neurons swapping electrical data with one another to produce thoughts and emotions--would also slow, so that years may pass in the real world but the frozen person would only perceive a few seconds (if even that). That's my barely-educated guess.

As for the soul, that's another matter entirely and is probably best answered on an individual basis per one's religious/spiritual beliefs.

furrykef · **Posted:** Fri Sep 08, 2006 5:23 am

Hmm, I thought this was nothing new. I read about the same kind of thing -- freezing a dog while replacing its blood with a sort of antifreeze, then unfreezing it and bringing back to life -- almost ten or so years ago, I'm sure...

- Kef

Funkstar · **Posted:** Sat Sep 09, 2006 4:47 pm

Isn't that supposed to tear apart all the cells in your body as a side effect to the freezing?

StrongRad · **Posted:** Sat Sep 09, 2006 4:50 pm

Funkstar wrote:

Isn't that supposed to tear apart all the cells in your body as a side effect to the freezing?

Last I heard, yes. When the water in your cells freezes, it expands and forms little spike shaped crystals that, more or less, shred cells.
They're working on that, though. How are they going to fix that? Good question. I have no clue. That's why I'm not working on that.

Funkstar · **Posted:** Sat Sep 09, 2006 7:53 pm

StrongRad wrote:

Funkstar wrote:

Isn't that supposed to tear apart all the cells in your body as a side effect to the freezing?

Last I heard, yes. When the water in your cells freezes, it expands and forms little spike shaped crystals that, more or less, shred cells.
They're working on that, though. How are they going to fix that? Good question. I have no clue. That's why I'm not working on that.

Leave the body in the sun to get rid of the water

Coolio da Fabio · **Joined:** Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:55 pm **Posts:** 10

StrongRad wrote:

Funkstar wrote:

Isn't that supposed to tear apart all the cells in your body as a side effect to the freezing?

Last I heard, yes. When the water in your cells freezes, it expands and forms little spike shaped crystals that, more or less, shred cells.
They're working on that, though. How are they going to fix that? Good question. I have no clue. That's why I'm not working on that.

Most of the bodie's water is in the blood but the rest will be a probem. Since water expands when it freezes it could cause some serious trouble. Trouble like broken bones, crushed blood vessels, and ruptured internal organs(especially the brain). But I have thought of a solution. Some arctic fish have a chemical in their blood which lowers the blood's freezing point. If that could be extracted from the fish or made in a lab you could inject someone's body full of it so the water in their body wouldn't freeze.

Marshmallow Roast · **Posted:** Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:50 pm

This would be good for medical cases, but I hope it never becomes available to any old billionaire who wants to take a trip into the future. That's toying with nature in ways nobody should be allowed to do.

furrykef · **Posted:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:43 am

Marshmallow Roast wrote:

That's toying with nature in ways nobody should be allowed to do.

On what grounds?

DESTROY US ALL! · **Posted:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 1:00 am

I would love to be frozen, even within the next few days and be awoken in the not-so-distant future. But it leaves the question, does our mind run at all while being frozen. If so wouldn't this be a (excuse the pun) living hell?
(if you didn't see the pun, you're better off).

The Cup of Coffee · **Posted:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:42 am

I'm 50-50 on it. While I know I should die when it's "My time", I wish I could keep going, if you know what I mean.

Marshmallow Roast · **Posted:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:08 am

furrykef wrote:

Marshmallow Roast wrote:

That's toying with nature in ways nobody should be allowed to do.

On what grounds?

Do you really think it's natural or right to go to sleep for X amount of years and find everyone you know aged or dead?

StrongRad · **Posted:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:10 am

Marshmallow Roast wrote:

furrykef wrote:

Marshmallow Roast wrote:

That's toying with nature in ways nobody should be allowed to do.

On what grounds?

Do you really think it's natural or right to go to sleep for X amount of years and find everyone you know aged or dead?

No more natural or right than putting someone else's kidney in you or placing a metal hip in the spot of your bone one..

Marshmallow Roast · **Posted:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:13 am

StrongRad wrote:

Marshmallow Roast wrote:

furrykef wrote:

Marshmallow Roast wrote:

That's toying with nature in ways nobody should be allowed to do.

On what grounds?

Do you really think it's natural or right to go to sleep for X amount of years and find everyone you know aged or dead?

No more natural or right than putting someone else's kidney in you or placing a metal hip in the spot of your bone one..

Well, that has a purpose in that it will help your health.

furrykef · **Posted:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:17 am

So it's OK to do "unnatural" things so long as they have a purpose? Doesn't that sound arbitrary?

Marshmallow Roast · **Posted:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:23 am

Well, it's natural to want to live a long and healthy life, so it kinda makes up for it.

Homestar Runner Wiki Forum

Suspended Animation

Who is online