srihari kapu
Friday, 28 September 2012
Friday, 21 September 2012
(On way to raising the dead)
CRYONICS
Today technology plays
a vital role
in every aspect
of life. Increasing standards
in technology in
many fields , has taken
man today to
high esteem. But the
present available technologies
are unable to
interact with the
atoms, such a minute particles. Hence Nanotechnology has
been developing.
Nanotechnology is nothing but
a technology which
uses atoms with
a view to
creating a desired product. It
has wider applications
in all the
fields. The important application
is Cryonics.. Cryonics is nothing but
an attempt of
raising the dead - making them alive. First we
preserve the body
then by using
molecular machines based
nanotechnology we could
revive the patients
by repairing damaged
cells.
In this
technical paper we
would like to
discuss cryonics, how the
process of cryonics
goes on and why
nanotechnology is being
used and description
of molecular machines
which has the
capability of repairing
damaged cells. Therefore Cryonics
is an area in which most of the work is to be done in future.
Introduction:
Today technology
plays a vital
role in every
aspect of life. Increasing standards
in technology in
many fields particularly
in medicine, has taken
man today to
high esteem. Nanotechnology is a new
technology that is knocking
at the doors. This technology
uses atoms with
a view to
creating a desired
product. The term nanotechnology
has been a combination of
two terms,”nano”and “technology”. The term nano
is derived from
a Greek word
“nanos” which means
“dwarf”. Thus nanotechnology is
dwarf technology. A nanometer
is one billionth
of a metre.
Our former President A.P.J.Abdul
Kalam being a scientist
made a note
about this technology
that
nanotechnology would give
us an opportunity, if we take appropriate and timely
action to become
one of the
important technological nations
in the world.
The main application
of nanotechnology is
cryonics. Cryonics is nothing
but an attempt
of raising the
dead. Cryonics is not
a widespread medical
practice and viewed
with skepticism by
most scientists and
doctors today.
History:
The first
mention of nanotechnology occurred
in a talk
given by Richard
Feynman in 1959, entitled There’s
plenty of Room
at the Bottom. Historically cryonics
began in 1962
with the publication
of “The prospect
of immortality” referred by
Robert Ettinger, a founder
and the first
president of the
cryonics institute. During 1980’s
the extent of
the damage from
freezing process became
much clearer and
better known, when the
emphasis of the
movement began to
shift to the
capabilities of nanotechnology. Alcor Life
Extension Foundation currently
preserves about 70
human bodies and
heads in Scottsdale, Arizona and
the cryonics institute
has about the
same number of
cryonic patients in its Clinton
Township, Michigan facility.
There are no
cryonics service provided
outside of the
U.S.A. also there are
support groups in
Europe, Canada, Australia & U.K.
Cryonics:
The word
"cryonics" is the practice of
freezing a dead body in hopes of someday reviving it. A Cryonics is the practice of cooling
people immediately after death to the point where molecular physical decay
completely stops, in the expectation that scientific and medical procedures
currently being developed will be able to revive them and restore them to good
health later. A patient held in such a state is said to be in 'cryonic
suspension. Cryonics is the practice of cryopreserving humans and pets (who have recently
become legally dead) until the cryopreservation damage can be reversed and the cause of the fatal disease can be cured (including the disease known as aging). However, there is a high representation of
scientists among cryonicists. Support for cryonics is based on controversial
projections of future technologies and of their ability to enable molecular-level repair of tissues and organs
Cryonics patient prepares
for the future:
How an Alcor patient's
body is frozen and stored until medical technology can repair the body and
revive the patient, or grow a new body
for the patient.
Patient declared legally dead
On way to Alcor in Arizona, blood circulation is maintained and patient
is injected with medicine to minimise problems with frozen tissue.
Cooling of body begun. (If body needs to be flown, blood is replaced with
organ preservatives.)
At Alcor the body is cooled to 5 degrees
Chest
opened, blood is replaced with a solution (glycerol, water, other chemicals)
that enters the tissues, pushing out water to reduce ice formation. In 2 to 4
hours, 60% or more of body water is replaced by glycerol.
Freezing
the body:
The patient is placed in cold
Silicone oil, chilling the body
to79°C.
Then it’s moved to an
aluminiumPod and slowly cooled
over 5 days in Liquid nitrogen to
-196°C,then stored.
Actual process starts:
After preserving the body for somedays, they will
start the surgery.As a part of it, they will apply some chemicals like glycerol
and some advanced chemicals to activate the cells of the body. By doing so,
0.2% of the cells in the body will be activated.After that they will preserve
the body for future applications. The cryonists strongly believe that future
medicines in 21st century will be useful to rapidly increase those
cells that will help to retrieve the dead person back.
Storage vessel
Stainless-steel vats formed into a large
thermos-bottle-like container. Vat for up to four bodies weighs about a
ton; stands 9 feet tall.
Transtime
"recommends" that people provide a minimum of $150,000 for whole-body
suspension. Part of this sum pays for the initial costs of the
suspension. The balance is placed in a trust fund, with the income used
to pay the continued cost of maintaining you in suspension. Transtime can
do neurosuspensions but does not promote the option. Transtime also
charges a yearly fee of $96 for membership, with the price halved to $48 for other
family members.
The Cryonics Institute in
Clinton Township, Michigan, charges $28,000 for a full-body suspension, along
with a one-time payment of $1,250. The Cryonics Institute does not do
neurosuspension.
About 90 people in the United Stated are already in
suspension, with hundreds more signed on for the service. Probably the most famous cryopreserved patient is Ted WilliamsA cryopreserved
person is sometimes whimsically called a corpsicle
(a portmanteau of "corpse" and "popsicle"). This term was first used by science fiction author Larry Niven, who credits
its formulation to Obstacles to success.
Revival process:
Critics have often quipped
that it is easier to revive a corpse than a cryonically frozen body. Many
cryonicists might actually agree with this, provided that the
"corpse" were fresh, but they would argue that such a
"corpse" may actually be biologically alive, under optimal
conditions. A declaration of legal death does not mean that life has suddenly
ended—death is a gradual process, not a sudden event. Rather, legal death is a
declaration by medical personnel that there is nothing more they can do to save
the patient. But if the body is clearly biologically dead, having been sitting
at room temperature for a period of time, or having been traditionally
embalmed, then cryonicists would hold that such a body is far less revivable
than a cryonically preserved patient, because any process of resuscitation will
depend on the quality of the structural and molecular preservation of the brain.
Financial issues:
Cryopreservation arrangements can be expensive, currently
ranging from $28,000 at the Cryonics
Institute to $150,000 at Alcor and the American Cryonics Society.
The
biggest drawback to current vitrification practice is a costs issue. Because the most cost-effective means of
storing a cryopreserved person is in liquid nitrogen, fracturing of the brain
occurs, a result of thermal stresses that develop when cooling from −130°C to
−196°C (the temperature of liquid nitrogen). actually quite affordable for the
vast majority of those in the industrialized world who really make arrangements while still young.
Court Rules
against Keeping:
The Conseil d'Etat ruled cryonics - stopping
physical decay after death in the hope of future revival - is illegal.
The court said relatives have two choices over what to do with dead
bodies - burial or cremation. It said relatives can scatter ashes after
cremation, but they have to bury bodies in a cemetery or in a tomb on
private property after gaining special permissionant it, especially if they make arrangements while still young.
Why only nanotechnology is used in cryonics?
Biological molecules
and systems have
a number of
attributes that make
them highly suitable
for nanotechnology applications. Remote control
of DNA has
proved that electronics
can interact with
biology. Gap between electronics
and biology is now closing.
Cryonics basically deals with cells, these cells are in the order of nanometers. At present there is no other technology which deals with such minute cells. Only nanotechnology can have the ability to deal with cells. Normally fatal accidents could be walked away from, thanks to range of safety devices possible only with nanotechnology.
Viruses, prions, parasites and
bacteria continue to
mutate and produce
new diseases. Our natural
immune system may, or
may not, handle. In theory, a
nano ‘cell sentinel’ could make
our body immune
to any present
or future infectious
disease.
Fracturing is
a special concern
for new vitrification
protocol brought online
by Alcor for
neuro patients. If advanced
nanotechnology is available
for patient recovery, then fracturing
probably causes little
information loss. Fracturing commits
cryopatient to the
need for molecular
repair at cryogenic
temperature a highly
specialized and advanced
form of nanotechnology. Whereas unfractured
patients may be
able to benefit sooner from
simple forms of
nanotechnology developed for more main
stream medical applications. Damaged caused
by freezing &
fracturing is thought
to be potentially
repairable in future
using nanotechnology which
will enable manipulation
of matter at the
molecular level.
How nanotechnology is used in cryonics?
MOLECULAR MACHINES
could revive patients
by repairing damaged
cells but for
making those cell
repair machines, we first
need to build
a molecular assembler.
It is
quite possible to
adequately model the
behaviour of molecular
machines that satisfy
two constraints.
- They are
built from parts
that are so
stable that small
errors in the
empirical force fields
don’t affect the
shape or stability of
the parts.
The synthesis of parts is done by using positionally controlled reactions, where the actual chemical reactions
- involve a
relatively small number
of atoms.
Drexler’s assembler
can be built
with these constraints.
Assembler made using current methods
:
The fundamental
purpose of an
assembler is to
position atoms. Robotic arms
are other positioning
devices are basically
mechanical in nature, and
will allow us
to position molecular
parts during the
assembly process. Molecular
mechanics provides us
with an excellent
tool for modeling
the behaviour of
such devices. The
second requirement is
the ability to
make and break
bonds at specific
sites. While molecular mechanics
provides an excellent
tool for telling
us where the
tip of the assembler
arm is located, current force fields
are not adequate
to model the
specific chemical reactions
that must then take place at the tip/work piece interface involved in building an
atomically precise part. For this higher order ab initio calculations are
sufficient
The methods of
computational chemistry available today allow us to model a wide range of
molecular machine’s with an accuracy sufficiently in many cases to determine
how well they will work.
Computational nano technology includes
not only the tools and techniques required to model the proposed molecular
machines it must also includes the tools required to specify such machine.
Molecular machine proposal that would require million or even billions of atoms
have been made. The total atom count of an assembler might be roughly a billion atoms. while
commercially available molecular modeling packages provide facilities to
specify arbitary structures it is usually necessary to point and click for each atom involved.
This is obviously unattractive for a device as complex as an assembler
with its roughly one billion atoms.
The software required to design and model complex
molecular machine is either already available or can be readily developover the
next few years. The molecular compiler and other molecular CAD tools needed for
this work can be implemented using generally understood techniques and methods
from computer science. Using this approach it will be possible to substantially
reduce the development time for complex molecular machines, including Drexler’s
assemblers.
Future
Enhancements:
1.with the knowledge of cryonics cryonists are preserving the brains
of humans.we know that each person alive today was once a single cell,and a
complete human being can be grown in the natural state.Thus they believe that
genetic programming of a single cell on the surface of that brain begins a
process of growth and development that perhaps appends to the brain a complete
young adult body.
Conclusion:
1.
With the implementation of Cryonics we can get
back the life.
2.
But Cryonics is a area in which most of the work
is to be done in future and till now mainly the concept of this area has been
proposed.
3. So the
Scientists are not making long promises for the future of this Cryonics
References:
1. Platzer, W. "The Iceman - 'Man from the Hauslabjoch'."
Universität Innsbruck. 12 November
2002 http://info.uibk.ac.at/c/c5/c552/Forschung/Iceman/iceman-en.html
2. "Cryonics." Merriam-Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary. 10th ed. 2001.
3. Iserson, K.V. Death To
Dust: What Happens To Dead Bodies? 2nd ed. Tucson: Galen Press, 2001.
4. Iserson, K.V. "RE: Cryonics article." E-mail to the
author. 11 November 2002.
5. "Frequently Asked Questions." Alcor Life Extension
Foundation. 12 November 2002 http://www.alcor.org/FAQs/index.htm
6. Olsen, C.B. "A Possible Cure for Death." Medical
Hypotheses 26 (1988): 77-84.
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