According to the prediction of the late foreign astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, if human beings fail to migrate beyond the earth in the next 100 years, they may face the threat of human annihilation.
For those who support space exploration, moving to outer space is not only a means to avoid extinction, but also a way to continue life. For example, like Musk's multi-planet habitation plan and brain-computer connection, as well as human cryopreservation technology.
Before a person dies completely, the body is frozen by replacing the blood with cryofluid and placing the body in liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees Celsius, with the head facing down. The cost of this method ranges from $10,000 to $200,000, and more than 3,000 people around the world have chosen this "rebirth" method in the hope of the future.
Since 1976, when Robert Edinger, the "father of cryonics", established the world's first cryonics institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, this technology has attracted widespread attention. In his book The Quest for Eternal Life, Edinger boldly predicted that "in the future, most of us will undergo a non-damaging cryonics process", which coincides with the plot of films and television works such as "Space Traveler" and "Captain America".
Jean Hilliard, a 19-year-old girl who was accidentally frozen into ice in Minnesota, USA, in 1992, was frozen in the snow until her vital signs disappeared (her pupils were dilated, her eyeballs were frozen, and her body was stiff like frozen meat), then thawed and "revived" within 48 hours; In addition, there are more than 30 years of frozen embryos Molly and Emma, who were successfully implanted into the uterus of Tina, a 29-year-old woman in Tennessee, USA, and gave birth successfully, and are currently living happily with their adoptive parents.
Jeffrey Keenan, head of the National Embryo Donation Center in the United States, noted that this proves that the technology and preservation methods of several years ago are effective and can theoretically remain viable indefinitely as long as they are properly stored in liquid nitrogen. Russian scientists managed to resurrect 2 in 2020The 40,000-year-old Siberian vermiculite rotifer and its reproduction further confirms the potential of cryonics.
In other words, once the freezing technology matures, humans may actually be able to achieve a kind of "immortality".
In addition, with the popularization of cryonics technology**, the cranial nerve cryogenization service provided by the Russian company Kriorus is less than 10,000 US dollars, and the whole body cryonics is only 2$80,000. Freezing services in China cost between $20 and $1 million, which is about the same as that of the American Cryonics Association.
However, as cryonics technology has become more widespread in China, it has also raised a series of ethical questions. The news that Gui Junmin, the husband of Zhan Wenlian, China's first frozen person, married a new partner who is 10 years younger than him has caused widespread discussion.
Some people understand this, after all, widowhood is not easy; But there are also those who are disappointed, believing that no matter how good the relationship between the couple is, after one of them dies, the other partner will also start a new life.
Therefore, life extension technology has become a new pursuit for people. After all, living longer and delaying aging is obviously more happiness and reality than freezing after death. The philosopher Wittgenstein once said, "Eternal life belongs to those who live in the present." Prolonging life, or slowing down aging, is clearly closer to happiness than freezing after death.
As a result, new technologies have emerged, such as Harvard's NAD+ boosting technology (the core ingredient of the anti-aging agent Schginer, which is currently widely used by people with higher incomes), Mayo Clinic's Senolytics (which can specifically remove senescent cells), and Oxford's stem cell activation technology (which promotes the regeneration of damaged tissue).
Stem cells** are expensive, and a top hospital in Beijing charges 38 to 500,000 yuan per hour. The Senolytics technology has not yet formed into a full-fledged product, but the NAD+ technology of Professor D**ID Sinclair of Harvard University has achieved substantial results.
In 2015, D**id Sinclair discovered a NAD+ precursor that enhances the self-repair ability of senescent cells, extending the lifespan of mice by 30% and making them appear younger. Sinclair himself took the substance, and six months later blood tests showed that his biological age had reversed (from 50 to 30).
Subsequently, this experiment was confirmed by Harvard University and other authoritative institutions, and in 2018, a full-fledged product Schginer was mass-produced. Under the promotion of the "stock god" Buffett's ** business, Shijiner has become the first anti-aging technology to enter the high-speed popularization period, and it has also become popular from Europe and the United States to Jingdong in China.
While most people are keen on reversing aging technology, some scientists remain optimistic about the future of cryonics. O'Briy Gray, chief scientist at Sens Research in the United States, who focuses on the prevention of aging diseases, said that in the future, cryonics and resurrection surgery may be as common as a cold or a broken bone, "It's not as scary or bizarre as people think, it's just a medical treatment designed to provide another ** option for people with serious diseases."
Dennis Kowalski, president of Michigan's cryonics agency, has long signed a cryonics agreement with his family, and members of the agency have been encouraging family members to participate (half price for spouses and free for minor children). "We do encourage family members to get involved," Kowalski said. But the popularity of the schjiner underscores the fact that more people still want to spend time with their families while they still live.