Cryonics & Cryogenics News and Discussions

[wjfox]

Nap Quest: How Suspended Animation Could Fuel Space Exploration

May 31st 2021

In space, no one can hear you sleep — but it’s possible that alarms could one day wake astronauts on alien worlds hundreds or thousands of light years away. This is the promise and potential of suspended animation, sometimes called human hibernation or “cryosleep.” While it’s still (mostly) the stuff of science fiction, new advancements in snooze-related science could turn this into a tired-and-true method for space exploration.

[...]

Both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have begun preliminary research into cryosleep solutions. But how exactly would this suspended snooze-fest work?

It all starts with torpor, a hypermetabolic state already seen in animals such as hummingbirds that significantly reduces their body temperature and, in turn, the amount of energy required to keep their bodies alive. While torpor bears similarities to true hibernation, including lowered body temperatures and slowed processes, torpor cycles typically require daily food foraging. Meanwhile, hibernation relies on increased resource consumption prior to deep sleep but is associated with much longer periods of reduced activity. Successful snooze-based solutions for astronauts are about splitting the difference.

“If we were able to reduce an astronaut’s basic metabolic rate by 75% — similar to what we can observe in nature with large hibernating animals such as certain bears — we could end up with substantial mass and cost savings, making long-duration exploration missions more feasible,” notes Dr. Jennifer Ngo-Anh, a research team leader for the ESA study. If humans could be put into a state of controlled torpor that reduced consumption needs without requiring the massive pre-feed to sustain hibernation, it could be our ticket to the stars.

The good news? This idea isn’t just science fiction. Controlled hibernation has been used to help improve recovery after serious events, such as gunshot wounds, and reduce the risk of brain damage during surgery. In practice, this requires the slow decrease of internal body temperature.

Read more: https://now.northropgrumman.com/nap-que ... ploration/

[wjfox]

Frozen eggs and sperm storage limit increased to 55 years

44 minutes ago

Storage limits for eggs, sperm and embryos will go up to 55 years under government plans that ministers say will give people greater choice over when to start a family.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the current limit of 10 years was "severely restrictive."

Modern freezing techniques mean eggs can be stored indefinitely without deterioration, research from the Royal College of Obstetricians has suggested.

The plans need parliamentary approval.

The Department for Health said there would be extra conditions around third party donors and use of a person's frozen cells after they have died.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-58456832

[wjfox]

New cryopreservation technique revives heart tissue after three days

18th October 2021

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have successfully revived human heart tissue after it had been preserved in a subfreezing, supercooled state for up to three days.

[...]

By preserving cardiac tissue at a constant volume in a rigid isochoric chamber, researchers managed to prevent the formation of ice crystals that could have damaged the micro heart muscle cells. They examined the structural integrity of the heart cells and whether the tissue retained normal functions, such as autonomous beating, and responsiveness to drugs and external electrical stimuli. Tests confirmed that their method – which they call "isochoric supercooling" – had not altered the structural integrity of the heart tissue, nor did it significantly affect the beat rate or beat waveform.

[...]

In the longer term, the researchers believe their new cooling and revival technique will be scaled up to full organs.

Read more: https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... meline.htm

[wjfox]

[raklian]

Why Cryonics Makes Sense





https://waitbutwhy.com/2016/03/cryonics.html

[Yuli Ban]

[wjfox]

Parents welcome twins from embryos frozen 30 years ago

Updated 9:18 AM EST, Mon November 21, 2022

In April 1992, Vanessa Williams’ “Save the Best for Last” topped the Billboard 100, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton was running for the White House, “Who’s the Boss?” aired its final episode, and the babies born to Rachel and Philip Ridgeway a couple of weeks ago were frozen as embryos.

Born on October 31, Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from what may be the longest-frozen embryos to ever result in a live birth, according to the National Embryo Donation Center.

The previous known record holder was Molly Gibson, born in 2020 from an embryo that had been frozen for nearly 27 years. Molly took the record from her sister Emma, who was born from an embryo that had been frozen for 24 years.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/21/heal ... index.html

[wjfox]

Scientists successfully unfroze rat organs and transplanted them — a ‘historic’ step that could someday transform transplant medicine

June 21, 2023

The rat kidney was peculiarly beautiful — an edgeless viscera about the size of a quarter, gemstone-like and gleaming as if encased in pure glass.

It owed its veneer to a frosty descent in liquid nitrogen vapor to minus 150-degrees Celsius, a process known as vitrification, that shocked the kidney into an icy state of suspended animation. Then researchers at the University of Minnesota restarted the kidney’s biological clock, rewarming it before transplanting it back into a live rat — who survived the ordeal.

In all, five rats received a vitrified-then-thawed kidney in a study whose results were published this month in Nature Communications. It’s the first time scientists have shown it’s possible to successfully and repeatedly transplant a life-sustaining mammalian organ after it has been rewarmed from this icy metabolic arrest. Outside experts unequivocally called the results a seminal milestone for the field of organ preservation.

“It’s historic,” said Mehmet Toner, a biomedical engineer at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Harvard Medical School professor working in organ cryopreservation. “This is the beginning of a very exciting journey.”

If researchers someday successfully translate those results into humans, experts told STAT, organ cryopreservation and rewarming could revolutionize transplant medicine — and potentially save tens of thousands of lives each year in the U.S. alone.

https://www.statnews.com/2023/06/21/cry ... ansplants/



Credit: Caroline Yang for STAT

[funkervogt]

That's such great news. As soon as we create an AGI, I hope one of the things we task it with is finding better cryopreservation methods. It could accelerate progress in that field (as with any other).

[wjfox]

We have a complete mouse cryopreservation and revival predicted for 2025-2035. I had considered removing that for being overly optimistic, but I guess it can stay for now.

[raklian]

[wjfox]

Frozen worm revived after 46,000 years

28th July 2023

The longest known cryptobiosis in a nematode is reported, with an organism revived after 46,000 years in Siberian permafrost.

https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... matode.htm

[weatheriscool]

Frozen human brain tissue works perfectly when thawed 18 months later
By Michael Irving
May 17, 2024

https://newatlas.com/science/brains-fro ... servation/
In good news for future animation figureheads, there might be a new way to revive frozen brains without damaging them. Scientists in China have developed a new chemical concoction that lets brain tissue function again after being frozen.

Freezing is effective at keeping organic material from decomposing, but it still causes damage. As the water inside turns to ice, the crystals tear apart the cells. That’s why frozen meat or fruit goes a bit mushy after it’s defrosted – but a bigger problem is that it also happens with organs or tissues chilled for transplant or research.

For the new study, scientists at Fudan University in China experimented with various chemical compounds to see which ones might work to preserve living brain tissue during freezing. They started by testing out promising chemicals on brain organoids – small, lab-grown lumps of brain tissue that develop into different types of related cells.

The organoids were submerged in the various chemicals, then frozen in liquid nitrogen for 24 hours. Then they were quickly defrosted in warm water, and checked for function, growth and signs of cellular damage over time. The chemicals that protected the mini-brains the best then went through to the next round, which involved trying various combinations in similar freezing and defrosting tests.

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[firestar464]

Parents welcome twins from embryos frozen 30 years ago

Updated 9:18 AM EST, Mon November 21, 2022

In April 1992, Vanessa Williams’ “Save the Best for Last” topped the Billboard 100, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton was running for the White House, “Who’s the Boss?” aired its final episode, and the babies born to Rachel and Philip Ridgeway a couple of weeks ago were frozen as embryos.

Born on October 31, Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from what may be the longest-frozen embryos to ever result in a live birth, according to the National Embryo Donation Center.

The previous known record holder was Molly Gibson, born in 2020 from an embryo that had been frozen for nearly 27 years. Molly took the record from her sister Emma, who was born from an embryo that had been frozen for 24 years.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/21/heal ... index.html

Late here, but it would be funny if the twins made constant age jokes

"Mom can I drink alcohol"

"no."

"But I'm technically 30"

[wjfox]

This Berlin company is pioneering a chilling new €50-a-month cryogenics subscription

November 15, 2024 at 12:09 PM GMT

Becca Ziegler is only 24, but she already has her death planned out: her corpse will be deep-frozen to minus 200 degrees Celsius (minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit) with liquid nitrogen.

Ziegler, a US tech firm worker based in Berlin, has signed up with Tomorrow Biostasis, a startup in the German capital that offers to cryogenically freeze a person’s body after they die.

When the time comes, a team of medics will pump her full of a chemical solution to stop ice crystals from forming in her body and then transport her mortal remains to a storage facility in Switzerland.

The hope is that one day, medical technology might be advanced enough to bring her back to life. Many experts dismiss this gamble on the future as far-fetched, but Ziegler has decided to give it a shot.

“I’m kind of curious to see what the future would be like and, in general, I like life,” said the Californian, who works in educational technology.

https://fortune.com/europe/2024/11/15/t ... scription/

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

Cryopreservation breakthrough: mouse brain tissue revived

15th February 2025

Scientists have successfully revived mouse brain tissue after storage at –150°C for a week, reactivating near-normal function – a notable breakthrough in cryopreservation.

[...]

A new study, by researchers at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, has brought the realm of science fiction a step closer to reality. It used a cutting-edge vitrification technique to cool mouse brain tissue in a way that avoided the formation of damaging ice crystals, almost fully preserving both its structure and function. Unlike previous studies, which have struggled to restore viable neural activity, this latest research demonstrated that the brain's complex electrical signals and synaptic connections can be successfully revived, even after deep freezing.

Read more: https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... h-2025.htm