X-Message-Number: 22073
From: "Ben Best" <>
Subject: Paul Segall deanimated
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 20:53:36 -0700

     Long-time cryonicist and life-extension researcher 
Paul Segall deanimated Monday of an aortic aneurysm.
I do not feel I am the most qualified person to write about
Paul, but after seeing no mention of his passing on 
CryoNet I have lost patience. 

     Paul became involved in cryonics not long after 
Robert Ettinger wrote THE PROSPECT OF 
IMMORTALITY in the 1960s. Pual was an early associate
of Saul Kent at the Cryonics Society of New York. Moving
to Berkeley, Paul became associated with the new 
cryonics company Trans Time (http://www.transtime.com/)
and has remained a key figure in the organization up
until Monday. 

     Paul got his PhD at Berkeley working with Dr. Paola
Timiras studying the life-extension effects of a low-tryptophan
diet in mice. An entrepreneur, Paul and his associates started
the BioTech company BioTime (http://www.biotimeinc.com/)
which markets the flagship blood replacement product 
Hextend. Paul's work with blood washout and cooling of a 
dog put him on the Donahue talk show where Paul stressed
the relevance of his work to cryonics -- and debated the 
desirability of cryonics with the audience. (Paul's 1989
book LIVING LONGER, GROWING YOUNGER is quite
autobiographical -- for those interested in more details
about his life.) 

    BioTime continued to do cryonics-related experiments
on hamsters & mice while developing marketable 
products. Paul believed that hamsters are an excellent
small model for cryonic cryopreservation experiments. 
Paul had grand plans for building a wealthy company
that could support extensive research in life-extension 
and cryonics. 

    Sadly (due in no small part to the control of money &
banking by central banks) capital markets, technological
progress and biotech companies have taken a terrible
beating in the last few years -- and BioTime stock was
no exception:
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=BTX&d=c&k=c1&a=v&p=s&t=5y&l=on&z=m&q=l

     Sadder still -- tragically sad -- Paul has lost his 
life and the capacity to do his work. 

    I have heard that he was cryopreserved, but
sudden deaths can be messy and I fear that his preservation
left much to be desired. Hopefully others can supply us with
details. 
                                -- Ben Best

  References:

   http://www.forbes.com/technology/newswire/2003/06/23/rtr1008224.html

   http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/6157268.htm

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=22073