X-Message-Number: 22529
From: 
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 18:05:23 EDT
Subject: Skeptic in Scientific American

Greetings all:

The October issue of  Scientific American, p 43, has an article by its 

professional skeptic, Michael Shermer, rather snidely deriding any possibility 
of 
immortality. Of cryonics he says :

"Cryonics immortality. Freeze. Wait. Reanimate. It sounds good in theory, but 
you're still a corpsicle.  And when your tissue is thawed, your cells will be 
mush. Don't forget to pay the electric bill in the meantime."

I plan to send the letter below to refute his main point.  Could you good 
people check my facts and logic, or make other suggestions? Is there a good 

source for the fact that aortas are commonly preserved by freezing and thawing?
Is 
there a better example -- is any larger tissue or organ frozen now?

Many thanks,

Alan Mole


Mushy Thinking 

In Skeptic, Michael Shermer derides cryonics as a means to immortality, 
saying "And when your tissue is thawed, your cells will be mush."  He's too 

skeptical by half.  For years it has been common practice to freeze embryos and

tissues up to the size of an aorta -- and thaw them successfully, not turning 
them 
to mush but returning them to life.  Granted, present techniques result in 

some freezing damage and some dead cells, but  certain tissues can survive that.
And recent advances in vitrification solutions hold promise to eliminate the 
freezing damage.  So cryonics already works for some tissues and needs only 
reasonable advances to freeze and revive whole human beings.  Or, if you are 
frozen now, it is plausible that future technology may be able to repair any 
damage that occurs.  

What does the Skeptic think of all the healthy children running around who 
started life as embryos in liquid nitrogen? Are they a mushy hoax? 

I think there are good hopes for life extension, and Mr. Shermer is like a 
man denying the possibility of heavier than air flight -- just as the Wrights 
are taking off.  

Alan Mole
Boulder Colorado

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