X-Message-Number: 26176
Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 18:46:26 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: permafrost burial

Message #26172 From: Keith Henson <>
> Cryoprotectives would not help because they would keep things liquid and
> moving around even worse than straight freezing.  It has been kicked
> around for many years, but a combination of chemical fixation and
> natural cold storage just might be enough.
>
  I hate to throw a wet blanket on this notion. However I have
examined alternatives to cryonics for a number of years, and even visited
Yelowknife in the NorthWestern Territories in Canada to examine one
supposed permafrost burial site, which turned out not to be even
permafrost. I've come to some reluctant conclusions.
  In an era of global warming, and as a practical matter a "permafrost
burial" would likely be subject to freezing and thawing cycles. This
damage would in time eliminate any possibility of revival. Complete
mummification would not be just highly desirable, but instead might be
essential for permafrost burial to constitute a credible alternative to
cryonics.
  Playing the devil's advocate, lets assume that that the particular
patch of permafrost selected for burial never does melt. At high sub-zero
temperatures ice crystals will still grow and melt in response to minor
temperature fluctuations. Eventually tissue viability will be eliminated
at any storage temperature above the tissue's glass transition
temperature. Permafrost is simply too warm to adequately preserve
tissue for long periods.
  Still playing the devils advocate, lets assume that enough
cryoprotectant is included to prevent freezing from ever occurring. No
damage from ice crystals can ever occur since these never exist.
Unfortunately hydrolysis of chemically preserved specimens has been
examined in some research papers. Lipids are destroyed within a few
decades, DNA and RNA are reduced to pieces in a few months to years. Only
some protein structures seem to last for any appreciable length of time.
There is extreme doubt that any trace of memory or personality could long
endure even theoretically in chemically preserved brain tissue that is
hydrated.
  Like cryonics, permafrost burial can serve as a credible long term
preservation option only if the tissue is stored below its glass
transition temperature. At permafrost temperatures complete
removal of all water would be required to achieve this.

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