X-Message-Number: 32931
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2010 20:08:18 +0200
Subject: New paper from Alcor: Cryopreservation and Fracturing
From: Jonano <>

I'm happy to be an Alcor member. I just hope in the next 40 years, the
technology and this science will improve so that I can benefit a good
preservation.

http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/CryopreservationAndFracturing.html

Cryopatients are currently stored under liquid nitrogen at a
temperature of -196A C. The first question that might come to mind is
why so cold in the first place? The answer is provided in detail in
the Alcor publication How Cold is Cold Enough? by Hugh Hixon [1]. In
summary, when tissue is frozen, the freezing point of water is
depressed by solutes concentrated between growing ice crystals. Water
therefore remains a liquid (albeit a very viscous liquid) even at dry
ice temperature (-79A C). Finally, usually at temperatures between
-90A C and -130A C, a "glass transition" occurs and any remaining
unfrozen water turns into a solid glass. Below this temperature,
translational molecular motion is very slow to non-existent. With
molecules able to do little more than vibrate in place, chemistry is
effectively stopped, and extremely long storage times are possible.

What do you think about this paper ?

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