X-Message-Number: 3570 From: (Thomas Donaldson) Subject: CRYONICS: re freezing damage Date: Sun, 1 Jan 1995 18:10:35 -0800 (PST) Hi! A short comment about Bob Ettinger's ideas about the damage of freezing and how I see them. Basically, I accept the "information" idea of our preservation. What many people who agree with me accept that I do NOT is the question of whether or not we know enough to recover or preserve that information reliably. The "jigsaw puzzle" of a cracked brain may be a VERY hard problem. And for this particular reason I'm very pleased that Bob and CI have actually done something to test the level of damage to brains caused by at least one suspension procedure. I'm sure there is other damage too, but from what I understand of freezing to LN, that damage should not affect the INFORMATION content of the stored brain. I don't expect great changes in the chemicals present at synapses, for instance.... not to mention that such issues can also be tested experimentally. And finally, I take that information criterion seriously in thinking about revival also. It's clear to me that we could lose a lot of cell structure without destroying the required information. That is actually one reason I suspect (but no, I don't KNOW) that biological technology will probably prove equal to the task of revival. (I am NOT denigrating nanotechnology. Such technology IS nanotechnology). Just a little clarification, that's all. Happy New Year to all and long long life, Thomas Donaldson Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=3570