X-Message-Number: 6780
From:  (Brian Wowk)
Newsgroups: sci.cryonics
Subject: Re: How does "Prometheus" fit into mainstream research?
Date: 19 Aug 96 03:42:10 GMT
Message-ID: <>
References: <>

In <>  (Joel Auslander) writes:

>1) An earlier posting stated that there is currently active research
>into preserving organs for transplants. If this is so, wouldn't money
>better be spent in furthering this research?

	Banking organs for transplant is certainly a worthy cause.
However banking brains for future revival (in regenerated bodies)  
is a potential way to treat *every* fatal disease there is.
The life-saving scope of brain preservation is thus far broader than mere
organ banking, and therefore a higher priority for people
who are serious about radical life extension.  The Prometheus Project 
is motivated by the observation that while technologies for
preserving organs are becoming highly advanced, none of this
technology is yet being transferred by anyone to the brain.  

>2) If there is even a slight chance that brain cryo-preservation and
>revival is within 10 years and $10M, why aren't the normal funding
>sources (government grants, Industrial R&D, venture capitalists)
>jumping on it?

	Unfortunately only a very small minority of people value
their life enough to consider a measure as radical as brain 
preservation (even if perfected).  Governments or established
businesses with reputations to protect wouldn't touch something
this controversial with a ten foot pole.  Remember, even once you
demonstrate successful revival of a brain (proving that life is
being preserved), it will still be about 100 years before a body
can be provided for the brain.  This is just too speculative for
most people to accept.  Not to say that this Project won't make
a big splash; it will.  But much of this splash will be controversy,
not instant acceptance by the whole world.   

>While I can understand governments being slow to fund something
>ethically touchy, I'd expect industry to be quick to jump on
>developing a process that would certainly be worth billions! Selling
>life to dying people is about as lucrative a business as you could
>imagine.

	This assumes that everyone else in the world is as forward
thinking as you and I.  Unfortunately this is not the case.  Some
Project supporters (such as Thomas Donaldson) even go as far as
to say that perfected brain preservation won't make any impact on public
opinion at all!.  While I don't think this view is tenable for a
number of reasons, I wouldn't support the Project on expectation of
a quick buck either.  The best reason to support the Project is that
you and I need it to save our lives, and if we don't do it, no one
else is going to do it for us. 

 ***************************************************************************
 Brian Wowk          CryoCare Foundation               1-800-TOP-CARE
 President           Human Cryopreservation Services   
    http://www.cryocare.org/cryocare/
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