This is Your Brain on Cryonics
While we're on the topic of cryonics, I am reminded of a letter I wrote to Alcor a while back:
Hello,
I'm a cryonicist and life extension advocate. To help promote the idea of
cryonics, I think it would be a good idea to have available on the Internet
micrograph images of frozen and unfrozen brain tissue, to show the
difference. Do you have any available, or know where I could get some?Thank you,
Michael
Dr. Brian Wowk kindly responded:
Hi Michael. There are lots of cryopreserved brain micrographs
on the Alcor website. Some of them are after rewarming, and others
were obtained actually in the cryopreserved state by a technique
called freeze-substitution.http://www.alcor.org/AboutCryonics/index.html
http://www.alcor.org/sciencefaq.htm
http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/braincryopreservation1.html
http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/cambridge.html
http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/annals.html
http://www.alcor.org/notablequotes.html
http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/biology.html
Regards,
Brian
From the quotes page, here is an image of vitrified hippocampus:
(Click for larger.) The page says, "This is "your brain on cryonics": Transmission electron micrograph of tissue rewarmed from -130°C after in-situ vitrification of a whole mammalian brain. This is essentially normal looking brain tissue (hippocampal region). Not only is there no "intracellular goo," no "hamburger," and no "pulverization and destruction," there is no ice damage whatsoever!"
So, in Dale's post on cryonics, when he talks about the brain being "hamburgerized" -- he is making no sense. Vitrified brains don't get "hamburgerized". Dale probably knows about vitrification, so he is just forwarding propaganda because he is politically and morally uncomfortable with cryonics. That is because cryonics symbolizes the affirmation of the individual and potential avoidance of death in a way that can be offensive to hyper-socialistic, here-and-now-and-nothing-else politics. Well, too bad.
October 14th, 2009 - 10:35
To help promote the idea of cryonics, I think it would be a good idea if Alcor’s website didn’t look like it was from the late 90s. Aesthetics are important in marketing, and if the cryonics field ever wants mainstream recognition, it needs to not look so shady and unprofessional.
October 14th, 2009 - 15:26
Websites that look like they are from the 90s make organizations “shady”? It seems like 25% of all web surfers have this huge concern about modernity of websites, and the other 75% just wants to access information. There are a lot of successful startups with completely bare-bones websites, and other startups (like Propeller) which put all their effort into image while their business fails.
Still, to please that 25%, you’re right, the website should eventually be updated… but I can imagine that they have numerous other priorities as well.
October 14th, 2009 - 16:42
I should clarify: the general public’s perception of cryonics is that it is shady and unprofessional; outdated websites don’t help that perception. But, being non-profits, Alcor and the other cryonics organizations don’t have a lot of spare capital. So yes, they have other priorities. It’s a shame.
October 16th, 2009 - 14:09
Mike, feel consolated in the fact that there is also a percentage of nutty ‘hypersocialists’ that loathe the dale quixote ideological spectrum of lying and bullying to make a point, often a point saturated with fear of personal empowerment and a style of progressiveness at odds with his.
January 31st, 2012 - 12:33
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