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exmachina64 · Feb 10, 2016

http://www.newsweek.com/rabbit-brai...rn-successfully-cryopreservation-424913?rx=us

A rabbits brain has been successfully cryogenically preserved in long-term storage, marking the first time a whole mammalian brain has been kept in near-perfect condition during this process.

It marks a significant breakthrough in the field of cryonics and boosts the prospect of one day bringing frozen human brains back to life.

...

The researchers findings, recently published in the journal Cryobiology, were recognized by the Brain Preservation Foundation, which awarded 21CM the $26,735 Small Mammal Brain Preservation Prize.

...

The current process used to cryogenically preserve human brains has been criticized for causing massive dehydration to the brain and crushing neural connections. It is believed that this process is too damaging to allow for successful future revival.

Provided this research is accurate, this is an important step for the long-term prospects of cryogenic storage of humans.

Lock if old.

Alucrid · Feb 10, 2016

Call me when they throw that brain into a cyborg rabbit and it all works

HylianTom · Feb 10, 2016

Excellent. We're one step closer to Time of the Apes!

BriGuy · Feb 10, 2016

"Near-perfect" can still amount to "profoundly retarded" when it comes to matters of the brain. I'm holding out for cyborg enhancements myself. If I can't have a grappling-hook arm with a retractable buzzsaw, I don't see any point in preserving myself for the future.

SpaceWolf · Feb 10, 2016

When hibernation goes too far.

Kimawolf · Feb 10, 2016

Eternal life! It's here Bitches!

Toxi · Feb 10, 2016

Unfortunately, the rabbit's vocabulary was reduced to nine words: Fuck, shit, piss, cunt, goddamn, motherfucker, asshole, peepee, and poopoo.

CMDBob · Feb 10, 2016

But seriously, this is pretty darn cool. Hope they can eventually work out the defrosting procedure.

efyu_lemonardo · Feb 10, 2016

Alucrid said:
Call me when they throw that brain into a cyborg rabbit and it all works

or even a real rabbit. How are they currently judging whether or not the brain is well preserved exactly?

edit: according to the article, this is done by examine slices of the brain under a microscope.

Dreams-Visions · Feb 10, 2016

"Near perfect"

so...what is the part that didn't go perfectly? seems important.

peanutbutterlatte · Feb 10, 2016

I was 7 when Futurama came out and I just assumed it was always real technology.

hobblygobbly · Feb 10, 2016

Also for those unaware, there is a nonprofit organisation called Alcor that will will preserve you upon death so that you can be revived in the future when science is adequate to do so. Reminds me of the ST:TNG episode "The Neutral Zone" where this was depicted, people from our century being revived when they were found preserved by the Enterprise.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcor_Life_Extension_Foundation

The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, most often referred to as Alcor, is a Scottsdale, Arizona, USA-based nonprofit organization that researches, advocates for and performs cryonics, the preservation of humans in liquid nitrogen after legal death, with hopes of restoring them to full health when new technology is developed in the future.

As of December 31, 2015, Alcor had 1054 members, 197 associate members and 143 humans in cryopreservation, many as neuropatients[clarification needed] (86 of Alcor patients were neuropatients or brain preservation patients as of May 2015). Alcor also cryopreserves the pets of members. As of November 15, 2007, there were 33 pets in suspension.

Alcor accepts anatomical donations (cryonics cases) under the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act and Arizona Anatomical Gift Act for research purposes, reinforced by a court case in its favor that affirmed a constitutional right to engage in cryopreservation and donate one's body for the purpose. A form of the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act has been passed in all 50 states.

adj_noun · Feb 10, 2016

Now it's on a shelf next to Disney.

-Plasma Reus- · Feb 10, 2016

I'd volunteer to have my brain put in a robot body.
After I die of course.

Grym · Feb 10, 2016

Sorry. I don't believe it is "near perfect" until they can demonstrate that they can wake it back up from the deep freeze

Nabbis · Feb 10, 2016

I dunno... Even with utopian nanotech cellular damage is a very hard endeavor. The metabolical process that keeps our consciousness working is ridiculously overblown in inefficiency thanks to evolution making our bodies different functions interconnected. I really believe that we will have digital preservation centuries before we can actually make a purely biological human immortal. By that time there would be no sense in doing that anyway since we will be able to easily emulate sensory inputs in mechanical bodies.

Orbis Tabula · Feb 10, 2016

Near-perfect? I bet that bunny will have tons of Bugs.

exmachina64 · Feb 10, 2016

Dreams-Visions said:
"Near perfect"

so...what is the part that didn't go perfectly? seems important.

Presumably, that's detailed in the journal article, to which I don't have access.

Grym said:
Sorry. I don't believe it is "near perfect" until they can demonstrate that they can wake it back up from the deep freeze

"Near perfect" in the sense of appearing relatively intact under an electron microscope and being a large improvement over the previous technique.

winjet81 · Feb 10, 2016

Near-perfect means far from perfect.

"Near-perfect" means not even close.

Jag · Feb 10, 2016

Nabbis said:
I really believe that we will have digital preservation centuries before we can actually make a purely biological human immortal. By that time there would be no sense in doing that anyway since we will be able to easily emulate sensory inputs in mechanical bodies.

I've always thought it would be a combination of biological and mechanical. Memory banks grown in a vat, data input via computer. Far beyond our understanding now, but maybe in the next 100-200 years.

Venture · Feb 10, 2016

hobblygobbly said:
Also for those unaware, there is a nonprofit organisation called Alcor that will will preserve you upon death so that you can be revived in the future when science is adequate to do so. Reminds me of the ST:TNG episode "The Neutral Zone" where this was depicted, people from our century being revived when they were found preserved by the Enterprise.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcor_Life_Extension_Foundation

But there's very little chance that they could be revived, no? Since they were all frozen with the old process.

Chmpocalypse · Feb 10, 2016

EskimoJoe said:
Near-perfect? I bet that bunny will have tons of Bugs.

Clever!

Fenderputty · Feb 10, 2016

Could we use this for sleep stasis while in long range space travel?

Nabbis · Feb 10, 2016

Jag said:
I've always thought it would be a combination of biological and mechanical. Memory banks grown in a vat, data input via computer. Far beyond our understanding now, but maybe in the next 100-200 years.

That kinda depends on what you actually classify as biological. Metamaterials grown by a process similar to how growth factors cause cell prolifiration could be considered biological in some sense but DNA is a essential part of biology and it's not a very good thing either due to the amount of errors it has or can cause.

Orbis Tabula · Feb 10, 2016

I didn't think cryogenic freezing of a brain was possible. I guess I owe my friend a Fiver.

Alucrid · Feb 10, 2016

EskimoJoe said:
I didn't think cryogenic freezing of a brain was possible. I guess I owe my friend a Fiver.

Why would it be impossible to store a brain at a low temp?

poppabk · Feb 10, 2016

Too little too late.

Pif · Feb 10, 2016

-Plasma Reus- said:
I'd volunteer to have my brain put in a robot body.
After I die of course.

Don't you need to be alive so they can freeze your living brain to then defrost it still living?

Orbis Tabula · Feb 10, 2016

Alucrid said:
Why would it be impossible to store a brain at a low temp?

Well, not so much the freezing part that I thought was a problem. More so the water expanding when it freezes. I figure that would be a real cell Buster.

thesuperfunk · Feb 10, 2016

winjet81 said:
Near-perfect means far from perfect.

"Near-perfect" means not even close.

This, sadly.

exmachina64 · Feb 10, 2016

Fenderputty said:
Could we use this for sleep stasis while in long range space travel?

Yeah, that's one of the eventual goals of cryogenic research.

pestul · Feb 10, 2016

Just imagine how many bunnies they're going through trying this..

Reminds me of Pym Tech with the lambs in Ant-Man.

Jag · Feb 10, 2016

Pif said:
Don't you need to be alive so they can freeze your living brain to then defrost it still living?

They can't do it while you are alive based on current law. You have to be clinically dead.

Most of these companies work together, so they will incorporate the latest tech for vitrification.

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