Cryonics in the UK

The Guardian looks at a non-profit cryonics initiative in the UK: "In a bungalow in Peacehaven, by the east Sussex seaside, a 72-year-old man and his 62-year-old wife are planning their future. There's no discussion of anything morbid, like death, because, as far as they are concerned there is no such thing as death. When they stop breathing, they will pass into a state of suspended animation. They will be frozen in a giant flask of liquid nitrogen at almost -200C, which will preserve their brains and organs in as fresh a state as possible until technology has advanced to the stage where they can be revived. ... I was aware from a very young age that life is very short. It occurred to me that no matter what you've got, you're still going to die. I remember thinking, 'I enjoy things: why does anybody want to die?' ... Alan now runs Cryonics UK, and every month he holds meetings with fellow cryonicists and potential converts to discuss the practicalities and potential problems of their suspension - of which there are many. First, upon so-called 'death', a team of experts must rush to their sides, pump out their blood and fill them with antifreeze. ... Second, there are no storage facilities in Britain, so patients will have to be transferred to the US or Russia. Third, science has some way to go before we can bring people back to life." This is much how the established cryonics organizations in the US started back in the day.

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/nov/07/cryonics-british-dads-army

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