Across the globe, there are several companies specializing in cryonics. With advancements in technology and the economy, the demand for body preservation is steadily increasing.
The cost of preserving a whole body is $220,000, while the option to preserve just the brain is priced around $80,000. Most individuals choose to pay using their life insurance. Some even opt to freeze their pets. The first person to be cryogenically preserved, awaiting potential “resurrection,” was American psychologist James Bedford in 1966.
Specialized containers for preserving bodies. (Photo: Vice).
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation is the most well-known and longest-standing company in this field. Another large company, The Cryonics Institute, has 2,180 members worldwide, along with numerous smaller companies in Europe, China, and Russia.
Alcor currently has 224 patients preserved at its modern facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, and 1,418 clients enrolled for preservation after death. Recently, billionaire Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, announced that he has signed up for cryonics after his death.
Other companies offer lower prices than Alcor, but their packages often do not include a medical team that is on standby to initiate the preservation process immediately after the individual passes away.
Billionaire Peter Thiel.
The blood of the deceased is replaced with a cryoprotectant, which helps reduce the risk of ice crystal formation. The body is then gradually cooled and preserved at -196 degrees Celsius in specialized containers filled with liquid nitrogen, preventing decomposition. The bodies are preserved indefinitely until science advances to the point of potentially reviving them.
Earlier this year, scientists at the University of Minnesota successfully thawed mouse organs and transplanted them for the first time in history. The cryonics industry is based on the assumption that one day death may be reversible. However, it does not merely stop at the possibility of bringing people back to life, but also entails finding ways to cure the causes of death, whether it be cancer, aging, or other factors.
The concept of resurrecting humans raises numerous legal, ethical, and philosophical concerns. For instance, if a person is brought back to life, will they retain their identity and identification number? Skeptics argue that even if resurrection becomes a reality, it would be extremely difficult for a person to awaken hundreds or thousands of years in the future and attempt to reintegrate into a world they do not understand.
In addition to placing great faith in science, employees of cryonics companies also trust that their parent companies will continue to exist for hundreds more years. Alcor secures its future through the Patient Care Trust, which operates as a separate entity to manage and protect the funds for clients. There are very strict regulations regarding money management, including a rule that allows withdrawals of no more than 2% per year.
