Have you ever thought about living one hundred years or more from now? If current beliefs are proven to be possible it may be a possibility in the future. Alcor, a life extension foundation, claims that Cryonics may make it possible for people who die to be revived in the future. Just think about it, you could get to see how present problems were solved in the future. The only catch is that Cryonics may cause more problems than it can solve in the future.
             Cryonics is the process of freezing body parts and organs for future use. At this time they are doing whole body and neurosuspensions. As soon as heartbeat and breathing in a member who has paid for this procedure cease, a transport team from Alcor takes over the care of the patient. Circulation and breathing are artificially restored and the patient is cooled and transported to Alcor's facilities. The patient is treated with drugs to minimize freezing injury and is then further cooled to the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (-320°F, -196°C) (Alcor, 1). Neurosuspensions are the freezing of the human head and brain. The reason for doing this is because it is much cheaper and they feel that all other body parts are replaceable by transplant. Alcor charges $50,000 for neurosuspensions and $120,000 for whole body suspensions (Alcor, 27).
             The first thing to understand when discussing cryonics is what exactly cryonics is. Cryonics and cryogenics are not the same thing. Cryogenics is the general branch of physics and technology that deals with cold temperatures. Cryonics is specifically using cold temperatures to freeze human beings that have just been declared legally dead for possible repair and revival in the future. (Morgan, p.50) The preservation procedure is not just simply putting someone in a freezer until they can come out.
             Conventional freezing of tissues and organs is quite destructive. When cells are subjected to slow freezing, large ice crystals form in the ...