In older times, people would go to lengths to prolong their lives. Even today, Cryonics, the practice of freezing the human body so that it is preserved until after death and can be revived to life, sounds like science fiction. Tomorrow.Bio, however, is leading the debate of cryopreserving humans today for $200,000. Now the debate is: Is that a real journey toward immortality or an overpriced fantasy?
At the core of Tomorrow.Bio’s operations is a refurbished ambulance in Berlin. There, the process commences. When the patient is declared legally dead, the body is subjected to a highly complex preservation procedure. The blood is replaced by a cryoprotective agent, which prevents ice crystals from forming inside the tissues. This permits cooling to -196°C; the body is then stored in a facility in Switzerland.
Emil Kendziorra, the company’s cofounder and a one-time cancer researcher, believes that cryonics may eventually become as common as organ transplants. He notes that science is constantly progressing by citing an example such as Anna Bagenholm, a skier who was revived after two hours clinically dead, shivering under freezing conditions. However, critics point out a significant flaw: no human has been successfully resuscitated after cryopreservation.
Science or Speculation?
Cryonics is grossly questioned and attacked by the scientific community. This field, according to Clive Coen, a neuroscience professor, represents “misplaced faith in antifreeze” and underscores the fact that biological decomposition begins at the point when the heart stops. Even if revival becomes possible, the damage caused during death and preservation could present severe brain impairment.
There is limited hope through animal studies. Rat kidneys, for example, have been successfully preserved and brought back to life. Scaling such an effort up to the human brain is monumental. Cryonic enthusiasts are enthused by small victories, while most scientists view this field as at best speculative.
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Ethical and Practical Challenges
Beyond the science, cryonics raises profound ethical questions.
How will future generations handle the frozen remains of people from the past?
Who ensures these bodies are cared for centuries later?
Moreover, the astronomical cost makes it accessible only to the wealthy, often sparking debates about privilege and the morality of spending such sums on a gamble.
Advocates such as Kendziorra respond to such criticism by making the case of personal choice. “People buy yachts or other luxuries; why not invest in the possibility of a second life?” he argues.
A Future Worth Waiting For?
Cryonics is one of the emerging trends in life-extension technologies and anti-aging supplements for longevity research. Some see it as hope: an opportunity to enjoy a future world and possibly have fatal diseases cured. Others just see it as a costly distraction from the realities of life and death.
Tomorrow.Bio is ambitious, with plans to preserve memory and personality structures by 2025 and achieve reversible cryopreservation by 2028. These goals are science fiction for many, but Kendziorra insists that cryonics offers a greater chance of revival than cremation. For now, it is an expensive leap of faith, with humanity watching closely.
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