From: Paul Wakfer (70023.3041@CompuServe.COM)
Date: Sat Nov 30 1996 - 01:07:47 MST
On Fri, 29 Nov 1996 23:37:45, Michael Lorrey <retroman@tpk.net> wrote:
>If suspended animation is what you're after, why isn't any effort going
>toward hormonal suspension or slowing of metabolic processes?
That's exactly what hypothermia does. Continuing the hypothermia to low
enough temperatures slow all biological processes so much that
"hibernation" without decay for 100's of years is possible. If the organism
can be cooled to such temperatures without ice crystallization (a process
called vitrification) then no damage to the organism whatsoever occurs.
>Such drug induced hybernation in my opinion is much more realizable and
>most probably less damaging.
No hibernating animals, even frozen frogs and fish, can survive in that
state for longer than the normal amount of time for which they hibernate
(less than a year).
>The fact that there have been documented cases of individuals going into
>spontaneous hybernation for years at a time makes me wonder why no effort
>is going on in this area. Surely slowing people's metabolic rate to 1
>heartbeat per minute would not only be a great interim solution to
>outright suspension, but advantageous for use in surgery.
Sounds life the story of Rip Van Winkle to me. I've never heard of such a
thing. Are you thinking of comma's, or vegetative states, etc? These people
all need and get feeding and other bodily needs attended to. Do you have
any references to such examples of slowed metabolism? Maybe the reason why
no one is giving effort to this area is that there are no such examples and
the idea does not make physiological sense.
-- Paul -- Phone: 416-968-6291 Pager: 800-805-2870
HELP TO ACHIEVE - PERFECTED SUSPENDED ANIMATION WITHIN 20 YEARS!
Check out the Prometheus Project web site at URL:
http://www.prometheus-project.org/prometheus/
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