[ExI] Cryonics Article in UK Guardian newspaper

BillK pharos at gmail.com
Mon Nov 9 17:51:29 UTC 2009


The ExtroBritannia group has referenced this article about the rather
amateurish state of cryonics in the UK, as the reporter visited a
cryonics group meeting.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/nov/07/cryonics-british-dads-army>

Mike Darwin was the main speaker. He is presently helping the Russian
cryonics group that Danila Medvedev is director of.

A cryonics photo gallery includes photos of Mike and Danila.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2009/nov/07/cryonics>

Quote from the quite long article:
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. This is complicated because virtually all the members of
Alan's suspension team at Cryonics UK have practised only on dummies,
rather than real people – and if, for example, air bubbles enter the
pumping system, the brain will be irreversibly damaged. 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.

But Alan has always been an optimist. He knows the situation is far
from perfect, but he is doing his bit for eternal happiness. Parked
outside the bungalow is an old ambulance, customised with suspension
equipment. It's surprisingly archaic – basically a suitcase with a
load of tubing inside, reminiscent of an old-fashioned wine-making
kit. Alan credits himself with devising the slogan, "Ambulance to the
future."
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BillK



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