[ExI] cryonics vs. chemopreservation

[Eugen Leitl]

On Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 01:31:45AM -0700, Max More wrote:
> No one is saying to take it as gospel, but it's a good analysis of the
> issues. Better than anything to date. As I said (here or in another post

I haven't read the piece in fully yet, but there are problems with
the article and potentially methodology which I'm unwilling to discuss 
at this point. Hopefully, the situation will become clearer in the next 
published issue.

> tonight), there will be a follow-up comment from Mike Darwin and response
> from Aschwin. Darwin's criticisms, if correct, only reinforce the core
> message that chemopreservation is not currently a superior or even viable
> alternative to cryopreservation.

In order to qualify for an alternative treatment there needs to be a standard,
validated protocol. Instead, we do not even have the information whether
it would at all work. All we know that it warrants further research.
I do not see who will be currently willing to pay for such research,
apart from single interested individuals. I hope the Brain Preservation
Foundation will validate at least structural preservation for large
mammals within a decade, or so. The only way to correlate structure
with function is by way of large scale simulations of previously
functionally well-characterized biological system, which is in its
infancy.
 
> Eugen: The comments I've seen from you seemed to suggest general agreement
> with Aschwin's piece. Is that not the case, or are you simply dubious about
> certain specifics?

I hope to be able to answer this when I'll see Aschwin's reply.
 
> What bothers me is that some people (notably John Smart) are going about
> strongly promoting the idea of chemopreservation as a superior option
> today, when the best evidence says that is not the case.

I see two major hairs in the soup: correlation of structure preservation
with viability, which is impossible with crosslinked, heavy-metal stained
brick and using the vascular system to fixate and stain, at least until
you're stable enough that you could section (~cm^3) without screwing up
the surface information, and further stain/fixate by diffusion.

Will this be done, or can this even be done? No idea.