Silke Mayr Tomorrow.Bio, a cryonics start-up, offers a chance at a second life for the price of a sports car. Is this the beginning of practical cryogenics or just another unfulfilled promise?
A Mission to Defy Mortality
In Berlin, a small ambulance with bright orange stripes houses advanced cryonics equipment. This vehicle, one of three operated by Tomorrow.Bio, represents Europe’s first cryonics lab. Their goal: freeze patients post-mortem and revive them someday. For $200,000 (£165,000), they promise hope against death.
Emil Kendziorra, Tomorrow.Bio’s co-founder and former cancer researcher, believes progress in curing diseases is too slow. Inspired by past breakthroughs in freezing and reviving individuals, like Anna Bagenholm in 1999, his company has already cryopreserved a few people and pets. Nearly 700 more have signed up, with plans to expand operations across the US in 2025.
Cryonics, however, remains unproven. No one has successfully been revived from cryopreservation, and scientists like Clive Coen, a neuroscientist at King’s College London, are skeptical. Coen critiques the concept, stating that damage during decomposition and thawing renders revival unrealistic. Kendziorra counters, comparing cryonics to organ transplants, which once seemed impossible.
How Cryonics Works
When a patient nears death, Tomorrow.Bio dispatches an ambulance. After legal death is declared, the team begins cooling the body to sub-zero temperatures. Cryoprotective fluid replaces bodily water to prevent ice crystals from forming, preserving tissues.
The process involves cooling the body rapidly to -125°C (257°F) and then slowly to -196°C (384.8°F). Once stabilized, patients are stored in Switzerland, awaiting future medical advances. Kendziorra hopes technology will eventually cure fatal diseases and reverse cryopreservation damage. Whether this takes 50 or 1,000 years doesn’t matter, as frozen bodies remain stable indefinitely.
Critics remain unconvinced, citing the lack of successful human or animal trials. Promising research, such as preserving and reviving rat kidneys, provides some hope but is far from proving cryonics viable for humans. Kendziorra admits cryonics is a long shot but believes it’s worth trying.
Ethical and Financial Questions
Ethical concerns loom over cryonics, especially regarding its enormous costs and uncertain outcomes. Storing a body for centuries raises questions about future descendants’ responsibilities and logistical feasibility. Critics also argue that funds might be better spent on tangible advancements in health and aging.
Despite skepticism, Tomorrow.Bio continues to attract clients, many funding the procedure through life insurance. Louise Harrison, 51, chose cryonics out of curiosity, viewing it as a form of time travel. While others question her decision, she values having a chance at life again, even in an unfamiliar world.
Cryonics’ appeal has grown, partly due to the pandemic’s heightened awareness of mortality. Tomorrow.Bio aims to preserve memory, personality, and identity by next year and achieve reversible cryopreservation by 2028. Kendziorra remains optimistic, stating, “The chance is higher than cremation, if nothing else.”