Reviving the frozen

Damien Broderick (damien@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au)
Tue, 24 Mar 1998 23:17:09 +0000


A fascinating radio broadcast in Australia last night (Tues March 24) with
James Lovelock, inventor of the Gaia hypothesis. He was interviewed by a
very intelligent autodidact named Phillip Adams. I missed half the
program, but was astounded to hear Lovelock's claim that after his
unpatented invention (in the '50s? ' 40s?) of the microwave oven - or at
least of using microwaves to thaw frozen stuff - certain researchers in the
'50s successfully revived small frozen mammals by that method.

How pristine the animals' neurology was and how long they lasted after
revival wasn't made clear, but Lovelock was explicit about their chilly
temporary state - frozen hamsters, he said, were quite solid; you could
knock them against the lab bench. After thawing, they'd run around.

I have a lot of respect for Lovelock's integrity and ingenuity. Yet this
claim appears to surpass anything that current cryonics specialists seem
able to replicate.

It would be useful to hear some informed comments from, say, Paul Wakfer or
other knowledgeable suspension enthusiasts.

Damien Broderick