Cryonics sources [was: Nature defines transhumanist]

From: Robert Bradbury (bradbury@genebee.msu.su)
Date: Fri Jun 16 2000 - 23:27:44 MDT


On 15 Jun 2000 Spudboy100@aol.com, following up on Hal's comments wrote:

> Is there anyone even dealing tangentially, with nanotech in combination
> with cryonics? Is there some precepts of what the nanobots would do to
> preserve or regenerate the patient's tissues?

Well, EoC discusses it in general terms. Ralph Merkle has done some
papers (see www.merkle.com) on the feasibility. These papers generally
make hard core medical people somewhat crazy (partially due to the
assumptions and partially due to the knowledge base differences).
I think Robert F. is supposed to do some more detailed analysis
at some point for subsequent volumes of Nanomedicine.

Greg Stock, I believe is doing a presentation at the Alcor Conf. on
whether all cryonics revivals will be uploads. That is a very
dubious assumption because it assumes the understanding of mental
information maps (i.e. data encoding in your brain) will come
before the nanotech that allows cryonics reanimation (highly
questionable IMO, though Anders would be the real expert to ask).

> How is this supposed to happen? Any URL's?

Ralph's papers are the best that exist right now. Other than
that you would have to query Eric or Robert F. directly for
their thoughts.

Its kind of interesting when you think about it, that you have
dozens or hundreds of people depending on the intuitive beliefs of
perhaps 4 individuals (including myself in the "authoritative" group)
who have looked at this in enough detail that they claim to
understand the problems well enough to say "this will work".
But then again, there are millions of people who believe in
the resurection based on a considerably less robust analysis... :-)

Robert



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