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Improve Your Odds of a Good CryopreservationYou have your cryonics funding and contracts in place but have you consideredother steps you can take to prevent problems down the road?__Keep Alcor up-to-date about personal and medical changes.__Update your Alcor paperwork to reflect your current wishes.__Execute a cryonics-friendly Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.__Wear your bracelet and talk to your friends and family about your desire to becryopreserved.__Ask your relatives to sign Affidavits stating that they will not interfere withyour cryopreservation.__Attend local cryonics meetings or start a local group yourself.__Contribute to Alcor’s operations and research.Contact Alcor (1-877-462-5267)and let us know how we can assist you.Take a look at theALCOR BLOGhttp://www.alcor.org/blog/Your source for news about:• Cryonics technology• Cryopreservation cases• Television programs about cryonics• Speaking events and meetings• Employment opportunitiesAlcor LifeExtensionFoundationis onConnect with Alcor members and supporters on ourofficial Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/alcor.life.extension.foundationBecome a fan and encourage interestedfriends, family members, and colleagues tosupport us too.

2 nd quarter 2008 • Volume 29:2Systems forIntermediateTemperature Storagefor FractureReduction andAvoidanceISSN 1054-4305$9.953 rd quarter 2011 • Volume 32:3Page 7A New Choice forImmortalistsPage 17Member Profile:Page 19Aschwin de WolfCOVER STORY: PAGE 7Why does fracturing occur incryonics patients? Which repairtechnologies are envisioned?What are the prospects foreliminating fracturing? Inthis comprehensive review,cryobiologist Brian Wowk reviewsthe topic and provides an updateon Alcor’s efforts to developand validate IntermediateTemperature Storage (ITS).CONTENTS5 CEO UpdateThanks to wearing hisseatbelt, Alcor CEOMax More is still with usand reports on the latestdevelopments at Alcor.13 MembershipStatisticsThe latest statistics onAlcor membershipgrowth.Cover Photo: Intermediate Temperature Storage(ITS) Neurodewar for safe storage at temperatureswarmer than liquid nitrogen to reduce fracturing.17 A New Choice for ImmortalistsBiogerontologist Michael Rose, Ph.D. contrasts his evolutionaryperspective of the aging process with alternative approaches andintroduces the topic of his new co-authored book Does AgingStop? He also suggests practical lifestyle guidelines to remain onan aging-arrested plateau indefinitely before old age sets in.19 Member Profile: Aschwin de WolfAlcor member Cairn Idun contributes a member profile of Alcoradvisor, Cryonics editor and researcher Aschwin de Wolf. Fromhis early youth to his current views on cryonics – Cairn covers itall.14 Chronology ofDevelopmentsRelated to Fracturingand IntermediateTemperature Storage15 Readiness UpdateAaron Drake reportson Alcor’s new portableice water recirculationsystem to conduct rapidhypothermia in the fieldand the recent PacificNorthwest training.www.alcor.org Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 3

FROM THE EDITOR3 rd quarter 2011 • Volume 32:3Editorial BoardSaul KentRalph Merkle, Ph.D.Brian Wowk, Ph.D.EditorAschwin de WolfArt DirectorJill GrasseContributing WritersAaron DrakeCairn IdunMichael Rose, Ph.D.Aschwin de WolfBrian Wowk, Ph.D_____________________________Copyright 2011by Alcor Life Extension FoundationAll rights reserved.Reproduction, in whole or part,without permission is prohibited.Cryonics Magazine is published quarterly.To subscribe to the paper edition:call 480.905.1906 x101or visit themagazine website:http://www.alcor.org/magazine/_____________________________Address correspondence to:Cryonics Magazine7895 East Acoma Drive, Suite 110Scottsdale, Arizona 85260Phone: 480.905.1906Toll free: 877.462.5267Fax: 480.922.9027Letters to the Editor welcome:aschwin@alcor.orgAdvertising inquiries:480.905.1906 x113advertise@alcor.orgISSN: 1054-4305Admittedly, there are times when it is a challenge to gather enough original and excitingmaterials for the next issue of Cryonics. When I considered devoting this issueof the magazine to research and development in cryonics I was not sure whetherthere was enough going on to fill the pages of the magazine. As it turned out, the materialsthat I received not only vastly exceeded the usual number of pages allotted to the magazine,but I had to stop soliciting for this issue. It also became clear that if I reported on the neuralcryobiology research that Chana de Wolf and I conduct at Advanced Neural Biosciencesthe situation would become really unmanageable! As a result, this report will be published inanother issue of the magazine or as a web exclusive.Despite limiting the number of articles, we are still forced to publish some other material—researchupdates—as a web exclusive rather than in the magazine. In 2008, Alcor Staffmember Michael Perry received a grant to research low cost alternatives to cryonics, thensolicited experiments to develop an algorithm to estimate the degree of ischemic damage inelectron micrographs of rodent brain samples. His first official report can be consulted here(www.alcor.org/Library/pdfs/Algorithmic_Estimation_of_Cortical_Autolysis.pdf). Mikealso collaborated on a series of experiments to study the effects of chemical fixation on theischemic brain. A report of this work will be published in the future as a broader update aboutlow cost alternatives to cryonics.I am thrilled that our cover article for this issue is an update on Intermediate TemperatureStorage (ITS). Since learning that most patients will experience fracturing duringtheir descent to liquid nitrogen temperature, Alcor has made efforts to document, investigateand resolve this issue to offer improved human cryopreservation technologies. Since Alcorpublished the last update on ITS there have been some new developments, including theacquisition of our first custom-designed ITS unit for neuro patients. As the article shows,our knowledge about ITS and fracturing events remains incomplete but we hope this articlewill spark interest to resume R&D in this area and trigger debate as to whether and how ITSshould be made available to Alcor members.Stopping or reversing the aging process will be an intrinsic component of cryonics formost members. This issue of Cryonics features an article by bio-gerontologist Michael Rose,Ph.D. in which he presents a novel theory about the aging process and why he believes it canbe halted mid-age by adopting a lifestyle comparable to those of our hunter-gathering ancestors,a topic that is explored in more detail in his new co-authored book, Does Aging Stop?As long as I have been editor of Cryonics, I had considered it a given there would not bea member profile about me in the magazine. (Soliciting a member profile about yourself israther narcissistic!) This assumption fell apart when long-time Alcor member and cryonicsactivist Cairn Idun offered to write it during a dinner at the recent gathering of the AssetPreservation group. I obliged and made an effort to provide her with all the relevant biographicalinformation. You can read the result in this magazine.Just before the first draft of this issue of the magazine was completed, the “father” ofcryonics, Robert Ettinger was cryopreserved at the Cryonics Institute. Look forward to a lotmore about Robert Ettinger in the next issue of Cryonics.Aschwin de WolfVisit us on the web at www.alcor.orgAlcor News Bloghttp://www.alcor.org/blog/4 Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 www.alcor.org

CEO UpdateBy Max MoreFasten your seatbelt; tighten up your cryonics arrangementsIjust survived my second car wreck.Having returned from giving a cryonicstalk in Southern California, I was drivinghome from the Phoenix airport when Igot into a situation that caused me to swerveto avoid a collision. At freeway speed, thatswerve was hard enough to send my car outof control. It spun around and ran head firstinto the high concrete divider wall of the 51freeway. I remember thinking, “This is it.”My car was totaled. To my astonishment,I stepped out of the car and foundmyself almost completely uninjured.Praise be to seat belts and airbags. Myold car had no side air bag, so it was fortunatethat I slammed into the wall head on.The first time I survived the thoroughwrecking of a car was 600 miles south ofTijuana in Baja California during a return tripfrom observing the total solar eclipse of July1991. That time, I was asleep in the back ofa truck when it rolled over and I was thrownout, somehow landing almost unhurt.(Having survived twice practically unscathedtempts me to believe I’m like Bruce Willis inUnbreakable. If only.) Mike Perry, who was inthe passenger seat, was not so lucky. Amongother damage, he suffered dangerous headinjuries. Thanks to an air ambulance anda San Diego hospital, he made a full recovery.(For more details on this incident,see: http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2008/11/01/interview-with-alcorreadiness-coordinator-regina-pancake/)No doubt everyone reading this uses aseat belt and drives in a car with at least afront air bag. But what if they aren’t enough?Are all your cryonics arrangements fully inplace and up to date? Do you wear youremergency neck tag or wristband? I confessthat I was not wearing my neck tag. Itwas in my pocket but I hadn’t been wearingit because the nickel in the chain makes myskin break out. The bracelet is too loose andannoying. Some of you probably have thesame problem. If so, get in touch with DianeCremeens. We’re ordering new bracelets thatuse a snug and more stylish black band.In case you crash and don’t walk away,also ensure that your paperwork is current.Although Diane has been contacting memberswith the oldest paperwork, plenty ofyou still should update your forms, or completea fresh set.Are there more Relatives’ Affidavits youshould get signed? Do you have a medicalpower of attorney? Is your funding at thecurrent minimum levels or, preferably, higher?If you can afford it, have you provided fundingfor an air ambulance?Updates: My updates appear in threedifferent forms: monthly in brief reports tothe board, monthly in Alcor News, and quarterlyin Cryonics magazine. From now on,Alcor News will come out right after a boardmeeting. My Updates for Cryonics will includesome information from those monthly updates,but will always include new material.Declaration of Intent: Do you knowsomeone who seems interested in and favorableto cryonics but who hasn’t madeany arrangements yet? If it’s something youthink they want to do, but they aren’t willingto put everything in place, you might atleast urge them to execute a Declaration ofIntent. (This is available on the Alcor websitein the “Become a Member” section.) We recentlyhad a frustrating case where an Alcormember offered to pay for a friend’s cryopreservationbut it never happened becausethe friend could no longer make decisionsand her S.O. and family were not interested.If the person had signed a Declaration ofIntent, it might not have been sufficient toenable us to proceed, but it would have madeit more likely.Cryopreservations: In late June, itlooked likely that Alcor would have to conductthree cryopreservations in one week. Iasked resident math genius Mike Perry tocalculate the odds of this, given our currentmembership size. Based on numbers of casesover the past few years, he estimated thisshould occur once every 27 years per thousandmembers. (Alcor’s current membershipstands near a thousand.) Two patients stabilized,at least for a while, so we ended upcalling off a standby (supported by SandraRussell and Joan O’Farrell from Critical CareResearch) while conducting just one cryopreservation.The case that did go ahead in May wasAlcor member A-1408 (the patient’s wish isfor anonymity). This was a classic exampleof how a patient can have unpredictable upsand downs in condition. A few days earlier,the patient was talking, smiling and shaving.On Tuesday May 24 th everyone agreed thatthe “patient is doing much better.” Two dayslater, clinical death was declared. We are especiallygrateful that Suspended Animation didthe standby, stabilization, and transport onthis case. This was especially taxing for the SAteam since the standby began the day immediatelyfollowing their conference in Florida.One of the other three cases, Arizonamember A-2357, held on for a while, but wasfinally cryopreserved on June 17. The heavycase load in 2010 led to a backlog of casereports. We’ve accelerated the preparationof these reports, which you can find on thewebsite.Improvements: We’re making im-www.alcor.org Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 5

provements to the building, security, energyefficiency, and other areas. We’re exploringoptions for further improving patient protectionand overall security. In my last update Italked about the problems with perfectionistthinking. It’s just not possible to achieve perfectsecurity. Attempts to do so would drainall of Alcor’s resources. For obvious reasons,I’m not going to detail existing weaknesses,and will only report on new security measuresonce they are fully in place.Improvements will be made to the roofinsulation and sun shielding to reduce the airconditioning bill inevitable in Arizona’s heat.Other continuing facility improvements includethe reception area and to the floors inthe OR and other areas. There will be a fullreport on these upgrades in a month or two,once complete.Infrastructure improvements includeprogress with redesigning and cleaning upthe hardware and software of the databaseand server, and fixes to the website making itpossible to apply for membership online andto directly print the info pack.I’m making it a priority to study criticalevaluations of Alcor’s practices written overthe last ten years, with an eye to prioritizingthe most high-payoff, practical, and affordablemeasures. You will find regular updates on improvementsat Alcor in my Cryonics columns.Other news: I’ve been giving talks indiverse venues to raise awareness and understandingof what we do at Alcor and totry to spur membership growth. Alcor wasrepresented at the Humanity+ @ ParsonsConference in New York on the weekendof May 14 and 15. More than one speakerwas an Alcor member, as were several attendees.Around 200 people showed up.The conference was co-organized by Alcormember Natasha Vita-More together withEd Keller of the Parsons School of Design.The idea of cryonics seemed to receive amostly friendly reception. Whether or notAlcor gets some new members out of thetalk, awareness and appreciation of what wedo and why we do it was definitely improved.In Florida the following weekend, Alcorparticipated in the Suspended Animationconference. This was the first cryonics conferencein a few years, so I was glad of theopportunity to report on new developmentsat Alcor. Other talks by Alcor-related speakersincluded Brian Wowk on “ReversibleSolid State Suspended Animation,” SteveHarris on a “New Portable Liquid VentilationSystem,” and Ralph Merkle on “DevelopingTechnology for the Revival of CryopreservedHumans,” as well as panel contributions bySaul Kent and Michael Korns. Following theconference, Suspended Animation conductedtours of their facility. The event enabledme to get better acquainted with the principalsat SA.I also spoke to a receptive audience atthe Atlas Society’s Free Minds conferencein Anaheim in July. In pursuit of the goalof presenting the idea of cryopreservationto new (carefully selected) audiences, I’ll bespeaking at least a couple more times thisyear on cryonics and related ideas. Amongthese are Aubrey de Grey’s SENS conferencein Cambridge. We would be delighted to hearfrom you if you can help Alcor grow by suggestingcompanies, forums, conferences, andother arenas where I or other Alcor representativescould give a presentation.Besides talking at conferences, I aim toboost Alcor’s relatively slow recent growthrate by other forms of communication.Later this year, I’ll make use of Web video byposting short (no more than 5-minute) videoson YouTube and/or Vimeo, answeringcommon questions, refuting common objections,and addressing misconceptions. Wewill also look into other forms of targetedsocial media.I’d like to thank Cryonics InstitutePresident Ben Best for inviting me to attendand participate in CI’s annual general meetingin September. Ben and I are on goodterms and agree that “co-opetition” ratherthan competition makes better sense forboth our organizations.Finally, I have begun very early planningof a proposed 2012 Alcor 40 th YearConference, and will be soliciting input overthe next few months. •6 Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 www.alcor.org

Systems for IntermediateTemperature Storagefor Fracture Reductionand AvoidanceBy Brian Wowk, Ph.D.IntroductionCryopreservation by vitrification partiallyreplaces water inside cells and tissuewith chemicals called cryoprotectants thatprevent ice formation. At high enoughconcentrations, cryoprotectants can preventfreezing. Instead of freezing, the mixtureof water and cryoprotectants becomes moreand more viscous like syrup during cooling.At a temperature near 120°C the viscoussolution solidifies, an event called the “glasstransition.” This solidification without freezingis the physical basis of cryopreservationby vitrification.Liquid nitrogen provides an inexpensive,stable, and highly reliable storage environmentfor cryopreserved tissue at a temperatureof -196°C. Unfortunately the processof cooling to this very cold temperaturetends to cause cryopreserved tissues tofracture. Such fractures probably do notcompromise the neuroanatomical informationpreservation goals of cryonics as longas tissue remains cold and solid. Howeverfractures prevent future recovery of cryopreservedtissue by any simple means. They arealso alarming by contemporary biomedicalstandards.Fracturing can be reduced, and sometimesavoided, by cooling through the glasstransition temperature slowly and stoppingcooling at temperatures warmer than liquidnitrogen. Much progress has been madewithin the past decade at developing systemsable to safely store tissue at temperatureswarmer than liquid nitrogen. Such systemshave come to be called “intermediate temperaturestorage” (ITS) systems because theystore at temperatures intermediate betweenliquid nitrogen and the glass transition temperature.ITS technologies are more complexand expensive than simple immersion inliquid nitrogen. Although ITS technologiesfor cooling and storing tissue in relative safetyat adjustable temperatures now exist, thebasic science knowledge of how to controltemperature to avoid fracturing in tissues aslarge as a whole human body still does notexist. Only fracture reduction is presentlypossible.Fig. 1. Differential thermal contraction ofvitrification solution cooled in a test tubecauses a dimple to form. The warmerinside of the solution continues contractingafter the colder outside has solidifiedand begun cooling at a slower rate.______________________________________Physical Causes of FracturingThe vibration of molecules gives riseto a characteristic volume, or density, of aliquid or solid material at a given temperature.As temperature decreases, the volumeof an object slightly decreases. This is calledthermal contraction. Figure 1 shows thermalcontraction of a cryoprotectant solutioncooled in a test tube. Warmer solution in thecenter of the test tube continues cooling andcontracting after solution near the walls hassolidified, creating a dimple.Fig. 2. A two liter volume of solidifiedM22 vitrification solution shown (a) justbelow the glass transition temperature and(b) after further cooling. The solidifiedsolution fractured during further coolingbelow the glass transition temperature.______________________________________Thermal contraction can cause cryoprotectantglasses (solidified vitrification solution)to fracture by several different mechanisms(1). Figure 2 shows a cryoprotectantsolution in a borosilicate glass flask fractur-www.alcor.org Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 7

Fig. 3. As cooling slows at the cold exteriorof a vitrified object, the warmer interiorwill cool faster until a uniform temperatureis reached throughout the object. Fasterinterior cooling causes faster thermalcontraction of the interior, causing theinterior to pull away from the exterioralong the dotted line. These forces cancause the vitrified object to fracture.______________________________________ing after vitrification and cooling. This fracturingoccurred because the cryoprotectantsolution adhered to the glass wall when itsolidified. Cryoprotectant glasses have thermalexpansion coefficients ten times greaterthan the flask container walls. Thereforecryoprotectant glasses will shrink ten timesas much during cooling as glass containersthat hold them. The cryoprotectant glass inFig. 2 broke due to accumulated stress as ittried to retract away from the flask wall duringcooling. Vitrified cryoprotectant solutionsor tissues are less likely to fracture ifheld in containers made of hydrophobic materialsthat solutions don’t adhere to, such aspolyethylene plastic.Cryoprotectant glasses or vitrified tissuecan also fracture due to internal stress duringtemperature change regardless of containermaterial. If different parts of tissue have differentthermal expansion properties, the differentparts will seek to contract by differentamounts during cooling, causing stress thatcan result in fractures.Even completely homogeneous tissueor pure cryoprotectant solutions can fractureduring cooling. If different parts of amaterial cool at different rates, the rates ofthermal volume contraction will be different.For example, near the end of cooling,the outside of an object may only contractat 0.1% per minute as its temperature nearsthat of the surroundings. However the insideof the object may be trying to contractat 0.2% per minute because it is warmer andstill cooling faster. The core of the objecttherefore tends to pull away from the periphery,causing mechanical stress, which causesfracturing if the mechanical strength of thesolid is exceeded. This phenomenon is illustratedschematically in Fig. 3.In practice, it’s difficult to cool volumesof more than a few milliliters of vitrificationsolution to the temperature of liquid nitrogenwithout fracturing. This is because thethermomechanical properties of cryoprotectantglasses (thermal expansion coefficient40 x 10 -6 per °C, fracture strain 0.3%, fracturestress 3 MPa (5, 6)) make them muchweaker than other glasses we are accustomedto. For example, window glass has a fracturestress of approximately 100 MPa due to itsstrong covalent chemical bonds.Fibrous material present in a vitrificationsolution will increase the vitrified solution’sfracture strength, and reduce the likelihoodand extent of fracturing. Tissue itselfis fibrous, so tissues and organs generally donot fracture as easily or extensively as barecryoprotectant solutions like the solution inFig. 2(b). However organs are still capableof fracturing during cooling.Prevelance of Fracturing in CryonicsIn late 1983 Alcor performed postmortemexaminations of three whole bodycryonics patients who had been transferredfrom another cryonics facility for conversionto neuropreservation and continued storageat Alcor. In every patient, several full thicknessfractures of the skin were observed aswell as multiple fractures of most internalorgans. The spinal cord of one patient wascleanly fractured every 6 cm over a 20 cmlength examined. These patients were frozenwith low concentrations of cryoprotectantrather than vitrified, so fracturing is aphenomenon that can occur in either frozenor vitrified tissue during cooling to liquid nitrogentemperature. It is not unique to vitrification.These findings were documentedin a report in the September 1984 issue ofCryonics magazine (7). There was further discussionof these findings on page 28 of the1st Quarter 1995 issue of Cryonics (8).In 1994 Alcor performed a postmortemexamination of the brain of Alcor patientA-1242 who had been ordered removedfrom cryopreservation after a court overturnedthe 1990 cryopreservation arrangementsmade by her husband. It was discoveredthat the brain had fractured into fivemajor pieces. Details were reported on page29 of the 1st Quarter 1995 issue of Cryonics(8).Fig. 4. Acoustic events believed to befractures detected in the brain of Alcorpatient A-2063 during cooling after perfusionwith B2C vitrification solution. Such eventsare detected in all patients during coolingbetween the glass transition temperature(-123°C) and liquid nitrogen (-196°C).______________________________________In 1997 Alcor brought into regular usean acoustic fracture detection system calledthe “crackphone.” The crackphone is a customdesigned system that performs digitaldata processing of sound signals recordedby microphones placed in contact with thebrain during deep cooling of cryonics patients.It detects and records acoustic eventsbelieved to correlate with fracturing.Acoustic events consistent with fracturingwere found to be universal during coolingthrough the cryogenic temperature range.They occurred whether patients were frozenor vitrified. If cryoprotection is good, theytypically begin below the glass transitiontemperature (–123°C for M22 vitrificationsolution). If cryoprotective perfusion doesnot go well, then fracturing events beginat temperatures as warm as -90°C. Higherfracturing temperatures are believed to occurwhen tissue freezes instead of vitrifies becausefreezing increases the glass transitiontemperature of solution between ice crystals.The temperature at which fractures begin istherefore believed to be a surrogate measureof goodness of cryoprotection, with lowertemperatures being better.The crackphone is believed to be highlysensitive to fractures, but its specificity is notclear. Cracking sounds can often be heardduring cooling of vitification solutions orvitrified tissue with no fractures later beingfound (unpublished observations of the author).So it is not clear whether every acousticevent detected during cooling is necessarilya fracture. Studies correlating acousticevents with physical fracturing have not beendone. Still, it is believed that the brain andother major organs of every cryonics patientcooled to the temperature of liquid nitrogen8 Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 www.alcor.org

to date have some fractures.Significance of FracturingFracturing does not cause tissue tobreak into widely separated pieces at thetime of fracture. As shown in Fig. 5, fracturesare not macroscopically obvious atcryogenic temperature. The actual physicaldisplacements associated with fracturingare small, and are believed to remain smallas long as tissue remains solid. Future repairstrategies for fracturing are thereforeanticipated to begin at low temperaturewith the tissue still in the solid state (2, 3).Factures in bare cryoprotectant solutionssuch as those in Fig. 2 are observedto be optically smooth. In other words,the fracture surfaces are smooth on a scalesmaller than a wavelength of light, whichis less than one millionth of a meter. Althoughthe fracture faces of vitrified tissuehave not been specifically studied, it is assumedthat they are also relatively smooth.When frozen tissue is fractured for microscopyin a procedure called “freezefracture,” the resulting faces are smoothenough for electron micrographic study ofcell membranes. From an information theoreticstandpoint, it seems likely that fracturingdoes not cause loss of neural connectivityinformation provided that tissueremains vitrified, and provided that someFig. 6. Slow cooling and warming protocol followed for a vitrified rabbit kidneythat was successfully stored under liquid nitrogen for two weeks prior totransplantation without fractures. (Data courtesy 21st Century Medicine, Inc.)_______________________________________________________________________________future means exists to match and restorestructure across fracture faces. Howeverfurther study is needed.Unfortunately fracturing excludesany future repair strategy that might beginby simple warming and reperfusion. It’stherefore a barrier to the development ofreversible suspended animation of large organsor humans no matter how good cryoprotectanttechnology becomes. Fracturingunderscores that cryonics as currently practicedis an information archiving technologythat will require very arcane technologyto reverse. It is not anything close tosuspended animation.Reduction and Elimination of FracturingTo prevent fracturing, stresses such asthose shown in Fig. 3 need to be minimized.This can be achieved by slowing coolingas the glass transition is approached sothat the temperature is as uniform as possiblewithin tissue during descent throughthe glass transition. Holding for a periodof time near or just below the glass transitionto allow stress relaxation before furthercooling is especially helpful. Figure6 shows a cooling protocol that permittedstorage of a rabbit kidney under liquid nitrogenwith no evidence of fracturing duringlater transplantation (4). Faster coolinghas been observed to result in fracturing.Another strategy has allowed evenbare vitrification solutions, which are highlysusceptible to fracturing, to reach liquidnitrogen temperature without fracturing.That strategy is to cool slightly below theglass transition temperature, then rewarmabove it, and then finally resume coolingFig. 5. Vitrified brain of Alcor patient A-2077 under liquid nitrogen. This brain is almostcertainly fractured, yet it remains an integrated whole. Movements between fractureplanes appear to remain microscopic provided that tissue stays cold and solid._______________________________________________________________________________Fig. 7. Warming above the glass transitiontemperature after descending slightlybelow it can reduce temperature gradientsand associated stress, allowing 10 mLsolution volumes to reach liquid nitrogentemperature without fracturing.______________________________________www.alcor.org Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 9

as shown schematically in Fig. 7. Thisallows interior temperatures to catch upto the cooler exterior temperature so thatthe whole object passes through the glasstransition at a more uniform temperatureand cooling rate. This avoids “locking in”stresses that would otherwise result fromnon-uniform passage through the glasstransition.Molten silicate glass (window glass)that is cooled too quickly will also fracturefor the same reasons that cryoprotectantglasses do. To prevent this, silicate glassesare held during manufacturing for a periodof time near their glass transition temperatureto reduce stress. This process is calledannealing. After annealing and slow coolingto a lower temperature, called the straintemperature, silicate glass can be quicklycooled to room temperature without fracturing.A similar annealing process allowingcooling of large volumes of cryoprotectantglasses to liquid nitrogen temperaturewithout fracturing is theoretically possible.Unfortunately, due to the physical weaknessof cryoprotectant glasses comparedto silicate glass, very long annealing timesmay be necessary.Whether for long periods of annealingor permanent storage, systems for storingcryopreserved tissue at temperatures betweenthe glass transition temperature andliquid nitrogen temperature are necessaryif fracturing is to be avoided. In cryonics,such systems have come to be calledIntermediate Temperature Storage (ITS)systems.Progress in Development of IntermediateTemperature Storage (ITS) SystemsFor decades mechanical laboratoryfreezers have been available that are capableof maintaining temperatures aslow as -140ºC. They’ve been sold undernames such as Queue and CryoStar. Inthe year 2000 a 10 cubic foot CryoStarfreezer was acquired for testing by Alcorfor possible use storing neuropatients. Itincluded a liquid nitrogen backup systemable to maintain temperature in the eventof a power failure, and was also filled withdry ice as thermal ballast. Alcor used itfor two patients between 2002 and 2006before advancing to newer liquid nitrogenITS systems. The newer systems had muchlower power consumption, no temperaturecycling, and other advantages describedbelow.Fig. 8. (a) The temperature in the vapor space above liquid nitrogen. (b)More uniform temperature inside an insulated storage container with athermally-conductive inner liner. (c) Calculated heat flows inside container.(d) Adjustment of container temperature with electrical heat._______________________________________________________________________________“Vapor phase” storage systems thatstore at temperatures warmer than liquidnitrogen in the vapor space above liquidnitrogen have long been available. Howeveras shown in Fig. 8(a), they suffer fromlarge uncontrolled temperature differencesin the vapor space. They are used in cryobiologynot because of their warmer temperature,but because they prevent transferof pathogens between samples stored undera common pool of liquid nitrogen.Figures 8(b) and 8(c) show that if aninsulated container with a conductive innerliner is placed above liquid nitrogen,the non-uniform temperature outside thecontainer becomes converted into a moreuniform temperature inside the container.The addition of a small thermostat-controlledelectric heater inside the containeras shown in Fig. 8(d) allows the uniforminterior temperature to be adjustable. 21stCentury Medicine, Inc., obtained US Patent7,278,278 for this and related types ofintermediate temperature storage systemsin 2007.In 2003, Alcor acquired the prototype“neuropod” storage device shown in Fig. 9for testing. Using the principles explainedin Fig. 8, the neuropod was designed tohold a single neuropatient at an adjustable,Fig. 9. Prototype neuropod suitable formaintaining single neuropatients at astable and adjustable intermediate storagetemperature, (a) showing neurocan inside, (b)with top insulation in place, (c) and (d) insidea small dewar with 8 liters of liquid nitrogenat the bottom able to maintain -140°C insidethe neuropod for 90 hours between refills.Longer times between refills are possible withlarger dewars. The blue cable connects toa small temperature controller that supplieselectrical heat to the inside of the neuropodto maintain the desired interior temperature.The neuropod requires 0.15 watts heatingfor each °C temperature difference betweenthe interior and mean exterior temperature.______________________________________uniform, and stable intermediate temperature.The neuropod itself could be placed10 Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 www.alcor.org

temperature inside the neuropod. The heatautomatically adjusts to maintain a stableinternal temperature even when the outsidetemperature fluctuates, such as during dewarrefilling (temperature drop) or transferthrough ambient air between dewars (temperaturerise). The power requirements ofthe controller are so low (

in uneventful operation and evaluation at Alcorsince then. The specifications are:Storage Volume:15.5 cubic feetTemperatureUniformity (topto-bottom):TemperatureStability (emptychamber):Operating TemperatureLimits:Lower FailsafeTemperature:3°C2°C during 2”liquid nitrogen fill-159°C to -124°C-159°C (0 wattsheater power)Fig. 12. (Left) ITS Neurodewar under construction, showing storage chamberwith seven storage compartments. (Right) Neurodewar in operationwith main lid open, showing closed storage compartment lids._______________________________________________________________________________Upper FailsafeTemperature:-124°C (48 wattsheater power)Maximum LiquidNitrogenCapacity:Liquid NitrogenConsumption at-159°C:Liquid NitrogenConsumption at-145°C:Liquid NitrogenConsumption at-140°C:Rate of WarmingFollowing LN 2Depletion:6.0” or 118 liters0.6” or 12 litersper day1.0” or 20 litersper day1.2” or 24 litersper day1°C per hourComparision of ITS vs. Liquid NitrogenImmersion StorageThe storage method traditionally usedin cryonics is immersion in liquid nitrogenat a temperature of -196°C. Storage vesselsthat hold liquid nitrogen are kept almost fullto the top. ITS systems use dewars that areonly partially filled with liquid nitrogen. Forexample, the ITS dewar of Fig. 13 containsonly about 120 liters of liquid nitrogen in apool at the bottom. This is sufficient to lastonly 5 days when operating at a temperatureof -140°C. In contrast, the tall “Bigfoot”dewars used by Alcor for liquid nitrogenimmersion storage contain more than 1000liters of liquid nitrogen that can last weeksbetween refills without catastrophic warming.As shown in Fig. 13, ITS dewars canFig. 13. (Left) ITS Neurodewar with dual redundant temperature controllersand displays on the right side of the unit. (Right) Neurodewar in operationat Alcor, maintaining an internal temperature of -140°C. The unitautomatically refills itself from the connected liquid nitrogen tank._______________________________________________________________________________automatically refill themselves from externalliquid nitrogen tanks (or be manually refilledif electric power is unavailable), but this is intrinsicallyless reliable than having the liquidnitrogen already in the dewar.The ITS Neurodewar of Fig. 13 costsas much as a Bigfoot dewar, but has onlyone third the neuropatient holding capacity.When operated at -140°C it consumesliquid nitrogen at twice the rate of a Bigfootdewar. (Liquid nitrogen consumption canbe reduced in future units if the operatingtemperature range is made smaller.) Transferlosses are also expected to be larger due tomore frequent filling. Therefore the cost ofITS storage is at least three times that of conventionalliquid nitrogen immersion storage.Whole Body ITS SystemsThe same concepts of individual temperature-controlledstorage pods, and commontemperature storage dewars, can beapplied to the design of whole body ITSstorage systems. Cryogenic engineer MichaelIarocci and architect Stephen Valentineof the Timeship Project have designedseveral different whole body ITS systems.Some systems even consume less liquid nitrogenper patient than Bigfoot dewars, butat greater capital cost.Unresolved IssuesThe most important unresolved issueof intermediate temperature storage is howto use it to avoid fracturing. Despite someattempts to avoid fracturing over the lastdecade, some including months of annealing,acoustic data indicated that fracturingwas still occurring during descent to targetintermediate storage temperatures. ThereforeITS is presently a means to reduce fracturing,not avoid fracturing. Perhaps ITSis best characterized as a necessary tool todevelop future protocols to avoid fracturing.12 Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 www.alcor.org

However presently it is not even possible tosay whether pod-type storage systems permittingindividual temperature control arecost-justified over common temperature environmentsbecause it is not known how touse either system to avoid fracturing. Thereis only a general presumption that a futurefracturing avoidance protocol may requirelengthy individual temperature conditioning.A related question is what storage temperatureis appropriate for ITS. The lowerthe temperature the more stable the storage,but the more difficult it is to avoid fracturing.Viscosity at and below the glass transition isso high that chemical reactions can probablybe neglected over less than geologic timescales.However a phenomenon called ice nucleationhappens at high a rate near the glasstransition temperature, and in some studiesdoesn’t become undetectable until 20 degreesbelow it. Ice nucleation-- the local reorientationof water molecules into nanoscale icecrystals --doesn’t cause immediate structuraldamage. However it can make avoiding icegrowth and associated structural damageduring future rewarming more difficult. Theextent and significance of ice nucleation inhighly concentrated cryoprotectant solutionsis still poorly understood (1).More research is required on fracturingavoidance for large cryopreserved organs andtissues. Valuable research may continue tocome from mainstream cryobiology, but someresearch will need to be specific to cryonics. Inthe meantime, cryonics organizations face difficultdecisions in whether to make an expensiveand complex technology that is still unsuccessfulin its final objective clinically available.ITS is not unlike cryonics itself. •References1. B. Wowk, “Thermodynamic aspects ofvitrification,” Cryobiology 60 (2010)11-22.2. R.C. Merkle, R.A. Freitas, “ACryopreservation Revival ScenarioUsing Molecular Nanotechnology,”Cryonics 4th Quarter (2008) 6-8.3. “Appendix B. A ‘Realistic’ Scenariofor Nanotechnological Repair of theFrozen Human Brain,” in Brian Wowk,Michael Darwin, eds., Cryonics:Reaching for Tommorow, Alcor LifeExtension Foundation, 1991.4. G. Fahy, “Vitrification as an approachto cryopreservation: Generalperspectives,” Cryobiology 51 (2005)348-414.5. J.L. Jimenez Rios, Y. Rabin, “Thermalexpansion of blood vessels in lowcryogenic temperatures, part II:Vitrification with VS55, DP6, and 7.05M DMSO”, Cryobiology 52 (2006)284–294.6. Y. Rabin, P.S. Steif, K.C. Hess, J.L.Jimenez-Rios, M.C. Palastro, “Fractureformation in vitrified thin films ofcryoprotectants”, Cryobiology 53(2006) 75–95.7. M. Federowicz, H. Hixon, J. Leaf,“Postmortem Examination of ThreeCryonic Suspension Patients,”Cryonics September (1984) 16-28.8. H. Hixon, “Exploring CrackingPhenomena,” Cryonics 1st Quarter(1995) 27-32.MembershipStatisticsOn June 30, 2011, Alcor had948 members on its EmergencyResponsibility List. Thirty-eight(38) memberships were approvedduring the first six months of2011, five (5) membershipswere reinstated, twenty-four (24)memberships were cancelledand four (4) members werecryopreserved. Overall, therewas a net gain of eighteen (18)members this year to date.www.alcor.org Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 13

Chronology of Developments Related to Fracturingand Intermediate Temperature Storage1966: Kroener and Luyet observed fracturing in vitrified glycerolsolutions. (C. Kroener, B. Luyet, “Formation of cracks during thevitrification of glycerol solutions and disappearance of the cracksduring rewarming,” Biodynamica 10, (1966) 47-52.1984: Alcor noted fractures in human cryopreservation patients.(Federowicz, M., Hixon, H., and Leaf, J. Postmortem Examinationof Three Cryonic Suspension Patients. Cryonics, September, 16-28(1984)1990: Fahy published a detailed study of fracturing in largevolumes of vitrification solution. (Fahy, G., Saur, J., and Williams, R.Physical Problems with the Vitrification of Large Biological Systems.Cryobiology 27, 492-510 (1990)1993 March: A detailed discussion and design exercise for a -130ºC“Cold Room” of 100-person capacity took place on the CryoNetemail list.1994: Alcor noted fractures in the brain of a patient followingremoval from cryopreservation. Various other aspects of thefracturing problem were discussed in the same article, includingpossible intermediate temperature storage systems, and thedevelopment of a new acoustic fracturing monitoring device,the “crackphone.” (Hixon, H. Exploring Cracking Phenomena,Cryonics 1st Qtr. 1995 pags 27-32)Architect Stephen Valentine began studying Cold Roomintermediate temperature storage design concepts as part of a largecryonics facility design that would eventually be called Timeship.1997: The crackphone acoustic fracturing monitoring device wasbrought into clinical use by Alcor.2000: Alcor acquired a -130ºC Harris CryoStar laboratory freezerfrom GS Laboratory Equipment and began testing its utility forpossible storage of neuropatients. (BioTransport Purchases CryoStarFreezer, Cryonics 3rd Qtr. 2000, page 11)2002: Physicist Brian Wowk and Brookhaven National Laboratorycryogenic engineer Mike Iarocci began an intensive collaborationwith architect Stephen Valentine to design intermediate temperaturestorage systems suitable for cryonics in connection with the TimeshipProject.In summer 2002 an Alcor neuropatient reached the lowesttemperature ever recorded without fracturing, –128°C. This wasattributed to a uniformly low glass transition temperature resultingfrom excellent cryoprotective perfusion. Professional cryobiologistconsultants expressed the opinion that the case may have beenthe best cryopreservation of any cryonics patient to date, andrecommended transfer to the CryoStar freezer for continued slowcooling and annealing for fracture avoidance. In December anotherpatient, A-1034, was also placed into the CryoStar to accommodatewishes of the family for this type of storage.2003 June: In Ontario, California, presentations were made tothe Alcor board of directors by Brian Wowk, Mike Iarocci, andStephen Valentine on new designs for intermediate temperaturestorage systems. Alcor purchased and took delivery of anexperimental single-patient “neuropod” intermediate temperaturestorage system developed by Brian Wowk at 21CM.(Alcor News#13, July 1st, 2003 and Alcor News #14, August 1st, 2003)2003 July: The first patient transferred to the CryoStar freezer wastransitioned to liquid nitrogen storage because fracture avoidanceduring slow cooling to -140°C was not successful.2003 August: Alcor Research Fellow Hugh Hixon beganphotoelasticity studies of fracturing using a polariscope andpolarized light to image stress in cryoprotectant glasses.Carnegie Mellon University received a $1.3 million grant from theU.S. government to study fracturing during vitrification of tissuefor medical applications, resulting in many new and valuablepapers in the scientific literature about this subject. (CarnegieMellon Researchers Developing New Ways to Store Tissue,Organs,Science Daily, August 13, 2003)2003 October: 21st Century Medicine, Inc., constructed aprototype laboratory ITS dewar in which most of the volume of thedewar was converted into a uniform-temperature storage spacekept cold by liquid nitrogen.2004 March: Alcor purchased and took delivery of a “patientrated” neuropod intermediate temperature storage unit forindividual neuropatients.2005 November: Alcor placed an order with 21st CenturyMedicine, Inc., for a custom ITS dewar large enough to hold14 neuropatients at a stable intermediate temperature (“ITSNeurodewar”).2006 January: US Patent 6,988,370, Cryogenic storage systemwith improved temperature control, was awarded to Mike Iarocci,Stephen Valentine, and Brian Wowk.2006 April: Alcor transferred patient A-1034 from the CryoStarfreezer to the validated neuropod purchased in 2004.2007 October: US Patent 7,278,278, Cryogenic storage system,was awarded to Brian Wowk and Mike Iarocci.2008 December: Alcor took delivery of the ITS neurodewarordered in 2005. Patient A-1034 was transferred into the newstorage unit, and three cryopreserved brains that had been storedby private individuals were accepted into ITS storage.14 Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 www.alcor.org

2011 Q3 Readiness UpdateBy Aaron Drake, NREMT-P CCTAlcor’s Recent CryopreservationsThis past quarter, Alcor cryopreservedtwo of its members. The first member livedjust north of the Tampa, FL area. Alcorteam members initiated a standby at thehospital for three days during the time theindividual was listed as critical and medicalproviders anticipated that he might stopbreathing. The member stabilized and Alcorended the standby while continuing to monitorthe patient’s condition remotely. Whenhis medical condition deteriorated again, Alcorwas on the verge of initiating a standbyfor another member and therefore decidedto request Suspended Animation to providethe standby this time.On the afternoon of the fourth day ofthe standby, the member was pronounced,stabilized and cooled on-site, followed by afield washout. The transport commencedthe next morning by commercial airlines andthe patient was brought to Alcor with thesurgical team at the ready. After the neurocryopreservation ensued, member A-1408became Alcor’s 105th patient.Alcor’s Arizona response team providedstandby services twice at the homeof A-2357 on the west side of the Phoenixvalley, approximately 50 miles from Alcor inScottsdale. The first standby lasted six daysbefore the member’s condition improvedenough for the team to stand down. Whilecontinuing to monitor the individual’s healththrough a very supportive hospice organization,the attending physician determined thatit was time to restart the standby just a meretwo weeks later. On the second day of thestandby, despite relatively strong vital signs,the member’s breathing became weaker untilhe finally just ceased to take a breath.At the prior request of the hospice physician,both she and a hospice nurse assistedAaron Drake and Steve Graber in administeringthe medications, cooling and preparingthe patient for transport. They bothfollowed the rescue vehicle back to Alcor sothey could observe the procedure and see thefacilities. Being impressed with the overallprocess, the physician expressed the desire toprovide services for future Alcor members.This new relationship, along with the existinghospice that we have used in the past,will provide us with a stronger network ofhospice options in the greater Phoenix area.A-2357 is now Alcor’s 106th patient.Alcor’s Redesigned SQUIDWhat’s a SQUID? This device, resemblingthe marine animal characterized bymultiple tentacles, is designed to acceleratethe speed at which a patient is cooled.Immediate cooling is very importantas it reduces the metabolic demand of thebody. The more rapidly this occurs, the lessischemic damage is incurred.This graph shows that:1. surrounding the patient with icebags will provide cooling at about5°C per hour;2. immersing the patient in a portableice bath filled with a water/ice slurrywill increase that rate to about10°C per hour;3. adding the Squid to circulate thewater/ice slurry increases the rateto about 15°C per hour.Alcor’s Readiness Coordinator, SteveGraber, redesigned and built a compact, highoutput portable ice water recirculation system,better known as a “SQUID.” This systemis designed for a small sump pump to sitnear the feet of the patient. Tubing from thepump runs up the legs and across the torso,and wraps over the neck and on the head.Chilled ice water then circulates around thepatient to dramatically increase the coolingrate.This new unit was tested in Alcor’s icebath to determine flow characteristics andbattery duration. Based on the battery andpump specifications we expected around 850gallons per hour flow with a power durationof 2.5 hours. Not only did we achieve ourexpected flow rate but were also surprisedwhen the pump was still flowing strong at3.5 hours.www.alcor.org Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 15

12v Battery Powered SQUID features:◊◊◊◊◊Small and highly portable ice waterrecirculation system. Total systemweight: 11.5Lbs.Single 12v 7Ah Gel Cell Batterymated to a powerful micro-sizedpump with 1-1/4” outlet.Greater than 3.5hr run-time (tested).Hugh Hixon-designed water dispersalsystem with high volumeflow and multiple flow branchesusing separate drain line.Double tubing slit-cover designwith negligible splash characteristic.◊◊Compact design fitting into a smallwater resistant soft-sided carryingcase with handle.Additional 115v power chargerwith intelligent charging/maintenancemode.Team TrainingThe Pacific Northwest team, based inPortland, OR, hosted a two day training sessionat the home of former Alcor presidentCarlos Mondragon. Along with team leaderAschwin de Wolf, Aaron Drake instructedthe twelve who attended. The first day consistedof classroom and practical training onthe equipment, supplies and medications. Onthe second day, everyone reviewed the objectivesand then participated in a scenariobasedexercise on a mannequin, in real-time,to test the newly acquired skills. Up untilnow, the team has only had a partial kit withzero training and would have been unable toprovide much support if called upon. Nowthat a full response kit is in place and thereare multiple people who have been throughAlcor’s training, they feel comfortable andwilling to assist in an emergency.DewarsAlcor has acquired three new Bigfootdewars from a new vendor. They wereshipped in an enclosed 40’ semi-trailer, wellwrapped and strapped to custom pallets. Alcorused two forklifts in tandem to unloadand upright the dewars. We were immediatelypleased with the high quality of the weldsand attention to detail throughout their construction.The dewars now await testing forboiloff rates before being put in service. •About theAuthorAaron DrakeNREMT-P, CCT, MedicalResponse DirectorAaron Drake is a Nationally RegisteredEMT-Paramedic (NREMT-P) and aCertified Cardiovascular Technologist(CCT) who serves as Alcor’s MedicalResponse Director. In this positionhe is responsible for the standby,stabilization and transport operationsof the Alcor Foundation.16 Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 www.alcor.org

A New Choice for ImmortalistsBy Michael R. RoseDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of CaliforniaEveryone whom I know to be registeredfor cryopreservation does so becausethey don’t want to die, for good andforever. That is to say, they are some type ofimmortalist. They may not be cyber-immortalistswaiting to be uploaded to a successorto the present world-wide web. But basicallythey want the prospect, at least the possibility,of living forever. Like an agnostic contemplatingthe possibility that God does in fact exist,and a God in the business of providing accommodationscomfortable or uncomfortablein the afterlife, immortalists are confrontedwith a menu of relatively stark, and often unappealing,alternatives, given that no one hasyet brought a cryopreserved human, as bodyor head, back from the freezer alive.I am not going to argue against cyberimmortalityor cryo-immortality here. Afterall, the value of back-up plans is self-evident.Instead, what I am going to offer is an informalintroduction to a third possibility. Thispossibility is one in which aging is stopped,and then repair and refurbishment are usedto achieve immortality by the simple expedientof not dying in the first place.Let me confess straightaway that ifsomebody had proposed this possibility to mejust three years ago, I would have laughed atthem outright. But I have spent the last twoyears reinterpreting my life’s work, at least myresearch since 1976, when Brian Charlesworthfirst started working me over to get me to domy doctoral thesis on the evolution of aging.Here is one of the key points, really thecentral intuitive idea that the present articlehinges on. Since Aristotle, virtually everyonewho has worked on the biology of aging hasconceived of it in terms of an underlyingcumulative physiological process. The mostfamous, and indeed notorious, present-dayproponent of this view is the inimitable Aubreyde Grey. Aubrey characterizes aging as aprocess of cumulative damage, chiefly at thecell and molecular levels. As such, notwithstandinghis media reputation as a wild-eyedradical, Aubrey is thoroughly conventional.In this respect, he more or less agrees withthe National Institute on Aging, of the NIH,and innumerable other cell and molecularbiologists. While some of these cell-molecularaging researchers think that free-radicaldamage is the central cause of cumulativedamage, others think that progressive dysregulationis more important. Classical-erabiologists, from 2500 to 1600 years ago,thought that aging was due to a progressivelyworsening balance between the earth, water,fire, and air that were thought to make up thehuman body. In effect, classical thinking wasthat these four elements were combined toyield life in an unstable mixture, whereby aginginvolves the drying out and cooling of thebody’s physiology. Modern-day cell biologistsinstead write about cumulative damageand/or dysregulation of pathways controlledby sirtuins, TOR, and the like. Regardless ofdetails, all of these people agree with Aristotle’soriginal hypothesis that aging is a cumulativephysiological process of some type.But I don’t. Not anymore. And thisbreak with the long Western academic traditionof aging theory is the key to the newchoice I wish to offer here.I should be clear that my present view isalso not one generally held, at least not yet,even by most evolutionary biologists whowork on aging. Like them, I spent more thanthirty years thinking that William Hamilton’sdeclining forces of natural selection, whichhe published in 1966, showed that evolutionby natural selection would allow cumulativeprocesses of physiological deterioration toproceed unchecked, provided they killed offtheir victims at sufficiently late ages. Andthus my very definition of aging, which Ipublished in my 1991 book Evolutionary Biologyof Aging, assumed that endogenous processesof physiological deterioration, whetherdue to damage or dysregulation, wouldproceed without remit until all members ofa sheltered cohort given good conditions die.My turning on the Road to Damascusstarted one day in 1992 when my good colleagueLarry Mueller showed me two articlesfrom the journal Science, articles from thelaboratories of our colleagues Jim Curtsingerand Jim Carrey. The data in thosearticles were mind-blowing. They showedthe complete cessation of the accelerationin age-specific death-rates that evolutionarybiologists like Larry and myself regarded asthe hallmark of aging. It looked as if agingcame to a stop.Both Larry Mueller and I were intenselyskeptical about these results, and we voicedsome of our skepticism in print, in correspondencethat was published in Science togetherwith our colleagues Joe Graves andTed Nusbaum, as well as in other articles thatinvolved Larry and Joe Graves only. But Iwas deeply troubled by these findings fromthe two Jim’s, and thought about them intermittentlythroughout the next two years.By 1994, I was thinking that perhapsevolutionary biologists had misconceived theproblem of the evolution of aging. Perhapsit was NOT natural selection just letting go,but something that specifically tracked Hamilton’sforces of natural selection.This led me to convince Larry Muellerto do some explicit simulations of evolution,simulations in which we looked at what happenedat very late ages, long after Hamilton’sforces of natural selection bottom out andstabilize. What the simulations generatedwere late-life plateaus in mortality, just as theCurtsinger and Carrey labs had found. Wepublished this result in PNAS in 1996.With this result in hand, we then checkedhow changes in Hamilton’s forces wouldchange the age at which mortality plateausoccur, based on explicit simulations. Thesesimulations showed that changing the last ageof reproduction in a biological population,the parameter that Hugh Hefner is workingon as I write, would tune the age at whichmortality rates would plateau.www.alcor.org Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 17

So Larry Mueller, my then graduatestudent Casandra Rauser, and many undergraduatestudents working in my laboratorytested populations that had been evolving inmy laboratory for this predicted relationshipbetween the last age of reproduction and thestart of the plateau in mortality rates. Qualitatively,it worked. Shifting the last age of reproduction,which is when Hamilton’s forceof natural selection acting on mortality itselfplateaus, produces the qualitatively predictableshift in observed mortality plateaus inour fruit fly experiments. Not immediately,as a physiological effect, but eventually, overmany generations, as a result of evolutionoccurring in my laboratory under controlledconditions.Not only is the rate of aging, considereddemographically, readily tuned by evolution,so is the age at which aging stopsdemographically readily tuned by evolution.And this is true not only of those aspectsof aging that affect survival. It is also trueof reproductive aging, the main theme ofthe doctoral research of Cassie Rauser in mylaboratory. Reproductive aging is tuned byHamilton’s other force of natural selection,the one that tunes age-specific fecundity.Still for more than a decade I thoughtof aging as a physiological process, just onethat comes to an end when the late-life plateausin mortality and fecundity are reached.But I now think that this was the wrong conclusionto draw from our work.Consider the following point. If agingis a physiological process, however multifarious,why should it come to a halt just whenthe organism is most debilitated? In the humancase, demographic aging stops whenthe death rate is between 30 and 50 % peryear, particularly among centenarians. Theseare very frail people, yet their aging abruptlystops. How is this supposed to make sense?Instead, imagine an entirely differentview. Suppose instead that aging only seemslike a physiological process, but actually is nosuch thing. Suppose instead that aging is theage-dependent tuning of Darwinian adaptation,where the tuning is determined by thepatterns of Hamilton’s forces of natural selection.Not a physiological process at all.On this view, what seems like a physiologicalprocess is a scientific illusion, fullyparallel to the illusion of the sun rising in themorning, crossing the sky, and setting in theevening. Because, of course, the sun does nosuch thing. Sunrise and sunset are optical illusionsproduced by the rotation of the Earth.So why is this physiological illusion soconvincing, and so reliable? It is convincingand obvious because the falls in Hamilton’sforces of natural selection are so predictableand so intense, at least in most animal species.Hamilton’s evolutionary forces are as stronglydeterminative of deterioration as any acutedisease process. Only the illusory ‘physiologicalaging processes’ that they produce is extremelyprotracted in the human case.If this view is correct, then those speciesin which Hamilton’s forces of naturalselection do NOT fall should be free of aging.Even if they have the same basic cellbiology as we do, and even if they are assubject to mechanical injury and oxidationas we are. This alternative view thus makessome strong predictions, predictions whichare readily falsified by comparative data. IF,a big if, this theory is wrong.And the comparative data show that suchspecies DO indeed exist. For example, seaanemones that reproduce only by symmetricalfission are animal species that are thoughtto be free of aging, from experiments culturingthem in aquaria. Similar results have beenfound among other fissile coelenterates, particularlyin the work of Daniel Martinez. AndGraham Bell has found results like these inflatworms that can also reproduce by splittingin two. So, not only can aging stop, sometimesit doesn’t even get started.The problem for people is that whenour aging normally stops, we are about ahundred years old, very fragile, and often demented.So who would want to sustain thatstate indefinitely?But I kept on thinking about the cessationof aging. In the last two years I startedthinking about some data that Cassie Rauserhad collected on the cessation of reproductiveaging in our fruit flies. She showed thatthe timing of this cessation, and the reproductivefunction of flies that have stoppedreproductive aging, depended on their environment.These findings raised the possibility,in my mind, that we might be able tomanipulate when mortality declines stop too,using environmental manipulation, in fruitflies or humans.A few fruit fly experiments later, we arealready seeing signs of such an opportunity:declining and stabilizing mortality too can bemanipulated environmentally. This work isby Marta Santos and her team in my lab, andwill be submitted for publication soon.So, how to manipulate humans so as tostop our aging sooner, and in better condition?How to find a third option for immortalists,a less drastic choice before cryonic orcyber immortality?As we explain in some detail in our bookDoes Aging Stop? (Mueller, Rauser, & Rose,2011; Oxford University Press), shifting backto lifestyles that are physiologically comparableto those of hunter-gatherers providesa possibility of stopping aging at earlier ages,and in better shape. [For those who aren’tscientists, I have presented this possibility insome detail at the website Rob Patterson hasbuilt for me: 55theses.org.] This possibility isparticularly available for those whose ancestorshave never adapted to agriculture, such asthe northern First Nations of Canada or thenon-agricultural tribes of tropical rainforests.For them, Larry Mueller’s calculations suggestthat they may be able to stop aging in middleagein particularly good shape.For the rest of us, the prospects are notquite as good, if we switch to hunter-gathererlifestyles. But the possibility does presentitself that we may be able to stop our agingphase, not our “aging process,” by an age like70, and do so in much better condition thanpresent-day 70 year-olds can sustain.Then, as medicine becomes still better atrescuing us from the accidents of thromboses,malignancies, and car collisions, we could remainon this aging-arrested plateau indefinitely.Something for you all to think about. •I am grateful to Max More for suggesting thatI write this article, and to Joseph L. Graves Jr. andMarta Santos for their comments on an earlier draft.About theAuthorMichael R. RoseMichael Rose went to the University ofSussex in 1976 for his doctoral studieson aging in Drosophila melanogaster.There he began his work on theevolution of aging and createdDrosophila stocks with postponedaging. In 1991, his EvolutionaryBiology of Aging appeared, offeringa view of aging that was a completedeparture from the views that haddominated the aging field since 1960.Evolution described the field ofgerontology as now “after Rose.”18 Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 www.alcor.org

MEMBER PROFILE:Aschwin de WolfALCOR LIFE EXTENSION FOUNDATIONEDITOR OF CRYONICSBy Cairn Erfreuliche IdunLIKEABLE Everyone I know who has expressedan opinion about Aschwin likes him.Brilliant, hardworking, effective anddedicated to improving cryonics also applyto Aschwin. That combination benefits cryonics– benefits all of us. One of our publicfigures who relates well to a wide range ofhumanity increases our acceptance profile.This is a story of dream parents, a carefreeyouth, a dance between music and philosophy,activism, cryonics, love, and career.1974 Aschwin was born in the universitytown of Leiden in the Netherlands towonderfully accepting, tolerant and supportiveparents. Religion did not play a large rolein his family.YOUTH “I had a carefree youth. Myparents had little interest in drinking, smoking,quarrelling, or authoritarian childrearing.As a consequence, there were no seriousobstacles to pursuing my own interests,provided that I attended school and stayedclear from criminal activities, which did nottake much effort.” Reading was encouraged.His mother (and uncle) exposed him to someoffbeat music. Grandparents were equallytolerant and supportive.A young Aschwin (1977)______________________________________Aschwin on his balcony inPortland, Oregon (2011)______________________________________“I was never a real outsider at school.I got along with a wide variety of personalitytypes and enjoyed outdoor activities. Inparticular, I liked swimming and basketball.”Horror and post-apocalyptic moviescaptured his youth. “This interest persiststoday, but I have come to recognize that Iwas less interested in the blood and gorethan in the atmosphere, cinematography,soundtracks, and the transgressive and survivalistelements in those films.”Young teenage musical preferencesranged from Pink Floyd, Deep Purple andnewer 80’s bands. He even became a DJ at alocal “pirate” radio station. Other activitiesincluded video games (on the Atari consoleand Commodore 64 computer) and Americanpro-wrestling.High school was likewise care-free. Hisfirst girlfriend liked Madonna and ironicallyintroduced him to the 1980’s new wave and‘gothic’ music and lifestyle by expressing herdislike for it. “My favorite band became TheCure and my favorite “color” became black.”Progressive activism, and animal rights inparticular, dominated a short but intense periodduring the late 1980s. In time he “becameless prone to ‘doctrinaire thinking’ and wasgradually alienated from this scene.” “WhatI retained from my activist years was a sustainablelife-style, a preference for small do-ityourselfinitiatives, little fear of not conforming,and an aversion to formal education.”At 16 years old, still in high school,Aschwin moved out of his parent’s home.“This did not indicate any dissatisfactionwith my parents at all, but I felt it was time tolive on my own.”Since his mid-teens Aschwin has beensaddened by the inevitability of decay anddeath. His music choices reflected thosethemes – apocalyptic folk music and doommetal. At the same time, Aschwin remembersthis period of life as his happiest. “Onereason why I am intrigued with the idea ofrejuvenation is that it severs the relationshipbetween physical age and psychological age.”1993 One week in a Trappist monasteryin Zundert (to reflect on his future andlife) led to Aschwin’s decision to study politicalscience at the University of Amsterdam.UNIVERSITY Students were expectedto master the materials on their own – ifthey were not capable of doing that, they didnot belong at university. Attendance was notcompulsory. Passing the exams was all thatmattered. Aschwin liked this system.He specialized in Public Administration,developed an interest in economic approachesto morals and politics, and furtherdeepened his knowledge of philosophy. Beyondhis studies, Aschwin enjoyed most ofhis remaining time in Amsterdam - exploringthe world of experimental music and watchingobscure movies with his girlfriend.FIRST CONTACT Aschwin first readabout cryonics after discovering the ExtropyInstitute in the late 1990’s. “The argument infavor of cryonics seemed quite straightforwardand reasonable to me but I did not feela strong personal need to research it moreextensively or relate it to myself until someyears later.”U.S. “As the millennium drew closer Ibecame increasingly dissatisfied with Dutchculture and Amsterdam in particular. I wasinterested in politics, but I did not want towww.alcor.org Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 19

Aschwin and Chana de Wolfat their wedding (2007)______________________________________become a politician or public official. I wasinterested in philosophy and economics, butI disliked academic culture.” He immigratedto the United States in the year 2000. Havingalmost graduated, he intended to completehis degree in the United States. And he did -via multiple flights back to Amsterdam.“For a while I thought about pursuingmy Ph.D., but the areas that interested meat the time (ethics, economics, game theory,evolutionary biology) destined me to a lifein academia, which I did not want, or as ascholar at a public policy think tank, whichwas more appealing to me, but not appealingenough to pursue further formal education.”WAKE-UP CALL In 2002 he accompaniedhis girlfriend to Geneva, Switzerland.While there, he suspected that he had a seriousillness. It turned out to be a trivial medical issue,but it made its mark. “This event triggeredmore systematic unease about the prospect ofaging and dying. It occurred to me that if somethingserious was going on, I would have beentoo late in making cryonics arrangements.”IT’S TIME Aschwin read Robert Ettinger’sThe Prospect of Immortality and foundit persuasive and exciting. He purchased additionalliterature online and shared it withhis girlfriend. They returned to the U.S., attendedthe 2002 Alcor Conference, wereimpressed by the speakers and the Alcormembership and began their sign-up processright then and there. Aschwin completed hissign-up in late 2002 and received his braceletin January 2003.Afterwards, he began leading a healthierlifestyle and now makes a concerted effortto keep his caloric intake low and tocut down on carbs. He also gets moderateexercise and prefers walking to alternativeforms of transportation.WHAT AN IMPACT Since signing up,Aschwin has helped support cryonics in anyway he can. Accordingly, cryonics has significantlyimpacted both his professional andpersonal life. In 2003 he attended a weeklongAlcor cryonics training course. This ledto his employment at Suspended Animation,Inc., in Florida from 2004 to 2007.LOVE At the 2006 Alcor conference hemet Chana Williford. Love led to giving uphis job at Suspended Animation and movingto Phoenix, Arizona.But Aschwin was eager to prove thatthis was not motivated by any desire to discontinuework in cryonics. In fact, he explainsthat “meeting Chana eliminated thetension between pursuing cryonics and havinga meaningful personal life as well.”PORTLAND They became engagedwhile on a trip to Portland, Oregon. Thoughthey spent the first year of their marriage inPhoenix, their strong attraction to the Portlandarea led to yet another move in 2008.“Living in Portland is perhaps the closestI can think of combining the good thingsI remember about Europe and the goodthings that drew me to the United States.”A LAB OF THEIR OWN In their selffoundedPortland lab, Advanced NeuralBiosciences, Inc., Aschwin conducts researchin cerebral ischemia and neuralcryobiology. Alongside Chana, he seeks tocoordinate the need for simple and costeffectiveprocedures and good evidencebasedcare.“In our lab we make an attempt to modela typical cryonics case to determine which procedureswork and which do not. Our researchso far has strongly corroborated that time andtemperature are of the essence and stronglysupports Alcor’s practice of standby and stabilization.The best news is that the interventionthat matters the most, rapid induction ofhypothermia, is relatively straightforward tounderstand and implement.”An interest in low-cost alternatives tocryonics has led Aschwin to also work withDr. Michael Perry. They have conducted someexploratory research on fixation of the ischemicbrain, but Aschwin does not yet feel comfortablewith chemical fixation of the brain asan alternative form of biopreservation.WHEN DOES HE SLEEP? He alsowrites for the cryonics blog Depressed Metabolism,serves on the Alcor R&D committee,edits Cryonics magazine, and is amember of the Asset Preservation Group.Aschwin believes that our presentationof cryonics is vitally important to itsacceptance into the medical mainstream. “Istrongly endorse the vision of cryonics as aform of experimental critical care medicine.People such as Dr. Brian Wowk, Ben Bestand I have made concerted efforts to presentcryonics in a neutral fashion without tying itto any ‘ism,’ including atheism, immortalism,and transhumanism. Too often cryonicsis associated with belief systems and technologiesthat are not a necessary element ofcryonics. If we want to make cryonics moremainstream we need to recognize this anddiscourage groupthink.”Aschwin at the microscope at AdvancedNeural Biosciences (2011)______________________________________FOR ALCOR Aschwin views the mostchallenging aspect of cryonics as how todesign and run a cryonics organization so itwill last into the future. “Surprisingly, thereis a lot of instant gratification and ad-hocdecision making in cryonics. A cryonicsorganization should be robust, dependable,and make progress in an incrementalevidence-based fashion. There are still toomany single-person failure risks in cryonics.Solid institutional knowledge in our field isalways at risk of being lost – and to somedegree, has been lost. Membership growth isnot only important because it permits us todo more, but it is also necessary to recruitcapable people to replace the older generationsin cryonics.”“We should staff our organization withpeople with a strong documented commitmentto cryonics who have the knowledgeand character to protect and grow our organization.A professional cryonics organizationthat is extremely fragile is not progress.”Aschwin is a strong proponent of Alcorresuscitating its own research program andimproving its standby capabilities. “Duringthe 1980s and 1990s Alcor was the leader incryonics technologies because of its own researchand development. Alcor has becomemore dependent on (proprietary) technologiesfrom other labs. I also would like Alcor20 Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 www.alcor.org

to improve its own standby and stabilizationcapabilities and conduct periodic systematicreviews of casework.”COMMUNITY Aschwin has attendedthe first two “Teens & Twenties” gatheringsfor young cryonicists and feels that “it is veryimportant to provide the means for existingcryonicists to meet each other. Obviously, itis natural for people with such unorthodoxinterests to want to meet. If we want cryonicsto continue growing it cannot just bea bunch of free floating propositions andself-interested individuals; there needs to bea stronger community.”“We have put some effort into creating asustainable cryonics infrastructure in the PacificNorthwest. We now have basic regionalstandby capabilities and a research lab. Ouraim is to make this area one of the most activelife extension locations in the United States.”FRIENDS AND FAMILY “I have beenquite open about my cryonics arrangementswith family and other friends. Since my familylives in the Netherlands, persuading themto make cryonics arrangements is more complicatedbecause I also feel a correspondingresponsibility to ensure that the distance willnot result in a dreadful case. Alcor and CIaccept non-U.S. members, but I do think thatan independent or satellite cryonics facilityfor Europe is a realistic and desirable goal.”TO HOBBIES Even with his extensivecryonics involvement, Aschwin maintainswide-ranging hobbies and interests. He enjoys(experimental) music, film, craft beer,and natural wine; writes a well-respectedblog about spontaneous fermentationand is himself a home brewer; does a fairamount of traveling and has a special interestin Northern culture and the arctic. Healso organizes the local Dutch Culture andLanguage Meetup.BACK TO PHILOSOPHY And, ofcourse, he remains particularly interestedand involved in analytic philosophy and economics.“Of all social sciences, economicsstill intrigues me because its postulates canbe reconciled or contrasted with biology in away that leads to meaningful questions.”Aschwin seeks to “prevent embracingany principle that makes me too inflexible ordogmatic. I like to see myself as an empiricistand feel a lot of affinity with people whohave self-applied that label.”“In terms of interacting with peopleand institutions, I place a high value onnon-coercion and privacy. I used to be moreideological about this, but I have increasinglycome to recognize that holding this up as a(short-term) political ideal may not be realisticconsidering the possibility that evolutionallows for the survival of different kinds ofirreconcilable outlooks.”“Culturally, I am not much of a transhumanistand am more interested in the past.One thing that Chana and I bonded overwhen we met is that we had little interest inscience fiction or futurism.”TO OTHER MEMBERS “Cryonicsis not a simple consumer product yet. Personalsurvival may be more dependent ondecisions you make for yourself and helpingothers than exogenous events. In particular,older members often die under circumstancesfar different from what they anticipated,and it is important to think about this now.At the very least, become active in your localcryonics group, or if it does not exist, establishone yourself. Not all people can affordto be completely open about their cryonicsAschwin and his father on vacation in Portugal (2010)______________________________________________________________________________Aschwin with his two dogs, Zoe(left) and Darwin (right) (2010)______________________________________arrangements, but some people are unnecessarilyguarded – sometimes to their owndetriment.”PERSUADING OTHERS When discussingcryonics with noncryonicists, herecommends to “keep in mind that not allarguments against cryonics are crazy. In myexperience, people are more receptive to cryonicswhen you sympathize with their concernsand show how they can be addressed,instead of dismissing them as ignorant orirrational.”“The case for cryonics is generally presentedin mostly negative terms - the objectiveof preventing (or eliminating) death. Ithink that cryonics might appeal to morepeople if they really think they have somethingto gain from it. I think the prospect ofrejuvenation in particular should appeal to alot of people.”“Maybe many people are not quite persuadedby our arguments because we havea tendency to be excessively future-oriented.As the popularity of (genetic) genealogyshows, many people actually do not wish ahard break with the past.”LOVE AND HOME In 2010 Aschwinand Chana enjoyed a month-long (delayed)honeymoon in Europe. After returning tothe U.S. they purchased a beautiful condominiumin their favorite Portland neighborhood.“This was a strange experience for usbecause we made considerable progress at atime when other people were struggling. Wefeel very lucky to be alive and we just want tokeep living.” •www.alcor.org Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 21

MEETINGSAbout the Alcor FoundationThe Alcor Life Extension Foundation is a nonprofit tax-exempt scientific andeducational organization dedicated to advancing the science of cryopreservationand promoting cryonics as a rational option. Being an Alcor member means knowingthat—should the worst happen—Alcor’s Emergency Response Team is ready torespond for you, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.Alcor’s Emergency Response capability includes specially trained technicians andcustomized equipment in Arizona, northern California, southern California, andsouth Florida, as well as many additional certified technicians on-call around theUnited States. Alcor’s Arizona facility includes a full-time staff, and the Patient CareBay is personally monitored 24 hours a day.ARIZONAScottsdale:This group meets the third Friday of eachmonth and gatherings are hosted at a homenear Alcor. To RSVP, visithttp://cryonics.meetup.com/45/.At Alcor:Alcor Board of Directors Meetings andFacility Tours – Alcor business meetingsare generally held on the first Saturday ofevery month starting at 11:00 AM MST.Guests are welcome. Facility tours are heldevery Tuesday and Friday at 2:00 PM. Formore information or to schedule a tour, callD’Bora Tarrant at (877) 462-5267 x101 oremail dbora@alcor.org.CALIFORNIALos Angeles:Alcor Southern California Meetings—Forinformation,call Peter Voss at (310) 822-4533 or e-mail him at peter@optimal.org.Although monthly meetings are not heldregularly, you can meet Los Angeles Alcormembers by contacting Peter.San Francisco Bay:Alcor Northern California Meetings areheld quarterly in January, April, July, andOctober. A CryoFeast is held once a year.For information on Northern Californiameetings,call Mark Galeck at (408) 245-4928or email Mark_galeck@pacbell.net.DISTRICT OF COLUMBIALife Extension Society, Inc. is a cryonicsand life extension group with membersfrom Washington, D.C., Virginia, andMaryland. Meetings are held monthly.Contact Secretary Keith Lynch at kfl@keithlynch.net. For information on LES,see our web site at www.keithlynch.net/les.FLORIDACentral Florida Life Extension groupmeets once a month in the Tampa Bay area(Tampa and St. Petersburg) for discussionand socializing. The group has been activesince 2007. Email arcturus12453@yahoo.com for more information.NEW ENGLANDCambridge:The New England regional group strivesto meet monthly in Cambridge,MA – forinformation or to be added to the Alcor NEmailing list,please contact Bret Kulakovichat 617-824-8982, alcor@bonfireproductions.com, or on FACEBOOK via the CryonicsSpecial Interest Group.PACIFIC NORTHWESTCryonics Northwest holds regular meetingsfor members of all cryonics organizationsliving in the Pacific Northwest.For information about upcoming meetingsand events go to: http://www.cryonicsnw.org/ and http://www.facebook.com/cryonics.northwestA Yahoo mailing list is also maintainedfor cryonicists in the Pacific Northwestat http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/CryonicsNW/.British Columbia (Canada):The contact person for meetings in theVancouver area is Keegan Macintosh:keegan.macintosh@me.comOregon:The contact person for meetings in thePortland area is Chana de Wolf:chana.de.wolf@gmail.comWashington:The contact person for meetings in theSeattle area is Regina Pancake:rpancake@gmail.comALCOR PORTUGALAlcor Portugal is working to have goodstabilization and transport capabilities. Thegroup meets every Saturday for two hours.For information about meetings, contactNuno Martins at n-martins@n-martins.com. The Alcor Portugal website is: www.alcorportugal.com.TEXASDallas:North Texas Cryonauts, please sign upfor our announcements list for meetings(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cryonauts-announce) or contact DavidWallace Croft at (214) 636-3790 for detailsof upcoming meetings.Austin/Central Texas:We meet at least quarterly for training,transport kit updates,and discussion. Forinformation: Steve Jackson, 512-447-7866,sj@sjgames.com.UNITED KINGDOMThere is an Alcor chapter in England. Forinformation about meetings, contact AlanSinclair at cryoservices@yahoo.co.uk. Seethe web site at www.alcor-uk.org.If you are interested in hosting regular meetings in your area, contact Alcor at 877-462-5267, ext. 113. Meetings are a greatway to learn about cryonics, meet others with similar interests, and introduce your friends and family to Alcor members!22 Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 www.alcor.org

What is Cryonics?Cryonics is an attempt to preserve and protect human life, not reverse death. It is the practice ofusing extreme cold to attempt to preserve the life of a person who can no longer be supported bytoday’s medicine. Will future medicine, including mature nanotechnology, have the ability to heal at thecellular and molecular levels? Can cryonics successfully carry the cryopreserved person forward throughtime, for however many decades or centuries might be necessary, until the cryopreservation process canbe reversed and the person restored to full health? While cryonics may sound like science fiction, thereis a basis for it in real science. The complete scientific story of cryonics is seldom told in media reports,leaving cryonics widely misunderstood. We invite you to reach your own conclusions.How do I find out more?The Alcor Life Extension Foundation is the world leader in cryonics research and technology. Alcoris a non-profit organization located in Scottsdale, Arizona,founded in 1972. Our website is one ofthe best sources of detailed introductory information about Alcor and cryopreservation ( www.alcor.org). We also invite you to request our FREE information package on the “Free Information” sectionof our website. It includes:A fully illustrated color brochure• A sample of our magazine• An application for membership and brochure explaining how to join• And more! Your free package should arrive in 1-2 weeks.(The complete package will be sent free inthe U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom.)Your free package should arrive in 1-2 weeks.(The complete package will be sent free in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom.)How do I enroll?Signing up for a cryopreservation is easy!Step 1: Fill out an application and submit it with your $150 application fee.Step 2:Step 3:Finally:You will then be sent a set of contracts to review and sign.Fund your cryopreservation. While most people use life insurance to fund theircryopreservation, other forms of prepayment are also accepted. Alcor’s MembershipCoordinator can provide you with a list of insurance agents familiar with satisfying Alcor’scurrent funding requirements.After enrolling, you will wear emergency alert tags or carry a special card in your wallet.This is your confirmation that Alcor will respond immediately to an emergency call on yourbehalf.Call toll-free today to start your application:877-462-5267 ext. 132info@alcor.orgwww.alcor.org

24 Cryonics/Third Quarter 2011 www.alcor.org