What is cryogenics

A.� Cryogenics is a branch of science dedicated to the freezing of objects, either as a method of preservation or as a means of improving their molecular structure. Cryogenics involves temperatures below –30 Celsius.

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Q.� What does ‘cryogenic’ mean

A.� The term comes from the Greek words "kryos", which means very cold or freezing and "genes", meaning created.

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Q.� Is Cryogenics a new thing

A.� Not really, Francis Bacon, the seventeenth century scientist, was so interested in the possibility of preserving the flesh through freezing that he performed several experiments involving stuffing chickens with ice. Through his dedication to the cause he caught a chill that probably led to bronchitis that killed him.

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As a science, Cryogenics has been around since the late nineteenth century when Sir Edward Dewar found a way to compress and store gases into liquids. He found that the containers into which these liquids were placed changed their characteristics.

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Q.� Is cryogenics only good for deep-freezing the dead

A.� No, in fact it is widely used in creating materials suitable for modern space exploration.

When cooled to cryogenic temperatures a metal’s molecules realign themselves into a more uniform arrangement. These arrangements are stronger and more resistant, less likely to develop microchips, providing the ideal material for space ships.

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Q.� So, could humans’ deep freeze themselves

A.� Certainly not at the moment. Although our body temperature does drop in certain circumstances, like when we’re asleep, it’s nothing like the sub zero temperatures typical of cryogenics.

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Basically humans and most other animals cannot tolerate freezing body temperatures. It causes ice to form in the blood vessels, either bursting them or stretching them beyond a functional point. Also the freezing of blood vessels causes water to become trapped in them, which eventually destroys the blood vessel.

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Freezing temperatures don’t just affect the blood cells. Frostbite is a condition that destroys skin cells and often requires affected parts to be removed or amputated.

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Q.� So why do some people think cryogenics is the key to immortality

A.� Freezing is basically a preservative and some people hope to be able to preserve their body by freezing it until such time when a technology has been developed that could bring them back to life.

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Cryogenic devotees are spurred on by the fact that some animals can survive being frozen. When some frogs and turtles detect freezing temperatures they flood their cells with extra glucose, produced by the liver. The glucose injection maintains blood vessel shape and preventing freezing and redirects any water out of the cells. There is one animal, the Artic ground squirrel, that can actually tolerate ice in is blood cells.

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Scientist hope that these animals will help them unravel the means to deep freeze humans until there is an appropriate technology to bring them back to life in the future. But don’t rush out to sign up for it yet, so far scientists have only been able to freeze single cells successfully.

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Do want to know if something could work Click here to ask.

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by Lisa Cardy