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A pig's brain has been frozen with its cellular activity locked in place (https://www.newscientist.com)

121 points by Brajeshwar 1 day ago | 169 comments | View on ycombinator

DennisP 1 day ago |

More of a digital copy scenario. The article says the process involves toxic chemicals that lock everything in place so the connectome can be examined. There's no known way to reverse the chemical process in the biological brain.

https://archive.is/SMcX5

Procrastes 1 day ago |

Here's a thought experiment. I offer you the chance to be put in a medically induced coma and shipped around the world to strangers you know nothing about. You don't know what economic, political, or moral system you'll awaken to. The only thing you know for sure is they, for some reason we're interested in receiving an unconscious person, no questions asked.

Do you take the deal? Do you sign your family up for it?

ozlikethewizard 1 day ago |

Would people want this? Imagine waking up to a world where 200 years has passed, everyone you knew is dead, everything you knew is history.

ZYZ64738 about 14 hours ago |

Why on earth? It seems to me that the brain itself is the very disease they're trying to preserve here. Not to mention that, as usual, only certain super-rich people could probably afford it—which, to me, seems like one of the worst and most incurable "diseases" there is. Just my humble opinion, coming from my broken brain ;-)

pgt about 22 hours ago |

Recently rewatched Demolition Man (1993) where criminals are frozen in cryostasis and then reanimated – a very prescient film. All I could think of was Demolition Pig

caditinpiscinam about 22 hours ago |

Uncle_Clark about 22 hours ago |

When I see things like this, it reminds that the saying life imitates art is surprisingly true. This is basically the premise of the movie Transcendence to a certain extent. Very interesting and very cool but begs the question just because we can, does it mean we should?

That being said, ever since I found out about Colossal Bioscience and their de-extinction projects, I have been tuned into their progress with great interest because it is the real life Jurassic Park.

mentos 1 day ago |

Absolutely not sounds like a be careful what you wish for Black Mirror episode where you wake up trapped in some simulation you can’t break free from but it’s ok because you signed on the dotted line to donate your mind and body to science.

coppsilgold about 24 hours ago |

A thought experiment:

One by one your neurons are replaced by their digital counterpart as a nano-scale computer in-place, with equivalent functionality. After which neuron number are you no longer you? You remain conscious throughout the process, the process may last however long with pauses for sleep.

After the replacement is complete, one by one these neurons are switched off with their functionality offloaded to their clone instantiated in a computer. After which neuron number are you no longer you?

This mind upload thought experiment convinced me that as long as there are no sharp discontinuities in experience, it makes no sense to ask what happened to the you. It also carries the implication that you are not your brain, but rather the abstract dynamical system instantiated in it.

7oi 1 day ago |

One step closer to the Bobiverse.

igorramazanov 1 day ago |

Are we even sure, that personality is stored solely in a brain? What if whole or other parts of body involved as well

ppap3 1 day ago |

Nothing like a ghost pain for a ghost digital person

bryanrasmussen about 24 hours ago |

this is probably one of the least efficient implementations of state persistence ever attempted, but I like it.

robot-wrangler 1 day ago |

Herbert West requires extremely fresh specimens

e-dant 1 day ago |

I have no mouth and I must scream

windowliker 1 day ago |

Oh great! A new way to keep the tax base growing!

anarticle 1 day ago |

Those 50y mortgages won't pay for themselves!

Probably a good first step in life extension, I know a lot of first peeks at this came from hypothermic people. Those lessons are now used in heart surgeries to slow metabolism and limit cell deaths.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8297075/

davidw about 23 hours ago |

'Hold that thought'

deadbabe about 21 hours ago |

What does it mean to “continue with your life”?

Even if you are raised from the dead, it means you just go back to work at some point, where you prompt an AI Agent all day, collect a paycheck, pay bills, and occasionally do some dopamine stimulating activities, until you die again?

This tech will only be used on people who are considered too important to die: demagogues and dictators, mass influencers.

pugchat about 1 hour ago |

[dead]

5o1ecist about 9 hours ago |

[dead]

olivierestsage 1 day ago |

No thanks

Fisherman1983 1 day ago |

Very cool