Cryonics Institute (CI) is an American nonprofit foundation that provides
cryonics
Cryonics (from el, κρύος ''kryos'' meaning 'cold') is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains, with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticis ...
services. CI freezes dead humans and pets in liquid nitrogen with the hope of restoring them with technology in the future.
History
The Cryonics Institute was founded by the “Father of Cryonics”
Robert Ettinger
Robert Chester Wilson Ettinger (December 4, 1918 – July 23, 2011) was an American academic, known as "the father of cryonics" because of the impact of his 1962 book ''The Prospect of Immortality''.
Ettinger founded the Cryonics Institute ...
on April 4, 1976, in Detroit,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, where he served as president until 2003. Ettinger introduced the concept of cryonics with the publication of his book “The Prospect of Immortality” published in 1962. Operations moved to
Clinton Township, Michigan Clinton is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Michigan:
* Clinton County, Michigan
* Clinton Township, Macomb County, Michigan
* Clinton, Lenawee County, Michigan, village
* Clinton Township, Lenawee County, Michigan
* Clinton Township, O ...
in 1993, where it is currently located.
Membership
The Cryonics Institute has 232 people cryopreserved in tanks of
liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen—LN2—is nitrogen in a liquid state at low temperature. Liquid nitrogen has a boiling point of about . It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. It is a colorless, low viscosity liquid that is wide ...
. Robert Ettinger the 106th is cryopreserved along with his mother and two wives, Elaine and Mae.
Operations and procedures
The cryonics procedure performed by the Cryonics Institute begins with a process called vitrification where the body is perfused with cryoprotective agents to protect against damage in the freezing process. After this, the body is cooled to -196 °C over the course of a day or two days in a computer-controlled chamber before being placed in a long-term storage container filled with liquid nitrogen. The Cryonics Institute utilizes storage units called
cryostat
A cryostat (from ''cryo'' meaning cold and ''stat'' meaning stable) is a device used to maintain low cryogenic temperatures of samples or devices mounted within the cryostat. Low temperatures may be maintained within a cryostat by using various ...
s, and each unit contains up to eight people. The process can take place only once the person has been declared legally dead. Ideally, the process begins within two minutes of the heart stopping and no more than 15.
The Cryonics Institute also specializes in Human Cryostasis, DNA/Tissue Freezing, Pet
Cryopreservation
Cryo-preservation or cryo-conservation is a process where Organism, organisms, organelles, cell (biology), cells, Biological tissue, tissues, extracellular matrix, Organ (anatomy), organs, or any other biological constructs susceptible to damage ...
, and
Memorabilia
A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a m ...
Storage.
See also
*
Alcor Life Extension Foundation
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, most often referred to as Alcor, is an American nonprofit, federally tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Alcor advocates for, researches, and performs cryonics, the ...
*
Information-theoretic death
Information-theoretic death is a term of art used in cryonics to define death in a way that is permanent and independent of any future medical advances, no matter how distant or improbable that may be. Because detailed reading or restoration of in ...
References
{{Cryonics, state=expanded
1976 establishments in Michigan
Cryonics organizations in the United States