Sure it seems sci-fi but there are many legit medical applications for this. Imagine being able to ‘suspend’ a terminal cancer patient until effective treatment is available.
Sadly there are also a ton of serious downsides. Soros the immortal being one of them.
I’d sign up for this.
I believe that true biological immortality (as advocated by Aubrey de Grey et al.) is impossible. However there are certain specific conditions of old age that ought to be reversed. If we could for example cure things like muscle, joint, and bone weaknesses, it would greatly improve the quality of life for a lot of people.
“The answer....to life....itself.”
I proposed a research project to develop suspended animation for a manned Mars mission over ten years ago.
I proposed:
1) Investigate various drugs, e.g., bufotine, to relax the astronaut and induce deep sleep.
2) Induce hypothermia by surgically inserting a heating coil in the blood supply leading the the hypothalamus. In other words, make the body think it is overheating so it goes into a controlled hypothermia.
Obviously, we would conduct animal experiments first.
The big advantage to a Mars mission is that you can have most of the crew suspended in the radiation-shielded “storm shelter” on board. During their suspension they are not eating or consuming much oxygen. Note that total radiation dosage for a three year Mars mission may prove fatal for the crew. Radiation is a mission “show stopper”.
I noted the many civilian spinoffs, e.g., patients waiting for organ transplants could be suspended.
In summary, if bears and squirrels can hibernate, why can’t humans learn to?
OK, so they take a pig fetus, replace the cells that turn into a heart with YOUR stem cells treated to turn into a replica of your heart.
In a couple years transplant the new heart into your chest. (use the rest of the pig for chops, roasts, bacon).
Repeat for other worn out internal organs including parts of the brain.
I’m thinking: Happy 500th year birthday here I come.