In order to come back to life after death, they pay thousands of dollars and submit themselves to -196 degrees. The seven people who lost their lives are kept in giant liquid nitrogen tanks with the hope that future technology will achieve what is not possible today. However, behind this extraordinary system, there is a great hope as well as a serious fact that the scientific world says is "not yet possible".
According to a report from the British press, The Guardian, Southern Cryonics, the Southern Hemisphere's first and only cryogenic freezing facility, has been operating in the Holbrook town between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, since 2023. The seven “patients” at the facility are kept upside down in giant steel tanks in liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees.
IT IS A RACE WITH TIME AFTER DEATH
The cryogenic process begins immediately after the person's death. In order to prevent the cells from deteriorating as much as possible, the body goes through a "vitrification" process of approximately eight hours.
Protective chemicals similar to antifreeze are pumped into the body to prevent the formation of ice crystals. The stabilized body is then taken to Holbrook and placed in tanks filled with liquid nitrogen. For some people, the direct freezing method is applied.
SO WHY UPSIDE DOWN?
The purpose of placing the bodies in this way is to use the space inside the tank efficiently and to ensure that the liquid nitrogen completely surrounds the body. Patients are kept in this position in special metal containers until they can be resuscitated in the future.
While it was stated that the choice of the facility was due to Holbrook's low risk of disasters such as earthquakes and floods, the news said, "The fact that the region was previously included in the liquid nitrogen supply chain due to cattle breeding also provided an advantage for the facility."
THE PRICE EXCEEDS 200 THOUSAND DOLLARS
According to The Guardian, the initial stabilization costs approximately 60 thousand dollars. An additional $150,000 is paid for indefinite storage, while the annual membership fee is $350. The company also recommends its customers to get life insurance worth $210 thousand.
However, there is also uncertainty about insurance. The Australian Council of Life Insurers says it has not verified the company's claims that cryogenic freezing can be financed with life insurance.
The annual cost of keeping bodies in tanks is approximately $5,500. The company plans to invest approximately 100 thousand dollars of the money received from customers in reliable investments to cover long-term expenses and to create a multi-billion dollar fund in the future.
THE SCIENTIFIC WORLD IS NOT CONVINCED
Cryopreservation expert Assoc. Prof. from RMIT University. Dr. Saffron Bryant says that current science is not sufficient to protect the entire human body with this method. While cells and embryos can be frozen, it is not possible to deliver protective fluids to the entire human body and the process can cause irreversible physical damage.
Bryant also points out that the disease that caused the person's death is not eliminated by freezing. He emphasizes that re-training the body and re-establishing consciousness are completely different problems.
Dr. from University College Cork Kate Falconer states that there are people in the cryonics community who strongly believe in the method, but there is no concrete scientific basis to show that human bodies can be brought back to life in the future.
'The youngest one is in his 40s'
The youngest “patient” at the facility was a woman who died in her 40s. Facility manager Philip Rhoades explains that they previously preserved the brain tissue of a child who died at the age of 15. Rhoades wants to be frozen when he dies and have his consciousness transferred to a supercomputer in the future.
'THEY CAN BE BREAKED BACK TO LIFE AROUND 2080'
