Report on Contemporary Scientific IssuesCryonicsWhat is cryonics?Cryonics is a procedure by which a living person or organism is frozen immediately after death so that it can be thawed and rejuvenated in a second moment in case a cure is needed to find the cause of death. A person or living organism preserved by the cryonics process is said to be in cryonic suspension. To understand the true nature of cryonics it is wise to provide a simple example of what scientists are attempting to achieve. In the news around the world there are cases of pets and occasionally humans falling into frozen lakes and remaining submerged for more than an hour. Often the human being or pet dies due to the cold temperature of the water but in some cases it is freed and revived; survive their ordeal and be effectively "restored" from what is considered by normal standards to be certain death. The idea that conscious beings can survive such trauma is that ice water lowers the body's temperature and places it in a state of suspended animation, slowing metabolism and brain function to levels where they require very little or no oxygen. Philosophy The central philosophy of cryonics is not only that a conscious being can be restored to full health after being in cryonic suspension, but can be revived and rejuvenated with identity, personality, and long-term memory intact. Personality and identity are stored in cellular structures throughout the brain that do not actually require continuous brain activity to survive. The premise that a brain can survive with poor brain function is generally accepted in medicine. Recorded cases of individual brains stopping working and then recovering with the net... middle of paper... the end of the rainbow and a desperate thing to go looking for. But as with all scientific and technological developments, the success of cryonic rejuvenation and animation is another boundary that has yet to be crossed and used to its fullest capabilities. If, in time, resuscitation and rejuvenation become sustainable, it will not be long before the funeral home goes out of business and the cryonics home is established. Cost is also a big issue and without huge amounts of money cryonics remains a possibility only for fairly honest patients. rich. This class divide could prove problematic in the future but, as with any new technology, it is always the wealthy who experiment with it first. Relying on a cryonic process carries risks, but when cancer or another terminal illness decides an individual's fate... what exactly is there to lose by choosing freezing over fire or worms??