Conceived in 1992, born in 2017 - "snow babies"

Angilion

Angilion

Angilion

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I thought this was interesting because I didn't know it was possible to store embryoes for that long. Also, I think "snow babies" is a charming phrase.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42420864

So it's entirely possible for a person to be conceived before their mother was born. Which makes me think of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy and jokes about time machines and condoms.
 
I have always been interested in what the "Shelf Life" for frozen people really is.

Seems to me that one of the bigger problems is actually radiation exposure.

Many of the elements in ones body are naturally radioactive., But while you are alive you have an immune system that copes with the consequence of this. If one is in stasis, the immune system no longer operates and the radiation damage just accumulates.

Seems likely that the first thing one might experience after a long time in cold sleep is a nasty dose of radiation sickness.
 
Orionaut said:
I have always been interested in what the "Shelf Life" for frozen people really is.

Seems to me that one of the bigger problems is actually radiation exposure.

Many of the elements in ones body are naturally radioactive., But while you are alive you have an immune system that copes with the consequence of this. If one is in stasis, the immune system no longer operates and the radiation damage just accumulates.

Seems likely that the first thing one might experience after a long time in cold sleep is a nasty dose of radiation sickness.
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I hadn't thought about that, but I see your point. I wonder how long it would be before the damage was enough to cause radiation sickness and how long it would be before the damage was enough to significantly increase the risk of cancer. My guess would be millenia and centuries, but that is only a guess. The amount of radioactivity from the radioactive isotopes inside a human is very low, so it would take a while to accumulate damage from it.

Somebody must have given this at least some consideration...

...a quick look found one related thing. Hibernation is being seriously considered for space travel. Not full stasis, but perhaps relevant. It's already been done with humans in some circumstances - "theraputic hypothermia" is essentially hibernation induced in injured people to keep them alive long enough to repair them. The issue of radiation exposure in space travel is always something that has to be considered, so the two have been considered together. The hibernation slows down all biological processes, including tumour growth. Not all that relevant, since they were considering short term (~6 months) exposure to higher levels of radiation from outside.

Random piece of related trivia - sleeping next to an average-sized adult for 8 hours is (very roughly, with a whole slew of simplifications) about the same radioactivity exposure as eating half a banana.
 
From a quick google it seems the higher levels are related to eating and drinking, etc. - which wouldn't be a consideration in true cryostasis,
 
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Angilion said:
I thought this was interesting because I didn't know it was possible to store embryoes for that long. Also, I think "snow babies" is a charming phrase.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42420864

So it's entirely possible for a person to be conceived before their mother was born. Which makes me think of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy and jokes about time machines and condoms.
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Snow babies to snow-flakes in around 14-16 years.
 
It's cool how far we have come as a species in terms of technology. The fact that we can take a 25 year old embryo and bring it to life, ending up with a healthy baby is amazing to me. That baby will grow up to be a person just like you and me and who knows, maybe he/she will make a scientific breakthrough or write an amazing book or discover a cure for cancer. Or maybe he/she will be an alcoholic living on benefits. :)
 
Orionaut said:
Of course, one for the philosophers.

Is a frozen embryo dead or alive?
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Alive clearly. Never heard of suspended animation? Definition = the temporary cessation of most vital functions without death, as in a dormant seed or a hibernating animal.
 
Sliver said:
Alive clearly. Never heard of suspended animation? Definition = the temporary cessation of most vital functions without death, as in a dormant seed or a hibernating animal.
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A seed is not actually living until it germinates in the soil, though. Until that point, it merely has potential. An animal hibernating slows its vital functions, perhaps, but they do not cease.

Meanwhile, define "alive".....

Science says:
  • Living Things are Composed of Cells:
  • Living Things Have Different Levels of Organization:
  • Living Things Use Energy:
  • Living Things Respond To Their Environment:
  • Living Things Grow:
  • Living Things Reproduce:
  • Living Things Adapt To Their Environment:
An embryo does not really respond or adapt to much while frozzed in it's little lab storage apartment, nor does it really grow.
Further more, scientists generally peg -20ºC as the lowest point life can survive. Embryos are stored around -195ºC. Ergo they are not alive.

But yes, OP, the term is kinda cool!!
 
ttaskmaster said:
A seed is not actually living until it germinates in the soil, though
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Brian Cox goes on about this on The Infinite Monkey Cage. He goes on about undead strawberries and when a strawberry dies, given that the seeds are viable long after the strawberry has been picked and so on.
 
Cool (ha!) story, but the question I had was why has the embryo not been chosen for so long?
Presumably the charity must have quite a big ‘stock’?!
 
LabR@t said:
Snow babies to snow-flakes in around 14-16 years.
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Millennials were raised in the 90s and 00s and are the terminally offended SJW type. The next generation, Gen Z, are raised in the 10s and will apply to this child. Gen Z's political views are more centrist as opposed to hard-left.

Ayahuasca said:
Bore off.
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While I don't mind the word '*********', it is a bit last year. People don't use that term any more.
 
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