Cryonic Hopes: Revival Dreams in Liquid Nitrogen

A growing number of people are opting for cryopreservation in hopes of being revived in the future. Australia's Southern Cryonics, one of only six facilities worldwide, stores bodies in liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees Celsius. Three individuals have chosen this path so far in South Korea.

The facility, located in Holbrook, New South Wales, was opened in 2023 and currently has seven preserved bodies. Each dewar can hold up to four people, with the first being a man who died in his 80s and entered the facility in May 2024.

Cryopreservation comes at a substantial price, with an initial stabilization cost of about 60,000 Australian dollars, followed by 150,000 Australian dollars for long-term storage. Members must also pay an annual fee of 350 Australian dollars. The process begins immediately after death, involving vitrification and cryoprotectants to prevent cell damage.

Peter Tsolakides, chairman of Southern Cryonics, estimates the odds of those now in storage being revived in about 250 years at roughly 10%. This assumes future medicine will not only cure all diseases and overcome aging but also develop technology to bring back people who have already died. Scientists, however, say revival is impossible with current technology.