June 23, 1997: The Alcor Foundation: Cryonics - Brian Shock

Art Bell speaks with Brian Shock, membership manager of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, the largest cryonics organization in the world. Shock explains the science of preserving human bodies at minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit in liquid nitrogen, stored in massive insulated containers called dewars, with the hope that future technology will allow revival and cure of whatever caused death.

The discussion covers the costs involved, with whole-body suspension requiring $120,000 and head-only neuro-suspension at $50,000, funded through pooled trust investments managed by Smith Barney. Shock describes Alcor''s 35 patients, split between whole-body and neuro cases, and addresses the spiritual implications of the process. He draws parallels to hypothermic arrest surgery, where patients are clinically dead for extended periods before being revived with full memory intact.

Art raises the possibility that physician-assisted suicide laws could transform cryonics by allowing pre-mortem suspension, potentially doubling the chances of future revival. The conversation touches on nanotechnology as the key to eventual reanimation, the Dora Kent legal controversy, and the philosophical question of whether cryonics represents a form of one-way time travel into the future.