Hibernation: Suspended Animation

[Pawelk198604]

I wonder if it will be ever possible.

I also wonder how it will count the age of patients undergoing hibernation.

Assume that the minor is subject to hibernate during its duration reaches the age of majority.

I wonder how we will treat such persons as adults or underage, because biologically speaking they will be still underage:-)

[78stonewobble]

I think it's more likely than "warpdrive", but it might require some genetic modification. Not just something we can induce in everyone.

How it would affect people and minors? Pfft... probably have to ask a doctor and a biologist on it. Nature have a few different ways of hibernation if I remember correctly and presumably they work differently.

[Tommygun]

Personally I think short term hibernation at least is very likely, because it has real medical value in the real world.

If you have someone with severe trauma in an isolated area, inducing hibernation can buy someone the time to get them to a properly equipped hospital. Some of the techniques can also be used for long term transplant organ storage and transportation.

I think we could get to weeks and months, but I'm not to hopeful for years of hibernation. It could be useful for trips out to Saturn on a small fast ship, but I don't think you will see it being used for say a 100 year trip to Proxima Centauri.

[KerikBalm]

I'd say its definitely possible if we're willing to modify our genomes

[KerbMav]

As modifying the genome of a grown organism is not possible (how to reprogram every cell?), it would mean creating a caste of genetically engineered human beings being enforced to travel to space, disregarding their freedom, wishes, life choices ... slaves.

[KerikBalm]

As modifying the genome of a grown organism is not possible (how to reprogram every cell?), it would mean creating a caste of genetically engineered human beings being enforced to travel to space, disregarding their freedom, wishes, life choices ... slaves.

It is possible, but very difficult.

You could use a virus/virus like vector.

You could extract adult stem cells, modify them, re-inject said modified stem cells, that over time replace all the cells in the grown organism (since almost all cells are replaced fairly frequently).

[Rakaydos]

Personally I think short term hibernation at least is very likely, because it has real medical value in the real world.

If you have someone with severe trauma in an isolated area, inducing hibernation can buy someone the time to get them to a properly equipped hospital. Some of the techniques can also be used for long term transplant organ storage and transportation.

I think we could get to weeks and months, but I'm not to hopeful for years of hibernation. It could be useful for trips out to Saturn on a small fast ship, but I don't think you will see it being used for say a 100 year trip to Proxima Centauri.

Even that would be useful for stretching a ship's life support. Rotating the crews through suspended animation so that any one crew is awake for only a portion of the trip.

[Dedjal]

I wonder if it will be ever possible.

I also wonder how it will count the age of patients undergoing hibernation.

Assume that the minor is subject to hibernate during its duration reaches the age of majority.

I wonder how we will treat such persons as adults or underage, because biologically speaking they will be still underage:-)

Regarding "minors" etc.

A nice conclusion represented by Orson Scott Card in his books about "Ender", time in a cryopod does not count towards your recognized age.

So if the subject is 10 and spends 10 years in a cryopod, they are still viewed as 10.