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Human "Suspended Animation" Trials To Start This Month

Posted by samzenpus on from the buck-rogers dept.

An anonymous reader writes in with news about a UPMC Presbyterian Hospital trial starting this month which brings us one step closer to suspended animation. "The researchers behind it don't want to call it suspended animation, but it's the most conventional way to explain it. The world's first humans trials will start at the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, with 10 patients whose injuries would otherwise be fatal to operate on. A team of surgeons will remove the patient's blood, replacing it with a chilled saline solution that would cool the body, slowing down bodily functions and delaying death from blood loss. According to Dr. Samuel Tisherman, talking to New Scientist: 'We are suspending life, but we don't like to call it suspended animation because it sounds like science fiction... we call it emergency preservation and resuscitation.'" We covered this story a few months ago when it was announced.

76 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. New film title by Errol+backfiring · · Score: 1

    Ah. We have a new film title: The Resuscitator.

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    1. Re:New film title by Jmc23 · · Score: 1

      Already exists in the 'oral' section of adult films.

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    2. Re:New film title by Muad'Dave · · Score: 1

      Wasn't there a bad Sci-fi film called Re-Animator with some wild-eyed doctor on the cover wielding a gigantic syringe?

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  2. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by gl4ss · · Score: 2

    that's where the chilled "suspended" part comes in... to make the body mostly inactive.

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    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  3. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by confused+one · · Score: 1

    cold enough to shut everything off, but not cold enough to damage cells. Basic principle originates in all those "miraculous" drowning victims who fall through winter ice and are resuscitated 20 or 30 minutes later. Using an infusion of cold saline probably has the advantage of getting the whole body cold as quickly as possible.

  4. Looks Like, Walks Like, Quacks Like by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 5, Interesting

    We are suspending life, but we don't like to call it suspended animation because it sounds like science fiction... we call it emergency preservation and resuscitation.

    Someone needs to remind these guys that something is only Science Fiction until it becomes Science Fact.
    Nothing wrong with calling it Suspended Animation if that's EXACTLY what it is.

    1. Re:Looks Like, Walks Like, Quacks Like by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Nothing wrong with calling it Suspended Animation if that's EXACTLY what it is.

      I think that the problem they are trying to avoid is that most people have a preconceived ideas as to what "Suspended Animation" should be. These people are trying as much as possible to stay away from those preconceived ideas, and hence avoid being ridiculed for not living up to a hundred years of sic-fi hype.

      As an analogy, what would happen to a company that after years of design and testing released A FLYING CAR!!!! But play down the fact that this car could only perform vertical flight limited to 6 feet high whilst in your own driveway, solely to facilitate under car maintenance? Sure it flies, and it is useful, but it don't quite meet all those expectations.

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    2. Re:Looks Like, Walks Like, Quacks Like by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

      As an analogy, what would happen to a company that after years of design and testing released A FLYING CAR!!!! But play down the fact that this car could only perform vertical flight limited to 6 feet high whilst in your own driveway, solely to facilitate under car maintenance? Sure it flies, and it is useful, but it don't quite meet all those expectations.

      Bad analogy. Noone would market a car as a "flying car" is the only flight it could do is lift up enough to make it easier to change the oil.

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    3. Re:Looks Like, Walks Like, Quacks Like by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      Bad analogy. Noone would market a car as a "flying car" is the only flight it could do is lift up enough to make it easier to change the oil.

      Why is it a bad analogy? All these doctors are doing is chilling people down in order to perform a brief surgery, so I can understand why they are trying to stay away from a moniker of "SUSPENDED ANIMATION!!!!!"

      The point I was making with my analogy is that a flying car company wouldn't do it either.

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    4. Re:Looks Like, Walks Like, Quacks Like by Charliemopps · · Score: 1

      We are suspending life, but we don't like to call it suspended animation because it sounds like science fiction... we call it emergency preservation and resuscitation.

      Someone needs to remind these guys that something is only Science Fiction until it becomes Science Fact.
      Nothing wrong with calling it Suspended Animation if that's EXACTLY what it is.

      It's not. This seems more like an induced coma than anything. I doubt it slows or stops aging which is what I would call suspended animation. This may be, however, the first step towards that goal.

    5. Re:Looks Like, Walks Like, Quacks Like by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 1

      I think that the problem they are trying to avoid is that most people have a preconceived ideas as to what "Suspended Animation" should be

      From Websters:
      suspended animation noun: a state in which the processes of the body (such as blood circulation) stop or become very slow for a period of time while a person or animal is unconscious

      Websters et al create definition of words and phrases based upon what the common consensus of their meaning is. The Scientists are just making an arrogant attempt to pre-empt the inevitable media hype that will happen regardless of how they try to spin it.

      Arrogant? Yes, because it shows a condescending and cynical attitude towards laymen. But doesn't matter -- we aren't all fucking morons as these Scientists think and we will call it Suspended Animation, because that is actually what it is.

    6. Re:Looks Like, Walks Like, Quacks Like by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      Probably because in SciFi, suspended animation connotes a near infinite amount of time. Say, for those very long durations of space flight. With the preservation and resuscitation, time is still limited.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
  5. more test subjects by sribe · · Score: 1

    I think I know where they can find 535 more test subjects ;-)

    1. Re:more test subjects by NatasRevol · · Score: 1

      Pretty sure we don't want to keep that set around.

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    2. Re:more test subjects by gmhowell · · Score: 1

      Pretty sure we don't want to keep that set around.

      Control group. Instead of saline, they'll be injected with grape jelly.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  6. Re:The closet thing to time travel by Rhymoid · · Score: 2

    You might end up like Joe Bauers.

  7. Link to Original Source by xhgcqreq · · Score: 2

    New Scientist: http://www.newscientist.com/ar...

  8. Re:But hold on... by Minwee · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Science fiction is cool and full of stuff we'd be excited to see happen. "Emergency preservation and resuscitation" doesn't sound at all interesting.

    That's only because you're not the one with an injury which would be fatal to operate on.

    If you were, and your alternatives were "Death" or "Tea and cake, then death", then it would sound pretty damn awesome.

  9. Bon Voyage by hey! · · Score: 1

    I wish the experimental subjects well. If the procedure works, they will not only be saving themselves, but many future patients whose injuries can't be treated quickly enough. And if the procedure becomes routine, it may someday pave humanity's road to the stars.

    --
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  10. Re:The closet thing to time travel by KingOfBLASH · · Score: 1

    You'd be better off getting on a space ship going the speed of light for a year.

    No need to become a popsicle, and your life will not be dependent on people remembering to pay the electric bill before your thaw date

  11. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by compro01 · · Score: 1

    Yes, but at the temperatures they're inducing, metabolic activity is basically nil, meaning oxygen essentially isn't needed, at least over the time frames they're talking about.

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  12. I'm not a doctor, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The idea is that the body WON'T be receiving oxygen while in that state. And that it won't have to. The saline solution and the cooling is supposed to prevent tissue deterioration even in the absence of the oxygen-fueled human metabolism, so that when the normal blood is returned and the person raised back to standard body temperature later, they will still be alive.

  13. Saline? by Jmc23 · · Score: 1

    I predict contamination of the saline by parasitic bacteria leads to the first zombies.

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    1. Re:Saline? by rubycodez · · Score: 1

      I say we define people whose animation is suspended by this technique to BE "zombies" and "the undead"

    2. Re:Saline? by KingOfBLASH · · Score: 2

      While you're being a bit snarky, actually the sterile nature of the fluid will be quite important. We already have staph infections running around hospitals; you might indeed have a situation where people die because they get "bad fluid" much the same way in the early days of HIV you got people who were infected because there was not adequate screening.

    3. Re:Saline? by Jmc23 · · Score: 1

      Snarky? That word does not mean what you think it means... or your reading comprehension box is on the fritz.

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    4. Re:Saline? by Jmc23 · · Score: 1

      Well, they were adverse to the oxymoron suspended-animation, perhaps internally they were already using the oxymoron 'the living dead'.

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      Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
    5. Re:Saline? by KingOfBLASH · · Score: 1

      Or the word does not mean what you think it means. Or perhaps what you wrote comes across differently then what you intended :P

    6. Re:Saline? by Jmc23 · · Score: 1
      Unlike most people, I have this annoying habit where I check the definitions for pretty much everything. Frequently checking etymology as well. Why, I even read articles!

      See, I have the superpower of being able to admit that i'm wrong and frequently acknowledge my fallibility. So the first thing that occured to me upon reading your comment was that perhaps my understanding of the word snarky was wrong.

      I checked. It's not.

      True, I can't compensate for people who read things that aren't there...

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    7. Re:Saline? by KingOfBLASH · · Score: 1

      Well I would define "snarky" as comments made by someone trying to be a curmudgeon, and a wise ass.

      Checking the dictionary, I see I'm right (although they use a bit different phrasing: 1: crotchety, snappish
      2: sarcastic, impertinent, or irreverent in tone or manner )

      Are you telling me you were NOT being sarcastic, and you really believe the results of this research will be zombies?

    8. Re:Saline? by Jmc23 · · Score: 1
      No, I was trying to be funny.

      I know the tendency of slashdotters to read-between-the-lines when there isn't anything there, and I actually specifically chose every single word in that sentence to not be loaded. It does not criticize or implicate any parties, it is as precise as necessary, there is no slang or words with double meanings. It is as literal and devoid of possible misinterpretations as possible...

      or so I thought.

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  14. Because obviously, by qeveren · · Score: 2

    Anything that sounds like science fiction MUST be terrible and is to be avoided at all costs.

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    1. Re:Because obviously, by gstoddart · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Anything that sounds like science fiction MUST be terrible and is to be avoided at all costs.

      Well, if you're doing real research and want to be taken seriously, I can see why you'd prefer to differentiate yourself a little.

      If you said "and we'll put the patient into suspended animation", and the ethics review board rolls their eyes at you, you might have a huge problem.

      Some stuff, sure, it can sound like science fiction. But for medical research, you'd think you want to make sure people know you're not just talking out of your ass.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  15. Re:The closet thing to time travel by rubycodez · · Score: 1

    the only way to make a space ship go at the speed of light would be to convert it to photons or some other rest-massless particle (and incidentally throwing a twin for every such particle in the opposite direction). we already know how that could be done, via antimatter anhilation, but reassembling the spaceship from massless particles is left as exercise for the student.

  16. Re:"Worlds first" by Anubis+IV · · Score: 2

    You're most likely thinking of this comment. Anyway, it was a similar procedure, but was by no means the same as the one being discussed here. Namely, his procedure involved no saline solution, and the chilling came before the removal of blood, rather than as part of the same step, suggesting that he was chilled via some external mechanism (my father worked in a hospital when he was in college in the late '60s to early '70s, and he's mentioned that for people with high fevers, they would, if I recall correctly, bathe them in baths of ethyl alcohol filled with ice as an emergency step to try and prevent brain damage).

    I'd imagine that this commenter's procedure would have been significantly more dangerous than the one in the summary, simply because it would have taken longer to chill him using external methods and wouldn't be as consistent throughout his body. A quick chill has the benefit of causing metabolic activity to drop off rapidly. The longer you stretch it out, the more danger the patient would be in.

  17. Re:The closet thing to time travel by KingOfBLASH · · Score: 1

    Traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light will do the same thing and is possible without said annihilation :P

  18. +1 No one will be able to tell the difference. by jpellino · · Score: 1

    Pity the poor DC bar and restaurant owners, though.

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
  19. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    First, I am a doctor, and I know both Drs Tisherman, and Rhee, having met both in person and having read many of both of their papers. They are both stellar leaders in the field of trauma surgery. I am therefore posting as AC to avoid the perception of any even quasi-official criticism. These are my thoughts on the subject and are meant only to educate the readership, not to try to detract from the work cited

    Second, I'm not jumping on " confused one"'s post, just taking an opportunity to correct a minor misconception, and use it as a hook to provide some detail as I understand them.

    cold enough to shut everything off, but not cold enough to damage cells. Basic principle originates in all those "miraculous" drowning victims who fall through winter ice and are resuscitated 20 or 30 minutes later.

    The "miraculous drowning victims" to which you refer usually survive due to the mammalian diving reflex, which is a distinct event (although hypothermia is involved) involving a slowing of the heart, vasoconstriction, and a closing of the glottic opening due to the face being submerged. The principle this proposed technique is using is more of a physio-chemical slowing of the reactions in the whole body, but of prime importance the heart, kidneys, and brain (and to a lesser extent the liver and lungs).

    The proposed candidate patients (I presume, not having read their IRB nor their treatment protocol) would involve patients with penetrating trauma (knife or GSW) that have already had a resuscitative thoracotomy (as per my interpretation of the New Scientist article). This means that the patient is either in extremis, or has lost vital signs (no B/P, no pulse), at this point, under certain criteria, the chest is opened and the heart prolapsed from the pericardium, the aorta is cross-clamped and open massage or defibrillation is performed along with massive volume resuscitation. For these patients, this is literally, pulling out all the stops to try to save them. It often has a low survivability (~7%) as there is literally nothing else that can be done....until this trial.

    The effect would be to suspend cellular aerobic metabolism and induce a state of hypometabolism that could be sustained by anaerobic metabolism. Not quite the suspended animation of science fiction. This would limit the amount of oxygen radicals that can lead to reperfusion syndrome, but this is not a given.

    The questions that remain: how will humans as a "higher lifeform" with a more temperamental neurological makeup deal with this hypometabolic state? Will they be able to cool them fast enough in the hectic conditions of a trauma-code to be useful? What will their neurological status be? What about the blood already lost - the patient will likely need significant transfusions, will this reduce the effectiveness of the treatment due to transfusion related lung injury or transfusion related immunosuppression. Will the patient tolerate the hypothermia as this is traditionally considered a part of the lethal triad, for that matter, saline is a very acidic substance (to the body), how will they tolerate that acidosis (also part of the triad). I hope they are able to obtain useful information about these (and other) questions that may make this a viab

  20. Project Orion. by jpellino · · Score: 1

    Best *known* method for interstellar travel is Orion - anywhere from 3-10% of c - but in the real world it won't beat this solution to market.

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
  21. Re:The closet thing to time travel by jpellino · · Score: 1

    Or Drs. Hunter, Kimball, and Kaminsky, Dave.

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
  22. Re:The closet thing to time travel by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

    Yes, but you will be a significant fraction of a light year away from Earth at the end of the trip. Traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light away from Earth. I don't see the upside here.

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  23. Re:But hold on... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

    If you were, and your alternatives were "Death" or "Tea and cake", then it would sound pretty damn awesome.

    I'll have the fish.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  24. mod up by ganjadude · · Score: 1

    Very useful information Thanks!

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  25. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by jlb.think · · Score: 2

    Comments like yours are why I read slashdot. Thanks for the education. It has been a long time since I was clicking on links learning from a comment.

  26. Re:But hold on... by Dogers · · Score: 1

    Thanks for flying Church of England!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

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  27. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by pitchpipe · · Score: 1

    MOD PARENT UP

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  28. Herbert West, Re-Animator by Indigo · · Score: 1

    I know how this story turns out...

  29. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by sillybilly · · Score: 1, Insightful

    How about an immune system like white blood cells to keep up the policing? They better cool the patient to just above freezing point, as even then there may be some active bacteria in him/her that will start the putrefaction/decomposition process. The only way to preserve a body is through mummification or formalin solution, or the like, where absolutely all life is fully destroyed, including bacterial cells and human cells. If you could completely clear her body from any fungi and bacteria that live in it in symbiosis, I think she'd die just from that, but if she don't, if she's completely sterile and don't need white blood cells at all, then you got a chance with this saline solution. Every time you fart it's a reminder that bacteria live in you, and without any bacteria or fungi in your body my guess is that you would die really fast, or at least be very vulnerable to nonsymbiotic deadly infection, or at the very least, things like digestion would get worse, as it's aided by the bacteria breeding in your saliva continuing the digestion in your stomach. Even when you go through an antibiotic/antifungal/antiviral regimen, and have to eat biotics like yogurt after the treatment, you don't lose all bacteria, fungi and viruses in your body.

  30. Re:The closet thing to time travel by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Matter/Antimatter annihilation does not necessarily send the created photons into opposite directions.
    And definitely not on a grand scale.
    Well, but if you can manage to introduce me to my anti matter twin, I will be pleased to meet him. Once and for all we will settle the question who the evil twin is!

    --
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  31. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by durrr · · Score: 1

    It works for other mammals, humans just require some technical details sorted out and good protocols made. Regarding possible injuries from the cooling: It doesn't really matter, if it saves lives, it saves lives.

  32. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by amaurea · · Score: 1

    When I saw this article's headline, I first thought it was about this, but this is clearly something quite different. Do you know anything about the hydrogen sulphite idea discussed in the video?

  33. Loia McMaster Bujold by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 1

    Sounds like something similar to what Lois McMasterBujold described about 20 years ago.

  34. Re:But hold on... by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    We've run out of cake.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  35. Re:The closet thing to time travel by rubycodez · · Score: 1

    you would have to involve other particles with mass for that to be true, conversation of momentum demands it

  36. Re:The closet thing to time travel by rubycodez · · Score: 1

    actually, even going 0.99 C time dilation is only 7 to 1. Hit a pebble, your ship will be annihilated

  37. House S2:E02 "Autopsy" by Citizen+of+Earth · · Score: 1

    Sounds a lot like House episode "Autopsy".

  38. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by linuxguy · · Score: 1

    Thanks for an informative post, complete with wikipedia links for people like me who do not understand many of these medical terms. Its not very often that a poster will go to this length to make an informative and useful post.

  39. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by WhoBeI · · Score: 1

    Thanks for the information.

  40. Re:The closet thing to time travel by currently_awake · · Score: 1

    Relativistic time dilation won't extend your life, as the total amount of time you are living is the same (to you). Of course your next of kin might disagree, as he/she has to wait for your ship to return so they can declare you dead and inherit all your stuff.

  41. So glad I read this... by pslytely+psycho · · Score: 1

    ...instead of seeing AC and the length and shuddering.
    Any more when I see a long AC comment, I frequently scroll past it due to the APK troll.

    I'm glad I stopped for just a second. Marvelous comment. Thank you.

    --
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  42. Re:"Worlds first" by pslytely+psycho · · Score: 1

    " he's mentioned that for people with high fevers, they would, if I recall correctly, bathe them in baths of ethyl alcohol filled with ice as an emergency step to try and prevent brain damage"

    I had one of those alcohol ice baths when I was 15 in 1974. I was admitted comatose with 105F fever due to tonsillitis. The infection had spread beyond the tonsils. I went from a sore throat to unconscious in less that 10 hours.
    I was in the intensive care for 5 days.
    It's crude, but it works.

    --
    Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
  43. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by Guppy · · Score: 1

    saline is a very acidic substance (to the body), how will they tolerate that acidosis

    Can't they just use Ringer's Lactate or Hartmann's solution instead? That should buffer the acidity a little bit better.

  44. Re:But hold on... by Wolfrider · · Score: 1

    The cake is a LIE!!

    --
    .
    == WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
  45. Re:But hold on... by fyngyrz · · Score: 1

    Nuke the damn thing from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

    --
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  46. Re:Lois McMaster Bujold by fyngyrz · · Score: 1

    Yet still following Frederick Pohl's "Age of the Pussyfoot", ca. 1969, wherein a fireman, badly burned, is suspended as no tech is yet available to remediate his injuries.

    In this book, Pohl not only covers suspension for later remediation, but also basically describes the modern cellphone, although ours don't have quite as many features as his does. Yet. :) Also some other very cool tech and social ideas.

    There are quite a few great ideas that you might think came out of the 80's and 90's SF writers minds, but were roundly preceded by the first round of masters, of which Pohl was certainly one.

    --
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  47. Re:The closet thing to time travel by KingOfBLASH · · Score: 1

    So you're saying all those sci fi books lied to me? :(

  48. Re:The closet thing to time travel by KingOfBLASH · · Score: 1

    Well the OP isn't suggesting extending his life. He's suggesting going into suspended animation so he can go see what the future looks like, and if we manage to survive as a society.

    If you decide to go get frozen for a thousand years, you're putting an awful lot of trust in the people maintaining your equipment. I remember a story some years back that one of these cryogenic places went bankrupt, and they thawed and buried the bodies.

    You face a similar risk if you decide to "time travel" in this manner, and frankly given how volatile the world can be, there's a big chance you'll be forcibly thawed early

  49. Re:The closet thing to time travel by DougF · · Score: 1

    My wife has conversation of momentum as well...LOL.

    --
    Impetuous! Homeric!
  50. Re:The closet thing to time travel by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Exactly, or not ...
    The two particles, the matter and the antimatter one, already HAVE momentum. So if they annihilate into gamma quants it is very very unlikely that the two quants fly into exact opposite direction.

    --
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  51. Re:Lois McMaster Bujold by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 1

    Does Pohl describe replacing the blood with a cryofluid as Bujold does?

  52. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by Reziac · · Score: 1

    So that made me wonder:

    With an injured person who might not ordinarily have time to reach medical help, is there any benefit to deliberately triggering this diving reflex?

    --
    ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  53. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by Reziac · · Score: 1

    I had a similar thought, that if the replacement fluid included an antibacterial agent (perhaps a bacteria-specific virus engineered to suicide after a few generations, if such a thing is possible) that killed off every bacterium in its path -- that would greatly reduce the risk of an introduced infection, and if you have have to repopulate regions like the gut that can't function without bacteria, well, that's not hard to accomplish.

    --
    ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  54. sad by Mr_Nitro · · Score: 1

    this should have like...2000 comments? bah...fucked up world.... lets go out and spend some dollars on shit ... fuck yeah...

  55. Red Dwarf by tmjva · · Score: 1

    Rather than suspended animation, they should invent the Stasis chamber in Red Dwarf. (Then wake up 3 million years later with the descendants of your evolved cat!)

    What was it originally used for? Oh yeah, to suspend crewman David Lister for 18 months without pay...

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  56. Re:I'm not a doctor, but... by thundergeek · · Score: 1

    Now I know what doctors do while I'm in the waiting room for 45 minutes after showing up 15 minutes early.

  57. Re:But hold on... by Guppy · · Score: 1

    We've run out of cake.

    OH GOD We're all gonna die!