eli5 Why can human embryo’s be frozen but not human adult?
In: Biology
it’s a function of limiting current technology. the concept is more or less simple, and we’ll get there. there was an ELI5 question the other day asking why freezer burn exists. similar reasoning, and avoiding that is key.
Size. The freezing and defrosting process of something small like an embryo is vastly quicker and easier than an adult.
The biggest thing they have managed to freeze and defreeze is a hamster.
There’s just noway to get the defreezing agent into the tissue cells quick enough. It would invariably lead to cell death and probably death death.
Either by not entirely defreezing the person or by defreezing them and cooking them in the process.
There’s a relevant Tom Scott about this, which actually relates to the invention of the microwave. Basically, anything bigger than a small rodent cannot reheat quickly and evenly enough to be able to reanimate.
Isn’t there a company that freezes whole people?
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