cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/4750716
Human hibernation has made some strides recently. I think a year or so ago a Wired mag article said the only significant unsolved problem is shivering. They have a cocktail of drugs that makes hibernation possible apart from the fact that people shiver at low temps.
If they solve this, I will gladly prefer to be shipped as cargo on a sail boat or airship so long as someone tends to a heart monitor to ensure a few heartbeats per min or whatever is still happening. No more Gestappo airport security, stresses of delayed flights, screaming babies, people eating Camembert cheese within 5 meters of you. You age at like ⅓ the rate in hibernation (or something like that). I’d gladly trade a week of reduced useful lifetime in exchange for a later death (experiencing more of the future than otherwise possible). The idea of being able to easily flip the middle finger to Boeing would also be a nice perk. (#boycottBoeing)
The most common use of hibernation will be in emergency medicine. Consider how often someone dies because the ambulance could not get them to the ER fast enough. They will be put into hibernation to greatly stretch their time. And because there is an immediate need in life-death situations, hibernation will be developed rapidly. That is, the experimentation phase will go fast.
It’s a good point about anesthesia. I’m not sure if it’ll be comparable to anesthesia or more like tranquilization (e.g. like someone taking a tranquilizer to sleep). Certainly specialists will be needed in the early phases.