Death, a universal certainty, is being challenged by a daring vision. Borys Wróbel, leading scientist at Nectome, isn't accepting finality – he's exploring ways to preserve the human brain, and potentially, the very essence of who we are.
Last month, Wróbel and his team achieved a remarkable feat: the complete preservation of a pig’s brain and body. This breakthrough isn’t simply about halting decay; it’s a crucial step toward a future where human brains could be preserved for centuries, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the possibility of “uploading” consciousness.
Wróbel speaks with a poignant urgency, lamenting the loss of human experience with each passing day. He envisions a future where the wisdom of generations – the firsthand accounts of those who lived through pivotal moments like World War II – aren’t relegated to history books, but accessible through direct interaction.
Imagine, he suggests, the ability for people in the year 3000 to converse with individuals alive today. This isn’t science fiction, but a potential reality fueled by a groundbreaking, though still preliminary, protocol.
The challenge lies in the brain’s delicate structure. Neuroscientists believe our identities reside within the 100 trillion connections of our brains – the connectome. Mapping this intricate network is a monumental task, hindered by the destructive nature of ice formation during freezing.
Traditional freezing crushes cells, and common anti-freeze solutions are toxic. Time itself is an enemy, as the brain begins to deteriorate rapidly after cardiac arrest. Nectome’s solution? A swift intervention, flushing the blood from a pig’s heart just ten minutes after death – a timeframe refined from earlier, less successful attempts.
Following the blood flush, a carefully crafted preservation fluid containing aldehyde chemicals was introduced, essentially “gluing” the cells together. This fluid, a cryoprotectant, replaced water within the tissue, preventing the formation of jagged ice crystals as the brain was cooled to a frigid -32°C.
The ultimate goal is to achieve a “glassy state,” where the tissue is solidified without crystalline damage. Wróbel believes this could allow for the preservation of brains for hundreds, even thousands, of years, safeguarding the intricate details of neural connections.
The preserved pig brain revealed an astonishing level of structural integrity. The neurons responsible for speech, movement, and thought – along with the synapses connecting them – remained largely unspoiled. This is a significant achievement, considering the complexity of even a small section of a mammalian brain takes years to map.
Wróbel’s ambition extends beyond preservation. He hopes to one day preserve his own brain, and those of others, with the ultimate goal of “reanimation” – not simply reviving a brain, but restoring a thinking, feeling, remembering mind.
This differs drastically from cryogenics, which focuses on cooling bodies with the hope of future revival. Wróbel envisions analyzing the preserved brain’s structure and recreating it, potentially in engineered tissue or within a computer connected to a robotic body.
Nectome isn’t seeking volunteers at random. They are reaching out to individuals with terminal illnesses who are considering Oregon’s “Death with Dignity” law, offering them the opportunity to donate their brains and bodies to science.
This research raises profound ethical and philosophical questions. Can a reanimated brain truly recapture the essence of a person? Ben Goult, a cell biologist, questions the level of “consciousness” possible without the body’s inherent signals and interactions.
Bethany Facer, another neuroscientist, emphasizes that a snapshot of brain circuitry doesn’t capture the dynamic activity within it. Yet, she acknowledges the remarkable progress neuroscience has made, and the fascinating questions this research unlocks.
For Eric Klein, founder of the Lifeboat Foundation, this work represents a vital step in mitigating existential risks. He points to the growing number of people conceived through embryo preservation as evidence of humanity’s desire to overcome the limitations of time and mortality.
The quest to conquer death, or at least its finality, is a deeply human one. While the path ahead is fraught with challenges, Nectome’s groundbreaking work offers a glimpse into a future where the boundaries of life and death may be redefined.
