A Biobank is a Personal Time Machine for DNA
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A Biobank is a Personal Time Machine for DNA
Your next life cycle begins with a fortified dry DNA sample you keep at home
Readers of this space learn that as a network designer, I envision two key technologies that together open a portal to successive lives for anyone alive today. These are 1) biobanking and 2) ectogenesis (artificial wombs). Let’s start with the seedstock (our DNA) first, and then follow up later with some updates on gestation itself.
You may not have heard of this option for your DNA—and I do agree that it’s a lonely salient I’m defending here—so let’s take the option of asking ChatGPT what it thinks of the proposition, for some evidence that I’m not completely insane.
Here’s its reply to /imagine how cryobanking could be integrated into the funeral and memorial industries
ChatGPT comments as follows: Integrating cryobanking into the funeral and memorial industries to enable successive lifetimes through ectogenesis is a complex but intriguing concept. Here's a vision of how this integration could be approached:
Cryopreservation Services: Funeral homes could offer cryopreservation services as an alternative to traditional burial or cremation. Deceased individuals would undergo a carefully managed process to preserve their bodies or reproductive materials at extremely low temperatures.
Biobank Facilities: Specialized biobank facilities, equipped with state-of-the-art cryopreservation technology, would store the preserved materials. These facilities would adhere to rigorous scientific standards and ethical guidelines.
Blockchain Records: Utilize blockchain technology to securely record and manage the identities of the preserved individuals, their genetic information, and the terms of any contracts associated with ectogenesis. This ensures transparency and accountability within the process, in line with your Ethereum smart contract focus.
Memorialization: Families and loved ones could visit cryobank memorial centers to commemorate the preserved individuals. These centers might include interactive exhibits, educational resources, and spaces for reflection.
Successive Lifetimes: The long-term vision involves using advanced ectogenesis technology to gestate and bring to life a new generation from the preserved genetic material. This process would require breakthroughs in artificial womb technology.
Legal and Ethical Frameworks: Develop robust legal and ethical frameworks to address issues related to consent, ownership, and decision-making regarding the potential "rebirth" of the preserved individuals.
Public Awareness and Education: Engage in comprehensive public education campaigns to raise awareness about the concept of successive lifetimes and its implications, including discussions about the intersection of biotech and religion.
Scientific Research: Continuously fund and support scientific research in areas such as cryobiology, artificial womb technology, and ethical considerations surrounding ectogenesis to ensure scientific rigor and ethical practices.
By following these steps, the funeral and memorial industries could evolve into a comprehensive ecosystem that not only respects the values of humanism but also contributes to the ambitious goal of successive lifetimes through cryobanking and ectogenesis.
🌐 Sources
The path toward ectogenesis: looking beyond the technical
Artificial womb technology and clinical translation
We may one day grow babies outside the womb, but there...
Conclusion
I have to say I’m glad of this 3rd party opinion of the concept, which I’ve been working on most of my adult life. At stake is 2-3 more life cycles over the next centuries. Ask your priest if near-immortality is right for you.
The process (DNA stewardship) would begin by purchasing the kit ($389) from Securigene.com, as is sold via some 3000+ funeral homes. Send me a receipt for the purchase, and there’s your membership in the Humanist Union Society.
This is indeed a time machine that will safeguard your biological ID and life franchise, in our species and a virgin Universe for many decades. Your DNA will be purified and fortified, within a hermetically sealed stainless steel capsule. Keep it at home at room temperature. These are your training wheels for immortality.
For ectogenesis, I will detail in a later Stack the steps that will include freezing a whole blood sample at -137C in N2 vapor, suitable for advanced regeneration, and info on the smart contracts needed to fund and support the infant that - per blockchain surety - will indeed be you. ChatGPT will likely compose the contracts as well.
If you’d like to participate in the Society I am moderating to this end, please comment and give us your suggestions below.
“The loading has begun.” -Neil Young