Awesome article.
Finally, funds are being put to good use researching something that can have profound effects on helping the human race conquer the horrifying diseases and injuries that rob so many innocent families of loved ones every single year.
The potential for monumental futuristic technologies that can be built from this work is astounding. Imagine if someone who has passed away from an illness or injury can have their brain completely intact, preserved and functional while a new body is being 'grown' for them via stem cells, or an artificial robotic body built. Or, even if technology may not be sufficient to create an entire body, the brain could be kept in a databank, hooked up to an electronic interface where the person's loved ones can still communicate with them via a holographic screen.
This research also opens up new potential in manned interplanetary and interstellar travel. Once the mechanisms for safe and routine human hibernation and revival can be perfected to a near flawless level, expeditions to nearby star systems and extrasolar planets via sublight-velocity spacecraft will be attainable.
www.npr.org
