Melbourne woman cryogenically freezes body
More than 600 people around the world have undergone cryopreservation, hoping to be revived in the future if science allows it.
But scientists say there's no proof they'll ever be revived.
Laura Tchilingurian spoke with RMIT cell and tissue cryo-preservation expert Saffron Bryant.
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ABC News
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Baby born in US from an over‑30‑year‑old embryo breaks record
A US baby boy born from an embryo that had been in storage for more than 30 years is believed to have broken the record for the world's "oldest" baby. The embryo of Thaddeus Daniel Pierce, who was born on July 26, had been cryopreserved since 1994, according to MIT Technology Review, which broke the story. His parents, Lindsey and Tim Pierce, who live in the US state of Ohio, "adopted" the embryo from the 62-year-old woman who created it. The couple said those in their lives had likened it to "something from a sci-fi movie". Mr Pierce was a toddler when his son's embryo was first created, and Thaddeus also has a 30-year-old sister. The previous record-holder for an embryo that was frozen before a successful live birth was a pair of twins who were born in 2022 from embryos frozen in 1992. Linda Archerd, who donated the embryo, said it had been "pretty surreal". "It's hard to even believe," she told the US journal. The birth was made possible with the assistance of a Christian embryo adoption service. These services believe an embryo is equivalent to a born child and look to reduce the number of discarded embryos. This includes the case of frozen embryos that have been stored in outdated ways. Ms Archerd originally froze four embryos with the Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program run by the Nightlight Christian Adoptions agency. After having her own daughter, the other three were left in storage, and despite divorcing her husband, she did not want to discard the embryos. The program Ms Archerd used also allows donors to choose a couple, and can state religious, racial and nationality preferences. She wanted a white, married Christian couple from the US. "I didn't want them to go out of the country," Mr Archerd told the journal. "And being Christian is very important to me, because I am." Ms Archerd finally found her match in the Pierces, who had been trying to have a child for seven years. "We didn't go into it thinking we would break any records," Mrs Pierce told the journal. "We just wanted to have a baby." The pair say, despite a rough birth, both Mrs Pierce and Thaddeus are doing well. Ms Archerd said he looks just like her own daughter as a baby. "I pulled out my baby book and compared them side by side, and there is no doubt that they are siblings." Snowflakes' vice-president Elizabeth Button said the embryo adoption program honours Ms Archerd for donating her remaining embryos, and Mr and Mrs Pierce for adopting embryos that many fertility clinics would not have taken a chance on. "Though we encourage placing families to make decisions sooner rather than later regarding their remaining embryos, this story affirms that frozen embryos do not have a 'shelf life'. All are deserving of the opportunity to be born."
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
Tragic details reveal moments that led to Rachael Dixon's death at Victorian health retreat
A Melbourne mother was 'very excited' before attending an alternative health retreat at which she ultimately died, a new coroner's report has found. Rachael Lee Dixon, 53, died in the early hours of April 14 after attending a 'healing session' run by wellness guru Deanne Matthews at a rented property just outside Ballarat where she consumed magic mushrooms. Ms Matthews, also known as Diane Mathews, pleaded guilty to trafficking a drug of dependence and was fined $3000 in March this year. No charges have been laid over Ms Dixon's death. The new report, by Coroner Audrey Jamieson, has revealed the moments that led to Ms Dixon's death but stopped short of solving the mysterious cause. In the findings, Ms Jamieson noted that Ms Dixon first met Ms Matthews about eight years prior and she had been attending regular sessions with Ms Matthews every three months in the 18 months before her death. In November 2022, Ms Dixon bought a book for $500 from Ms Matthews titled The Deep Self 28 Day Microdosing Experience that contained journaling prompts and information on microdosing using psilocybin – the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. Ms Dixon wrote in the book that her goal was to stop 'binge drinking alcohol and food' and made clear that she saw psilocybin as a way to address her childhood trauma. Ms Matthews had provided ongoing advice to Ms Dixon on how to microdose magic mushrooms, the report continued. Leading up to her death, Ms Dixon was having a positive experience with the drug, her son told the coroner. 'I think they were definitely helping her, she seemed to be getting better. I knew she was getting better because she would stop drinking as much, she would always tell me how relaxed and how much better she felt within herself and about life,' he said. This led to her being 'very excited to go to the retreat', telling her husband Richard Mountain that 'she thought this was going to be her big breakthrough moment'. On the night of April 13, 2024, Ms Dixon consumed her first dose of mushroom tea at 6.15pm, then her second at 7.45pm. The event was hosted by Ms Mathews at the Soul Barn in Clunes and attended by nine paying participants. It was not until 11.30pm, with the effects of psilocybin wearing off, that Ms Dixon called out to Ms Matthews and was crying. Ms Matthews tried to lift Ms Dixon, but she could not walk and instead fell about 50cm, the coroner reported. Ms Dixon was then taken to a separate space to lay on a pillow, after which Ms Matthews moved her to the property's kitchen so she could open the back door to give Ms Dixon some 'fresh cold air'. By 11.53pm, Ms Matthews had called emergency services and told triple-0: 'I was holding a ceremony and I don't think someone, she's not responding.' A registered GoodSam responder arrived within 10 minutes and attached a defibrillator to Ms Dixon. Paramedics arrived soon after, and tried to resuscitate her for about 30 minutes, before she was ultimately declared dead at 12.45am. Ms Jamieson's report tried to determine what caused Ms Dixon's death, but despite her death 'occurring in the context of her recent use of illicit drugs', she found that Ms Dixon died from 'unascertained causes'. Ms Jamieson wrote that an investigation of coronial databases found 20 deaths between 2014 and 2025 where psilocin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, was present. She said in seven of those cases, the potential link between magic mushroom consumption and death had been explored – each were unable to determine if the drug had played a role. 'However, I emphasise I have not concluded the mushroom consumption was unrelated to Rachael's death,' Ms Jamieson found. 'Rather, as already discussed, Rachael's case reflects that we do not know enough at present about the chemistry and pharmacology of magic mushrooms to confirm or exclude that mushroom consumption caused or contributed to her death.' Forensic pathologist Joanne Ho found that circumstantially there was a 'temporal relationship between her death and the consumption of the magic mushroom infused tea' but noted that deaths from magic mushrooms were rare due to their low toxicity. One possible explanation was explored by Ms Jamieson, a little-known toxic syndrome called 'wood-lover paralysis'. The syndrome causes sudden muscle weakness, usually to the limbs, sometimes causing an inability to stand or walk, difficulty swallowing, and breathing difficulties. Ms Jamieson found 'the evidence regarding Rachael's symptoms (particularly her being unable to walk and her loss of spontaneous breathing) appears to be consistent with symptoms linked to the wood-lover paralysis toxidrome'. But given there is no known cause of wood-lover paralysis, she was unable to determine if it was the cause of death. The coroner recommended that people who partake in magic mushroom use should be educated about the rare syndrome, but she could not make a formal recommendation as there was no Victorian body that would be able 'reasonably' reach the 'diverse' group that use the drug. 'However, I direct that this finding be published on the Coroners Court of Victoria website so that my insights are available to any organisations or individuals who are in a position to consider and disseminate them to those who might be at risk,' she said.
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Beach cusps on NSW far south coast mystify photographers and experts
An unusual geometric sand pattern spotted on a NSW far south coast beach is delighting locals and photographers alike. The scallop-shaped sand formations stretch for hundreds of metres along Wallaga Beach, between Bermagui and Mystery Bay. Local photographer David Rogers has seen similar patterns in bays further north, but was excited to see them "by chance" further south earlier this week. "I'd seen this phenomenon before at a couple of places like Pearl Beach up in Sydney and Hyams Beach at Jervis Bay." Mr Rogers first spotted the sand patterns from a nearby headland, before he used a drone to get a better look and noticed how the gentle waves shaped the shoreline. "From above, it looks a lot more stunning than from on the ground," he said. "I think it's just the repetitive nature and the formation of the cups. The fascinating sand formation is not the only thing catching the eye of photographers in the area. Terry and Kim Dixon managed to film migrating humpback whales three days in a row at nearby Tathra, at the regulated 100-metre distance. Mr Rogers also spotted whales breaching on Wednesday near Kianniny Bay. "We had a fantastic show for about half an hour," he said. "That's nature for you." Beach cusps have been well studied, but exactly why they occur remains something of a mystery. Emeritus professor at the University of Sydney, Bruce Thom, has been studying the beaches of the NSW far south coast for more than 50 years. Professor Thom said that for beach cusps to form, steady, low waves, also known as "incident waves" were required, along with medium to coarse sand, which stays in place after a swash. "So those preconditions are operating, but that doesn't answer why they form in the first place," he said. Along with Sydney and Jervis Bay, beach cusps have been previously documented at Shoal Bay in Port Stephens, Bengello Beach near Moruya, and McKenzies Beach south of Batemans Bay. "They are being studied to death," Professor Thom said. "All that adds to a rather complex scientific story that has fascinated beach scientists for well over 100 years." A different type of sand movement is occurring at nearby Haywards Beach, which has resulted in damage to a well-known walking track. The erosion was something Professor Thom was keeping an eye on, as he continued to study sand deposits on the far south coast. "In 1974, the big storms came and wiped out a large section of the road, so it became a walking track," he said. "In the 80s, we had a lot of sand come back from the near shore … but the more recent storms have started to reverse that trend. "At Haywards, we're really seeing a dramatic switch back to erosion."
