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Mint
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
The race to freeze and revive the dead: Science or folly?
From Demolition Man—where Sylvester Stallone's cryogenically frozen whole body is revived to chase a futuristic villain played by Wesley Snipes—to movies like The 6th Day, Gemini Man, and Universal Soldier, Hollywood has long toyed with the idea of cheating death through scientific advancements such as cloning and cryonics. That notion of resurrecting the dead is no longer confined to pulp fiction and sci-fi. From Berlin to Arizona, companies are freezing brains—and sometimes the entire bodies—of humans and pets, betting that future science will one day bring them back. For instance, Tomorrow Bio, Europe's only provider of whole-body cryoprotection, recently made headlines when it raised about $6 million. However, behind the sci-fi gloss lie pressing questions: How does the process really work? Who can afford it? Which companies are leading the charge worldwide? And are these firms reckoning with the philosophical, social, legal, and moral upheavals that would follow if dead people, or animals like the Woolly Mammoth from the Ice Age, were ever revived into a world far removed from the one they left? What is Tomorrow Bio aiming to achieve? Founded in 2020, Tomorrow Bio offers post-legal-death cryopreservation across Europe. The Berlin-based startup says it has already preserved 20 people and 10 pets, with more than 800 members enrolled. Its ambulances—currently in Berlin and Amsterdam, and soon in Zurich—first cool patients to –80 °C immediately after death, before transferring them to long-term storage in Switzerland. There, vacuum-insulated steel dewars (containers) filled with liquid nitrogen (-196 °C) keep bodies preserved indefinitely without electricity. Oversight rests with a non-profit Patient Care Foundation, designed to ensure continuity even if the company itself fails. The start-up calls whole-body field cryoprotection its hallmark innovation, reducing delays and tissue damage. All equipment is German-sourced or custom-built in Berlin, while Switzerland's stability makes it, according to the company, the safest place to safeguard 'patients until revival becomes possible". Are there other cryonics companies? The cryonics industry is still small but growing, with only a few hundred people preserved worldwide. The Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona, founded in 1972, is the most established player, with around 1,442 members and 248 patients in storage. The Cryonics Institute in Michigan, set up in 1976, offers lower-cost whole-body preservation and has about 2,200 members and 240 patients. In Russia, KrioRus—operating since the mid-2000s—has preserved a little over 100 people and 77 pets, and offers both whole-body and head-only options. China's Shandong Yinfeng Life Science Research Institute is newer but has already cryopreserved a dozen or so individuals. Southern Cryonics in Australia is preparing its first storage facility, while Germany's non-profit Cryonics Germany offers low-cost neuro preservation to a small but dedicated base. In the US, Oregon Cryonics (now Oregon Brain Preservation) has shifted to brain-only services. Several related efforts complement these providers. Suspended Animation, Inc. handles stabilization and transport for patients in the US, while Nectome experiments with chemical brain preservation and focuses on "advancing the science of memory." Academic initiatives like the Brain Preservation Foundation and Biostasis Technologies pursue research rather than patient services. But what exactly is cryonics? James Hiram Bedford, a former University of California psychology professor who died of renal cancer in 1967, was the first human to be cryonically preserved. He has been stored at Alcor since 1991. Founded in 1972 in California by Fred and Linda Chamberlain, Alcor has grown into the world's most recognized cryonics provider. Fred himself is cryopreserved there, while Linda continues to work at the company. Cryonics, or biostasis, seeks to pause the dying process at subfreezing temperatures so that future medical technology might restore life and health. Alcor calls it the 'ambulance to the future". Ideally, preservation begins immediately after legal death, at cardiac arrest. Patients are not considered dead but 'cryopreserved". Unlike embalming, which slows decay, or organ donation, which repurposes tissue, cryonics halts biological processes altogether. This is achieved with cryoprotectants—chemicals that prevent lethal ice crystal formation by replacing water in tissues. Cooling is then carried out through vitrification, where body fluids solidify into a glass-like state rather than crystallizing. Once cooled to –196 °C, patients are stored indefinitely in vacuum-insulated steel dewars (insulated containers) filled with liquid nitrogen. The process requires no electricity, shielding patients from power failures and reducing long-term costs. How much do these companies charge? For members, the cost is €200,000 (full-body) or €75,000 (brain-only). One can pay in monthly instalments until you are cryopreserved. Membership guarantees standby services and provides a €30,000 discount on cryopreservation costs compared to non-member pricing. For non-members, whole-body cryopreservation costs €230,000.00 while brain-only cryopreservation is priced at €115,000.00. Those using Alcor for cryopreservation today must take a life insurance policy that pays $80,000 at death for neuropreservation (just the head), or $200,000 for whole-body preservation. Cryonics Institute offers the whole body at about $28,000, but standby and transport add another $60,000. KrioRus charges $36,000 for whole and $15,000-18,000 for brain. Prospective clients often fund services via life insurance policies. Can cryonics really bring people back? No full mammal has ever been cooled to cryogenic temperatures and successfully revived. At least, not yet. Still, hospitals routinely resuscitate 'clinically dead" patients—those without a heartbeat or breathing—using modern medical interventions. Cryonics advocates argue that 'absolute death" only occurs when the brain's critical information is lost, and that cryopreservation preserves this data for future repair. The hope is that advances in biotechnology and nanomedicine will one day make revival possible—and perhaps even allow terminally ill patients to undergo cryonics before legal death. For now, those cryopreserved remain in waiting. Do Big Tech executives support cryopreservation? Many Big Tech leaders identify with transhumanism—a movement that embraces technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), nanotech, genetic engineering, and cryonics to extend human life. For instance, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has publicly expressed his wish to be cryopreserved and invested millions in longevity research, including SENS Research Foundation and Craig Venter's Human Longevity. Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, became a paid member of Nectome in 2018. Others back ageing and disease research more broadly: Futurist Ray Kurzweil takes more than 100 pills a day to defy ageing. Google co-founder Sergey Brin, carrying a Parkinson's risk mutation, has donated over $130 million to Parkinson's causes. His co-founder, Larry Page, launched Calico Life Sciences to combat ageing, while Jeff Bezos has backed Altos Labs, focused on cellular rejuvenation. Elon Musk founded Neuralink to merge AI and the brain. Closer home, Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan funds brain-computing research. What are the ethical and legal dilemmas of cryonics? Cryonics has long stirred controversy. In 1987, the Dora Kent case saw Alcor accused of preserving a patient's head while she was still alive; police raided its facility, but no charges were filed. Two decades later, the 'Frozen Larry" case alleged mishandling of remains, including baseball legend Ted Williams's head. The claims were never proven, but the headlines dented Alcor's image. More recently, US-based Colossal Biosciences, cofounded by Harvard and MIT geneticist George Church, is working to revive extinct species like the woolly mammoth and dodo through cloning and genetic engineering. This has raised fears of introducing a Jurassic World. Critics also argue that cryonics is scientifically unproven, more promise than practice, and borders on pseudoscience. Ethicists question whether billion-dollar longevity research benefits only the wealthy, while faith groups view it as an unnatural defiance of death. Medically, freezing can cause tissue damage, and even if revival becomes possible, there is no guarantee of restored memory or identity. Legal concerns include consent, funding sustainability, and the welfare of revived individuals—or pets—who may awaken to a world unrecognizable from the one they left, raising profound identity and quality-of-life dilemmas. And what if AI is sentient when cryonic patients awaken? If current trends pan out as feared, cryopreserved individuals—or even pets—revived centuries from now, may likely enter a world dominated by artificially sentient beings. The reason: by then, AI would have surpassed human cognition, running governments, economies, and even healthcare. Cryonics may hence save the body and brain, but re-entry into a world with sentient AI could challenge the very notion of what it means to be human. For one, revived humans might find themselves socially and intellectually obsolete, struggling to integrate into societies shaped by post-human intelligence. Second, pets could be seen as sentimental relics in a world where digital or bioengineered companions are common. Last but not least, it raises philosophical questions of personhood and rights: Would revived people have the same legal and social standing as those who never died? Would AI recognize their dignity, view them as historical curiosities, or simply lab rats? There are no easy answers.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ally Walker, Star of 'Sons of Anarchy,' Debuts Metaphysical Thriller 'The Light Runner'
LOS ANGELES, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Rabbit Press LLC. presents "The Light Runner" (ISBN: 978-1966981060). Ally Walker has captivated audiences with unforgettable roles—from June Stahl in "Sons of Anarchy" to Dr. Sam Waters in "Profiler." Her versatility has made her a standout presence in film and television, with memorable performances in "Universal Soldier" and "While You Were Sleeping." After recent appearances in 'Ghosted, Longmire, and Colony," Walker now brings her storytelling prowess to the page with her debut novel, "The Light Runner." With "The Light Runner," Walker delivers a metaphysical thriller that bends reality, unravels secrets, and challenges perception. At Bainbridge Psychiatric Hospital, the lines between truth and illusion are dangerously thin. Dr. Ella Kramer, a psychiatrist haunted by her own past, is assigned to Captain Oliver Haskell, a decorated war hero whose fractured mind may hold the key to solving his wife's brutal murder. As she delves deeper into his unraveling psyche, she begins to uncover disturbing patterns among the other patients—patterns that suggest Bainbridge is far more than it seems. Walker's cinematic storytelling shines through in the novel, earning praise from her peers. Actress Sarah Wayne Callies, "The Walking Dead," called it "propulsive, thoughtful, incisive—a thriller that stands out in a crowded field." A masterful weaving of past and present, actor Tim DeKay "Oppenheimer" described it as "a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of the prisons we build for ourselves, both within and without." Katey Sagal "Sons of Anarchy, Married with Children." praised the novel's immersive storytelling, saying, "The imagery is vivid and other-worldly, and the storytelling makes it impossible to put down. The characters are unique and compelling, making the whole ride fun." Walker's ability to create cinematic storytelling is a standout feature of "The Light Runner." Robert Davi (Profiler, Die Hard) emphasizes her deep understanding of character and narrative, declaring, "Ally Walker has planted her flag in the crime genre… vivid storytelling, pacing, and character development—true cinematic storytelling." Beyond the unraveling mystery, "The Light Runner" bridges psychological suspense with metaphysical intrigue. Christine Lahti (Chicago Hope) calls it "a fantastical page-turner… a thriller that bridges two worlds and begs the question—how will you fight to keep your humanity?" Walker crafts a thriller that grips, unsettles, and refuses to let go. "The Light Runner" releases June 6, 2025. For more information, visit MULTIMEDIA: VIDEO: PHOTO: CAPTION: "The Light Runner" by Ally Walker. This release was issued through Send2Press® on behalf of the news source. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at View original content: SOURCE Red Rabbit Press LLC. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Oscar-Winning Singer Buffy Sainte-Marie Stripped of Her Order of Canada Honor After Indigenous Heritage Scandal
Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Buffy Sainte-Marie has been stripped of her prestigious Order of Canada appointment, more than one year after a scandal that found the singer allegedly lied about her Indigenous heritage. On Saturday, Feb. 8, the Canadian government published the announcement in the most recent edition of the Canada Gazette, writing: "Notice is hereby given that the appointment of Buffy Sainte-Marie to the Order of Canada was terminated by Ordinance signed by the Governor General on Jan. 3, 2025." The Toronto Star was the first to report the news. Known for her songs of activism including "Universal Soldier" and "Now That the Buffalo's Gone," Sainte-Marie, 83, was once considered to be the first Indigenous person to win an Oscar for co-writing the song "Up Where We Belong" for the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman, according to CBC, which first investigated Sainte-Marie's alleged lies about her ethnicity in 2023. Sainte-Marie has also received numerous Indigenous music awards over her decades-long career, including four Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, two Indigenous Music Awards, four Junos designated for Indigenous people and four Indigenous lifetime achievement awards, CBC previously reported. CBC's Fifth Estate show, published in October 2023 and now viewed on YouTube more than 1.5 million times, alleges that Sainte-Marie fabricated her heritage. Reporters showed a birth certificate on camera that stated her birthplace as Stoneham, Mass., her "color of race" as "white" and her birth name as Beverly Jean Santamaria. CBC reported in 2023 that Sainte-Marie had long said she was "Cree Indian" and had once claimed to have been born "on the Piapot Cree reservation near Craven, [Saskatchewan]." Sainte-Marie also claimed to have been adopted by a Massachusetts couple, Albert and Winifred Santamaria, who raised her near Boston, and that she met her relatives later in life. Related: New Podcast Sheds Light on Abuses at Native American Boarding Schools: 'Justice Needs to Be Served' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Sainte-Marie has denied CBC's claims, writing in a lengthy statement titled "My Truth as I Know It," which she shared on social media soon after the report was published in 2023, that the allegations were "deeply hurtful." "I have always struggled to answer questions about who I am," she wrote at the time, adding that she is "proud of my Indigenous-American identity and the deep ties I have to Canada and my Piapot family." She also stated "what I know about my Indigenous ancestry I learned from my mother" and concluded by writing, "I may not known where I was born, but I know who I am." In 2023, Piapot First Nation acting Chief Ira Lavallee asked Sainte-Marie to take a DNA test, telling the Canadian Press, "I do believe that we deserve a definitive answer from her." According to the Toronto Star, a representative for the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General said in a statement: "The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General does not comment on the specifics of termination cases." The representative added to Variety that only nine out of 7,600 people who have received the Order of Canada honor since 1967 have had their status terminated. Read the original article on People
The Independent
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Singer Buffy Sainte-Marie stripped of prestigious Canadian honour
The Canadian government has stripped Oscar-winning songwriter-singer Buffy Sainte-Marie of her Order of Canada, one of the country's highest civilian honours. Sainte-Marie, 83, best known for her 1964 anti-war anthem 'Universal Soldier' and for co-writing the Oscar-winning song 'Up Where We Belong', was awarded the Order of Canada in 1997 for her services to Indigenous Canadians. In a notice given by Ken MacKillop, Secretary General of the Order of Canada and Governor General Mary Simon, Sainte-Marie's order was terminated on 3 January. No reason for the termination was stated, but it is understood that terminations are rare – it has only happened to nine people before – and it requires evidence from an advisory council to be signed off. The termination comes after a journalistic investigation conducted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) alleged that the singer had fabricated claims of her Indigenous ancestry. While the singer has long been honest about not knowing specific details about her roots, she has identified as being from the Piapot Cree First Nations Reserve in Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan. Her 2018 biography also states she was likely born Cree, while her website stated that she was 'believed to have been born in 1941 on the Piapot First Nation reserve in Saskatchewan and taken from her biological parents when she was an infant'. A CBC investigation broadcast in 2023 shed doubt on the singer's claims of Indigenous ancestry, alleging that Sainte-Marie fabricated her Indigeneity, and presented a birth certificate shown on camera that claimed she was born Beverly Jean Santamaria, in Massachusetts, to white parents. Sainte-Marie defended herself in a video statement at the time, saying: 'My growing up mom, who was proud to be part Mi'kmaq, told me many things, including that I was adopted and that I was native.' ' And later in life, as an adult, she also told me some things that I've never shared out of respect for her. That I hate sharing now, including that I may have been born on the wrong side of the blanket.' Sainte-Marie has frequently said she does not know where she was born and does not have her birth certificate, but was adopted by the Santamaria's in America. 'I don't know where I'm from, who my birth parents are, or how I ended up a misfit in a typical white, Christian, New England town,' she said. Piapot First Nation acting Chief Ira Lavallee asked her to take a DNA test in 2023, but it's uncertain whether a test was taken. In October 2023, Sainte-Marie issued a statement online with the headline, 'My Truth as I Know It,' calling the questions surrounding her heritage 'deeply hurtful allegations'. 'I have always struggled to answer questions [about] who I am,' she said, adding that she maintains that she is 'proud of my Indigenous-American identity, and the deep ties I have to Canada and my Piapot family'. 'What I know about my Indigenous ancestry I learned from my mother,' she added. 'I may not known where I was born, but I know who I am.' The Order of Canada has been given to more than 7,600 people, and is awarded to those who make extraordinary contributions to the nation. Sainte-Marie has won seven Juno Awards – the country's equivalent of a Grammy – including 1997's Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording, as it was called then, as well as 2009's Aboriginal Recording of the Year and 2016's Aboriginal Album of the Year and 2018's Indigenous Music Album of the Year.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Singer-Activist Buffy Sainte-Marie Stripped of Order of Canada, the Country's Most Prestigious Civilian Honor
Oscar-winning songwriter and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Buffy Sainte-Marie, known for the anti-war song 'Universal Soldier' and stolen-land lament 'Now That the Buffalo's Gone,' has had her prestigious Order of Canada appointment terminated, the Toronto Star reported late Friday. The award is the country's highest honor presented to a civilian. 'Notice is hereby given that the appointment of Buffy Sainte-Marie to the Order of Canada was terminated by Ordinance signed by the Governor General [Mary Simon] on January 3, 2025.' The notice was given by Ken MacKillop, Secretary General of the Order of Canada. More from Variety Buffy Sainte-Marie's Indigenous Identity Questioned in New Report; Oscar-Winning Songwriter Calls Allegations 'Traumatic' and 'Deeply Hurtful' Documentary About Indigenous Oscar Winner Buffy Sainte-Marie Begins Production (EXCLUSIVE) No specific reason for the termination was stated, but an investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's 'Fifth Estate' show, published on Oct. 27, 2023 and now viewed on YouTube 1.5 million times, alleges that Sainte-Marie fabricated her Indigeneity, and presented a birth certificate shown on camera listing Boston, Mass. as her place of birth, 'color of race' as 'white,' and birth name as Beverly Jean Santamaria. A representative of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General told Variety via email, 'The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General does not comment on the specifics of termination cases,' but pointed to the organization's web site, which reads in part: 'The recommendation of the Advisory Council shall be based on evidence and guided by the principle of fairness and shall only be made after the Council has ascertained the facts it considers relevant.' The rep noted that since its creation in 1967, more than 7,600 people from all sectors have been invested into the Order. Terminations are rare; just eight people to date. Saint-Marie, who turns 84 on Feb. 20, has spent six decades as a musician and activist, releasing 16 studio albums whose songs often address war and Indigenous rights. Her latest was 2017's 'Medicine Songs,' containing new and re-recordings of older material. Biographical information supplied by her team over the years states that she was born on the Piapot Cree First Nations Reserve in Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan. Her 2018 authorized biography also states she was likely born Cree, while her web siteonce said that she is 'believed to have been born in 1941 on the Piapot First Nation reserve in Saskatchewan and taken from her biological parents when she was an infant.' The 'Sixties Scoop' is a dark period in Canadian history in which policies allowed for Indigenous children to be taken without consent from their birth families and adopted by white families. Sainte-Marie has frequently said she does not know where she was born and does not have her birth certificate, but was adopted by the Santamaria's in America. In her early 20s, she was formally adopted into the Piapot family of the Piapot First Nation. However, the investigation by Fifth Estate (a '60 Minutes'-style news program) unearthed information that alleges Sainte-Marie is Italian-American and that she threatened family members to hide that information when she launched her music career in the 1960s. Family members were interviewed as part of the CBC investigation. A much-beloved figure in Canada, the report caused a split in support, some dismissing the information, others pointing to the good Sainte-Marie has done over her lifetime, while others condemned her for being a 'pretendian,' the name given to a person claiming to be Indigenous or have Indigenous heritage. On Oct. 26, 2023, Sainte-Marie issued a lengthy statement following the Fifth Estate report, with the headline 'My Truth as I Know It,' calling them 'deeply hurtful allegations' and stating 'I have always struggled to answer questions who I am.' She maintains she is 'proud of my Indigneous-American identity, and the deep ties I have to Canada and my Piapot family.' She explains 'what I know about my Indigneous ancestry I learned from my mother' and concludes with 'I may not known where I was born, but I know who I am.' Major music bodies in Canada which have honored Sainte-Marie throughout her career have not revoked her awards. She has won seven Juno Awards, the country's equivalent of a Grammy, including 1997's Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording, as it was called then, 2009's Aboriginal Recording of the Year, 2016's Aboriginal Album of the Year and 2018's Indigenous Music Album of the Year. In 1995, the Juno Awards inducted her into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and in 2017 gave her the Humanitarian Award. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (CARAS) did not respond to Variety's request for comment about these recent developments and if her awards still stand. The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame also inducted Sainte-Marie in 2019. Her song 'Universal Soldier' was inducted in 2005. Her official bio at that time, still on the CSHF web site, reads, 'Born into a Cree family on the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan in 1941, Beverly Sainte-Marie was raised by relatives in the Eastern USA.' In 2015, she won Canada's prestigious Polaris Music Prize for her album, 'Power in the Blood,' voted on by members of the music media. In 2021, Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp of Sainte-Marie and the following year the Toronto International Film Festival premiered the documentary 'Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It,' directed by Madison Thomas, which won a 2023 International Emmy Award, and two Canadian Screen Awards. On Nov. 3, 2023, after its own examination of the Fifth Estate's findings, Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation, stood by Sainte-Marie, outlining its decision in a statement. 'The SSHF Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer and Staff unanimously stand by Buffy Sainte-Marie as an ally and advocate for the Sixties Scoop Survivor constituents of the Foundation, whether or not she is herself an actual Sixties Scoop Survivor,' it concludes, signed by the Board of Directors and CEO. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
