The Prospect of Immortality
The fundamental goal of cryonics is to give people a "second chance at life." Our aim is to greatly extend human lifespans and improve quality of life through applied technology - both present day and especially emerging future technology.
The process of cryopreservation involves cooling a legally-dead person to liquid nitrogen temperature where all physical decay essentially stops - with the goal of preserving tissues, organs and especially the brain with its associated memories and personality as perfectly as possible. A person held in this state is termed a "cryopreserved patient," because we do not consider the legal definition of "death" as a permanently irreversible state. We believe that the incredible advances being made today in biology, medicine, computers, nanotechnology and much more inevitably point to a future where advanced science will be able to revive these patients and restore them to health and even renewed youth.
Essentially, the concept is to "buy time" until technology catches up and is able to fully repair and restore the human body. Cryonicists are people who believe this future is not only possible, but highly probable and who have decided to take action in the present for the chance at a renewed life in the future. Cryonics Insitute patients currently cryopreserved at CI include people from all walks of life and all ages - chefs, students, secretaries, professors and many others.