Published: 16 January, 2008, 06:59
Edited: 16 January, 2008, 06:59
Forget a funeral or cremation, Russians can choose to be frozen when they die, in the belief that solutions to ageing and disease will be found and death be reversed.
Dry freezing hasn’t changed much since 1962 when it began in the United States. But some scientists are now confident they can make the dream of immortality come true.
And the magic happens on the outskirts of Moscow. A rundown old building to the naked eye but to those in the know a former school is home to frozen remains.
The process is as follows: within two hours of someone being legally pronounced dead, relatives can send the body or just the brain, here for indefinite storage. A body is kept in one of these boxes under a constant stream of liquid nitrogen to keep it cool and stop physical decay.
If someone chooses to freeze just a brain then it is securely put in one of the metal tins then placed in a special container where it is frozen in time at a temp of -196 Celsius.
These conditions are checked once a week to make sure the liquid nitrogen stays at the right level.
And scientists say they’re offering a service high in demand.