Friday, April 13, 2012

Cryonics and Ted Williams' Bizarre Post-Mortem Saga

Odd reports have always swarmed around the Hall of Fame baseball slugger Ted Williams and the cryonic freezing of his head and body cryogenic storage containers.

Apparently Williams' head and body are still being stored in an Arizona cryonics lab. Williams' son, John Henry Williams, had is father placed in cryonic suspension, a process that freezes body parts in hopes that future scientific advancements will restore the dead to life or clone the person.
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Oddly enough, reports have stated that Williams head has been separated from the body and put in different cryogenic storage containers. The two are in the same room, but Williams' head was placed in a liquid nitrogen-filled steel cryogenic storage can on a shelf, while his body is in the same room. The body is in a liquid-nitrogen-filled, nine-foot-tall cylindrical steel tank and is properly marked by his ID number, A-1949.

The bizarre part of the post-mortem drama is that this may have not been Williams' intentions. Instead, it appears his son wanted the process to be done. The only publically known documentation that suggested Williams wanted to be perceive was on a piece of scrap paper, which was stained with motor oil and was dated Nov. 2, 2000. The paper bares Williams, John Henry and his sister Claudia signatures stating to be put in "Bio-Stasis after we die."

Williams' body was flown to Arizona almost immediately after his death on July 5, 2002. Many people contend that John Henry wants to preserve his father's DNA or even sell it. The saga is certainly interesting considered the potential of cryonics thanks to cryogenic storage. Could you imagine seeing Ted Williams in his baseball gear again? Now that would be something!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Can Future Cryonic Technology Reanimate Life?

Is there a way for us humans to shed our mortality? Well, some have the idea of using cryogenic storage to preserve our bodies beyond death in the hope that science will find the secret to everlasting life.

While most Americans choose the traditional path of being buried or cremated following death, there is an alternative to this type of treatment. With cryonics, the storage system can preserve a recently deceased or a seriously diseased person in the hopes that one day scientists will figure out how to reanimate to cure afflictions such as a terminal illness. These cryonic patients, called cryonauts, place their trust in the scientific advancement of the future. That trust and risk may pay out at a chance of immortality. This may sound more like science fiction rather than founded science, but many foresee the possibility of reanimation in the future, either near or distant.

The scientific concern with cryogenic storage regards tends to deal with the formation of ice crystals in the patient's cells while the body is cooled to a chilly -200 degrees Celsius. Antifreeze solution is used to reduce the formation of these ice crystals, but they occur nonetheless and cause serious tissue damage – much like freezer burn. Although, scientists feel that there will eventually be a way to repair this damage or even prevent it for future cryonauts.

For proof of escalating technology, cryobiologists have found a new technology called vitrification, which allows preservation without damaging tissue. Cryogenic vitrification involves replacing the patient's blood with a unique antifreeze cocktail that prohibits ice formations and suspends cells in a glass-like state. However, vitrification has only been achieved with single human cells and not an entire body; but is this opening a path to future solutions.

At this point, cryogenic storage for bodies is putting a lot of stock in future science. While it seems very fictional and fanciful, just think of how many people 200 years ago would laugh at the idea of a flying Boeing 747?

Thursday, March 29, 2012

How to Choose a Cryogenic Storage Provider

It is best to seek out experts who know how to use cryogenic storage properly. Cryogenic storage is an expanding field in modern science and there are many new trends being utilized. If you are an individual or company that is seeking to use modern cryogenics, then it is important to find a company that has real world experience in the field.

Cryogenic storage companies should have familiarity with installation and design in various formats of cryogenic systems. You should also look for companies that have expertise in cell culture storage, cryobiological preservation techniques, alarm system troubleshooting, in-house freezer control devices, and general knowledge regarding cryogenic storage. These are some of the standard criteria that university labs, medical research groups, and pharmaceutical industries look for when they choose a cryogenic storage facility to work with.

With the sensitive nature of cryogenic storage, it is important that you only trust the best providers. With the important job of preserving such sensitive materials as human blood, eggs, semen and donor organs, it is imperative that the equipment that is used in cryogenics be top quality, and the company that you purchase the equipment from are knowledgeable in its use. More than just scientific progress hangs in the balance: with ruined eggs, a woman might not be able to conceive a child; with spoiled donor organs, a man might not be able to have the vital transplant he needs, and not have much more time left to wait for another one to be available.

With the right choice of cryogenic storage provider, you or your company will never have to worry about lost biological materials or organs, and you will be advised of every in and out of the use of their product.

Friday, February 3, 2012

LN2 Freezers Help Companies Play New Age Tooth Fairy by Storing Dental Stem Cells

Slipping your children's teeth under the pillow for the tooth fairy may be a thing of the past. Now, thanks to LN2 freezer (liquid nitrogen) technology, companies are offering services to store baby teeth in case they are needed in the future to help treat or cure serious family medical issues.

The new technology allows companies to bank adult stem cells found in baby teeth and even in wisdom teeth. So instead of throwing those teeth away or having a dentist discard extracted wisdom teeth people can now store these precious dental stem cells that can be used for various dental and medical applications.

The lab harvests pulp and tissue that contains stem cells and then processes the cells for freezing. The cells are equilibrated with cyroprotectant and then placed in LN2 freezer storage units at the company. This will ensure long-term storage until the possible need by a healthcare provider.

The cost to store a tooth is just under $800 which includes the first year of storage after that fees fall about $10 a month to keep the tooth frozen.

As of right now there are no medical applications using dental stem cells but they are being used in studies. There is hope that one day – thanks to the help of LN2 freezer technology – doctors will be able to treat spinal cord injuries, MS (multiple sclerosis) and a variety of other issues.

So the next time the tooth fairy is in town, think about keeping that tooth instead of trading it in for a shiny coin. Who knows, that tooth may be worth someone's life down the road!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Use Princeton Cryo's High-Quality Cryogenic Equipment to Avoid Fines

Cryogenic freezing can certainly be dangerous. That's why we provide the best-quality cryogenic equipment possible to ensure the safety and effectiveness of all cryogenic freezing systems.

With our products you can avoid problems and fines like one large frozen pizza company who was cited for nine alleged safety and health violations. Of course, most of the fines were of a result of neglect of the company, but you can make the cryogenic freezing process easier with our products.

One of the citations was a violation of exposing workers to an oxygen deficient atmosphere.

"Employers are responsible for knowing the hazards that exist in their workplace and training workers in proper safety precautions such as air monitoring and respirator use," said Kim Stille, director of OSHA's Madison Area Office. "OSHA is committed to protecting workers, especially when employers fail to do so."

The fines totaled $76,300 after OSHA initiated an inspection of the pizza company's plant in June. The violations were issued when workers were exposed to an oxygen deficient environment during the freezing process of the pizzas in a liquid nitrogen cryogenic freezer. The cryogenic freezer created a hazardous environment due to the buildup of nitrogen gas; however, no injuries or illnesses were reported as a result of the conditions.

Other fines focused on the lack of training and implementation of safety equipment. These fines can greatly hurt any company that uses cryogenic equipment. That's why we, at Princeton Cryo, think it's important to use the best equipment in the market. We strive to create a safe environment no matter what the use of the cryogenic freezer.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Useful But Dangerous Liquid Nitrogen

We've all heard the uses of liquid nitrogen and its unique properties that help scientists around the world discover new and amazing things. However, without the proper liquid nitrogen equipment and other precautions, the substance can quickly become very dangerous to those around the substance.

Recently, an astrophysicist in Egypt was cooling a charged coupled device camera for the observatory's telescope. He was carrying a cryogenic storage vacuum flask of liquid nitrogen which was to contain the heat coming off of the camera. The flask exploded, giving the astrophysicist severe chest and hand cold burns from the bursting liquid nitrogen.

Liquid nitrogen transfers to nitrogen gas of a rapid ration of 1:694, which is why the substance exploded. If you pour two gallons of liquid nitrogen into any warm vacuum it suddenly and immediately evaporates into a gas in front of your eyes. The properties of the substance are very dangerous for those who are unfamiliar with the safety precautions or liquid nitrogen equipment.

The gas is used for observatory and lab work but is more commonly used in refrigeration. Foods and goods can be transported around the world with the use of cryogenic storage. Liquid nitrogen is also vital in the cryopreservation of blood, reproductive cells and other biological samples.

It's also used in low temperature medical treatment in some dermatology cases. Also, construction companies may be able to use liquid nitrogen to freeze damaged water pipes and stopping water leaks during the fixing process. In the military, liquid nitrogen is used in heat-seeking missiles to prevent sensors from getting confused by their own heat signals or by the heat form the planes that are launching them.

There are so many applications of liquid nitrogen, but you need the proper liquid nitrogen equipment to ensure that the safety of everyone is preserved.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

We Stand By Our Products With a 100 Percent Guarantee

We at PrincetonCryo.com believe in valuing our customer's satisfaction with all of our products. We offer a first-rate customer service that can help your needs, which can prove invaluable in the world of cryogenics.

We offer top of the line cryogenic equipment to help you build the best cryogenic storage system on the market. PrincetonCryo.com provides industry-leading cryogenic design and engineers that are instrumental in creating the most well-renowned equipment in the world. Our engineers are experience and well trained to design and install all of our cryogenic equipment.

Because we have set a high bar for ourselves and have earned the reputation as a reliable, high-quality leader in the cryogenic industry, we know that all of our customers will have 100 percent satisfaction.

If you do not have 100 percent satisfaction, we adhere to a "No Hassle" return policy where we'll make sure your cryogenic equipment is working correctly or you'll get your money back. So if you're in the field that needs cryogenic storage equipment then look no further than PrincetonCryo.com, we guarantee you'll be satisfied.