Executive summary: Brain preservation via chemical fixation and fluid storage is a speculative but potentially cost-effective intervention for saving lives in the long-term, depending on key assumptions about the probability of successful future revival.
Key points:
Brain preservation aims to protect the physical structure of the brain after legal death to allow future “revival” if technology advances sufficiently.
Chemical fixation followed by fluid preservation is the most affordable long-term storage option, with key assumptions about preservation quality and revival methods.
Cost-effectiveness estimates for “lives saved” via brain preservation vary widely based on the subjective probability of successful revival, and could be competitive with other interventions under certain scenarios.
Perspectives on the altruistic value of brain preservation differ based on views about research priorities, success probability, and potential societal impacts.
Philanthropic funding and advocacy for policy changes could help advance brain preservation given limited conventional research support.
Key open questions include the neural correlates of identity, preservation quality, revival pathways, and ethical considerations.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, andcontact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: Brain preservation via chemical fixation and fluid storage is a speculative but potentially cost-effective intervention for saving lives in the long-term, depending on key assumptions about the probability of successful future revival.
Key points:
Brain preservation aims to protect the physical structure of the brain after legal death to allow future “revival” if technology advances sufficiently.
Chemical fixation followed by fluid preservation is the most affordable long-term storage option, with key assumptions about preservation quality and revival methods.
Cost-effectiveness estimates for “lives saved” via brain preservation vary widely based on the subjective probability of successful revival, and could be competitive with other interventions under certain scenarios.
Perspectives on the altruistic value of brain preservation differ based on views about research priorities, success probability, and potential societal impacts.
Philanthropic funding and advocacy for policy changes could help advance brain preservation given limited conventional research support.
Key open questions include the neural correlates of identity, preservation quality, revival pathways, and ethical considerations.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.