keywords: biological immortality, aging, regeneration, regeneration medicine
Discourse
Through the history various ways to "extend" lives of living organisms were used: paraffin impregnation, embalming, plastination, cryopreservation, taxidermy, mummification.
Mummification refers back to the times when humans believed in postmortem life into which they would be reborn through their preserved bodies. In ancient Egypt an intact body was an integral part of a person's afterlife. Mummification process in that sense was an important element which dealt with the basic human fear — the fear of death.
Since Ancient Egypt this belief in afterlife has gone through many stages and even transformed into the new belief of immortality without body, suggesting alternative modes of further existence such as downloading your brain into the silicon machine (see for example Kurzweil, R. The Singularity is Near, Penguin Group, 2005). The present culture is marked by obsession with the perfect-body-cult what is otherwise called quantified-self (see for example Wolf, G. Know Thyself: Tracking Every Facet of Life, from Sleep to Mood to Pain, 24/7/365).
Workshop (Mummifying a fruit)
Egyptians for drying out process were using natron, because of its ability to absorb water and dry out substances. In changing conditions natron reacts with water creating a hostile environment for the bacteria and this way it may preserve the body from further damage.
Natron is a naturally found mixture of the following ingredients:
- washing soda (main ingredient) sodium carbonate decahydrate (Na2CO3·10H2O, soda ash Na2CO3
- baking soda (main ingredient) 17% sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3)
- table salt (small quantities found) sodium chloride NaChl
- Glaubers salt (small quantities found) sodium sulfate Na2SO4
Step One: Prepare a mixture of baking soda and washing soda adding a pinch of salt and a pinch of Gauber's salt.
Step Two: prepare the apple for drying out its outer skin by taking its inner parts out with a sharp tool.
Step Three: Place the fruit in the mixture making sure it is fully covered. Leave it in the mixture at least for one week.
Leave it uncovered so the moisture can escape.
