💡 U.S. Startup Nectome Is Testing Brain Preservation for "Digital Immortality"

The startup's founders believe that if a brain is cryopreserved after death, scientists could later map its neural connections, or connectome, and use that data to create a digital copy of a person's mind.

Recent experiments on pigs suggest that after the heart stops beating, doctors have approximately 14 minutes to begin replacing the blood with a preservation fluid. In tests on human cadavers, researchers managed to start the process even faster—in around 10 minutes. Their analysis also suggests that treated brains could be stored for hundreds of years at −35°C, while current cryopreservation methods typically require temperatures close to −130°C.

🎓 Nectome was founded in 2015 by Robert McIntyre and Michael McCanna, both graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The project quickly drew criticism from neuroscientists.

It's unknown whether a connectome alone is enough to reconstruct memories—let alone an entire personality. A neural map doesn't capture key details such as synapse strength, the presence of neuromodulators, or other biochemical signals needed for memory and cognition. The method also requires preserving a fresh brain immediately after death, which in practice would mean euthanasia is necessary.

❗️ McIntyre responds to critics by arguing that if the brain isn't preserved, there's zero chance of reconstructing anything later.

"I would be really surprised if we [the neuroscience community] couldn't read memories in 100 years," he says.

💰 Amid the controversy, MIT cut ties with the founders in 2018. Still, at least 25 people reportedly placed $10,000 deposits with the startup, including Sam Altman.

Would you agree to have your brain preserved?

❤️ — Yes, it's a chance at eternal life
🔥 — No, it's just a scam
🎃 — I'll wait for the first "resurrection"

@hiaimediaen