What If You Hibernated For 100 Years ?

Pack your cosmic suitcase, for you're about to journey to the enigmatic realm of Alpha Centauri. A slight hiccup? The voyage spans a staggering century. But worry not, for we are about to traverse the cosmos while slumbering. Venture into a world where hibernation reigns, as we explore the prospects of a century-long repose. As we drift through this hypothetical voyage, contemplate the required technology, unravel the physiological mysteries, and dare to envision the future that awaits.

[Music] Welcome to "What If," where we embark on a celestial odyssey bound by time and physics. Our destination: Alpha Centauri, a stellar realm cloaked in mystery. However, the temporal abyss that separates us poses a challenge—a 100-year sojourn. Immerse yourself in the realm of dreams, as we consider the viability of a century-long hibernation, propelled by science fiction's promise and humanity's ingenuity.

Hibernation, an extended state of dormancy often observed in animals during harsh winters or periods of food scarcity, beckons us into its ethereal embrace. During this quiescent phase, body temperature, heart rate, and metabolism plummet, mirroring an almost dormant existence. Yet, translating this terrestrial phenomenon into a deep cosmic slumber spanning a century presents monumental hurdles.

The quest to induce human hibernation unveils complexities intertwined with our biological nature. Unlike rodents, humans find their body temperature less amenable to drastic reduction, a challenge compounded by our greater body mass. While the prospect of reaching absolute zero degrees Celsius remains elusive, a strategy rooted in cooling emerges—a process used in surgical settings to induce torpor. Cooling, achieved through ice packs, coolers, or cooled saline infusions, lays the groundwork for the transformative transition into the torpor state.

Nonetheless, a conundrum endures—current cooling technology remains sustainable for a mere 14-day interval. A stark dichotomy emerges: how do we bridge this temporal chasm, preserving the slumbering voyage? Enter cryogenics, a prospect fraught with intrigue. By substituting regular bodily fluids with anti-freezing agents, scientists have enabled the freeze-thaw cycle of tissue without causing irreversible harm. Cryogenics, this bold gambit, opens the gateway to an extended sojourn, where biological slumber intertwines with the intricacies of cosmic travel.

Yet, in the wake of such ethereal dreams, a realm far beyond the physical beckons—a world that has undergone tectonic shifts in society, technology, and environment. Awakening from your prolonged somnolence, you'd find yourself adrift in the stream of time's relentless flow. Societies would have metamorphosed, technology blossomed, and landscapes morphed beyond recognition. Over the span of a century, innovations spanning from talking movies and penicillin to nuclear bombs, computers, and the internet would dot the horizon of history.

Climate change, a contemporary specter, could forge an Earth profoundly different from the one you last glimpsed. The tapestry of our planet would be woven with new threads—environmental disasters, shifts in geography, and untold changes. Alpha Centauri, your ultimate destination, would harbor the potential to be an alien oasis or an inhospitable realm.

But what if, in a different epoch, your trajectory veered towards another destination? Earth's climate change, a motive for your cosmic voyage, would dim in significance. Yet, the physiological framework of the human body poses an insurmountable hurdle. The chasm separating human physiology from the dormant resilience of animals is vast. Attempting to mirror the hibernation of a bear, for instance, would precipitate dire consequences. Your body, not built for such extended dormancy, would grapple with an array of health issues, confronting muscle atrophy, arterial thickening, and a host of other challenges.

In the grand pursuit of hibernation, the puzzle remains incomplete. The mechanics of slumber, cosmic travel, and adaptation coalesce into a tapestry woven of dreams and reality. As we venture forth into the celestial horizon, yearning to conquer temporal barriers, we grasp at the essence of a question: Could humanity traverse the cosmic abyss, ensconced in centuries-long hibernation?

[Music] The journey lingers beyond our grasp, an aspiration as elusive as it is enchanting. As we journey onward, curiosity still ablaze, the promise of the universe's mysteries beckons—enticing us to explore, to speculate, and to embrace the boundless realm of "What If."
Watch the video on YouTube @whatif