He kept his grandfather frozen in a block of ice for more than 30 years as part of a cryopreservation experiment.

A surprising story has come to light from the small town of Nederland, Colorado: Bredo Morstøl, a Norwegian born in 1900, was frozen in a block of ice for more than 30 years as part of a cryogenic experiment. Made by his grandson

Morstol, affectionately known as “Grandpa Bredo”He died in his sleep. 1989 Due to cardiovascular problems. However, His grandson, Trygve Baugh, had even more ambitious plans for him.…

After his death, the remains were initially Transfer to cryonics facility In California called Transient timeHe spent nearly four years immersed in liquid nitrogen. But Pogue, a survival, cloning and ice bath enthusiast, decided to Build your own facility For cooling in the Netherlands. In 1993, his grandfather moved to a cabin equipped with dry ice., where The body remained wrapped in a metal box.

Cryonics, or the freezing of human bodies and brains for possible future reanimation, is still a A controversial and experimental field. There are no guarantees that Grandpa Prideaux, nor the hundreds of people who under the best of circumstances chose this procedure, will ever breathe, blink or think again. British-American structural biologist Venky Ramakrishnan Explain to Popular Mechanics “Once a person dies, their cells begin to undergo a series of changes” that complicate the preservation process. RamakrishnanThe 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner warned that freezing “It causes tissue deterioration because water expands when it freezes and destroys the surrounding structure.”

In fact, the Baug experiment faced multiple challenges. Due to the homemade nature of the structure, Morstall’s body was exposed to temperatures colder than liquid nitrogen.To keep the ice dry, hire a plow. Local environmental company that It replenishes the ice every two weeks at a cost of $1,000 a month. “The cold would have prevented bacterial growth and slowed down the decomposition process, just like a morgue refrigerator does,” Ramakrishnan explained. evening– But it does not stop the decomposition process completely.”

In 1994, Baug He was deported from the United States. And the city of Holland ordered body removal From Morstøl, implementing new municipal regulations that And prohibiting the retention of non-living biological remains. However, local residents joined forces to leave Morstall’s body where it was and the controversial experiment. And last longer.

The story took an unexpected turn in 2002 when the Netherlands decided to Taking advantage of the unusual situation to boost local tourismFestival opening frozen dead man days (Days of the Frozen Dead). The event included coffin races, a dance and guided tours of the shed, attracting many visitors.

But after 20 years, the city could no longer sustain the popular festival; it had become too big and too expensive. In 2023, the man who owned the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, thought it would be the perfect venue for the festival. He bought the festival and, with Baugh’s blessing, arranged for Grandpa Prideaux to be moved to the hotel and returned to a more conventional cooling procedure: preservation in a liquid nitrogen bath. Alcor, a cryogenics organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona, got involved.

Grandpa Prideo moved to Stanley Hotel in Estes ParkIn Colorado, it was discreetwhich was carried out at 4 a.m. to avoid protests from the locals. Once there, he was placed in a liquid nitrogen chamber for preservation. James Arrowwoodpresident The ball“Although it seemed like a complete circus, we decided it was a rare opportunity to advance in this field,” he noted.

The team took Grandpa’s luggage out of his trunk, loaded him into a truck, put his luggage back, and drove him an hour through the mountains to the hotel. There, they had a special crane to lower him into the cryogenic chamber, which was located in a building supposedly dedicated to the International Cryogenic Museum.

Although Morstall’s body appeared to be well preserved, experts believe it had suffered extensive damage.

Baug, who is following the situation from Norway, is informed and begins preparing a backup plan for his grandfather’s immortality: cloning…