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00:00:01,779 --> 00:00:04,014
Death will someday
come for us all.
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00:00:06,084 --> 00:00:10,420
But are the dead
really gone forever?
3
00:00:10,422 --> 00:00:14,557
Advances in medicine and
bold leaps in computer science
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00:00:14,559 --> 00:00:18,561
may soon allow the dead
to walk the earth again...
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00:00:18,563 --> 00:00:22,632
or survive in some
other strange, new form.
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Can we resurrect the dead?
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00:00:31,242 --> 00:00:36,246
Space, time, life itself.
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00:00:38,149 --> 00:00:43,119
The secrets of the cosmos
lie through the wormhole.
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00:00:43,121 --> 00:00:47,121
♪ Through the Wormhole 03x06 ♪
Can We Resurrect the Dead?
Original Air Date on July 11, 2012
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00:00:47,146 --> 00:00:51,146
== sync, corrected by elderman ==
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00:00:56,075 --> 00:01:00,245
Death is
our ultimate destination,
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a place from which
no one ever returns.
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00:01:04,251 --> 00:01:07,452
But what if
death was not the end?
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00:01:07,454 --> 00:01:09,954
We each have
a genetic blueprint,
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00:01:09,956 --> 00:01:12,257
one that science can now read.
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00:01:12,259 --> 00:01:17,529
Soon, it may be possible to
reproduce my body after I die.
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00:01:17,531 --> 00:01:20,732
But what about the lifetime
of knowledge and experience
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00:01:20,734 --> 00:01:22,834
contained in here?
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Will we ever have the tools
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00:01:24,738 --> 00:01:28,506
to raise body and soul
from the dead?
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All of us must eventually come
face-to-face with death.
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No matter how hard we wish
to hold on to someone we love,
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sometimes,
we just have to let go.
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00:01:47,227 --> 00:01:50,995
I had a dog
I loved to go exploring with.
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But worms
had eaten away at his heart.
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The pain of saying goodbye
forever cuts deep,
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but it is unavoidable.
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Or is it?
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This patient is dead.
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00:02:35,442 --> 00:02:38,576
He has no heartbeat,
no respiration,
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no blood flowing
through his heart.
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00:02:42,082 --> 00:02:47,785
But today, he will be brought
back to life by this man,
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00:02:47,787 --> 00:02:53,424
heart surgeon John Elefteriades
of Yale-New Haven hospital.
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00:02:53,426 --> 00:02:59,264
John regularly kills his
patients, then resurrects them.
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00:02:59,266 --> 00:03:04,402
Once I got to medical school
and residency,
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00:03:04,404 --> 00:03:06,938
heart surgery was the only thing
I ever wanted to do.
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00:03:06,940 --> 00:03:11,109
At that time, it was kind of
like being a fighter pilot
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00:03:11,111 --> 00:03:13,077
within medicine,
if you know what I mean.
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00:03:13,079 --> 00:03:16,314
It was exploring the frontiers.
It was high-risk.
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00:03:16,316 --> 00:03:21,552
John still flies at the
edge of the surgical horizon.
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00:03:23,055 --> 00:03:27,225
Today, he's trying to repair
a severely damaged heart,
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00:03:27,227 --> 00:03:32,230
a heart that can't be fixed
while blood flows through it.
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00:03:34,900 --> 00:03:38,670
The heart must be shut down,
but doing so
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00:03:38,672 --> 00:03:41,472
will cut off the blood supply
to the patient's brain,
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00:03:41,474 --> 00:03:43,841
starving it of oxygen.
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00:03:46,512 --> 00:03:50,848
John needs 45 minutes
to operate.
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00:03:50,850 --> 00:03:52,383
At normal temperatures,
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00:03:52,385 --> 00:03:55,453
the brain will begin to die
after just five minutes.
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00:03:57,956 --> 00:04:00,258
John's radical solution
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00:04:00,260 --> 00:04:04,595
is to freeze the patient into
a state of suspended animation.
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The brain doesn't tolerate
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00:04:09,002 --> 00:04:12,737
more than a momentary
interruption of blood flow.
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If the interruption
of blood flow
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00:04:14,708 --> 00:04:16,274
goes beyond several minutes,
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then the brain cells
start to die,
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00:04:18,278 --> 00:04:22,080
and that's where the protection
of low temperature
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00:04:22,082 --> 00:04:24,749
gives us the opportunity
to protect
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00:04:24,751 --> 00:04:26,617
the very vulnerable brain.
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00:04:26,619 --> 00:04:30,988
The patient's warm blood
has been drained from his body,
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00:04:30,990 --> 00:04:34,258
run through a bypass machine
filled with ice,
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00:04:34,260 --> 00:04:38,496
then pumped back through
his veins and arteries.
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00:04:38,498 --> 00:04:42,934
This has gradually cooled him
down to 18 degrees Centigrade --
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00:04:42,936 --> 00:04:46,604
55 Fahrenheit.
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00:04:46,606 --> 00:04:52,009
The activity of his cells
and neurons cannot be measured.
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00:04:54,213 --> 00:04:57,281
If you had
a general practitioner
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00:04:57,283 --> 00:05:00,351
or a cardiologist
or somebody come in
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00:05:00,353 --> 00:05:04,188
and use their regular criteria
for life or death,
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00:05:04,190 --> 00:05:06,591
all the criteria for death
would be fulfilled.
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00:05:06,593 --> 00:05:10,828
At this point, the heart-lung
machine and the respirator --
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00:05:10,830 --> 00:05:14,866
the devices that keep him
alive -- are shut off --
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00:05:14,868 --> 00:05:18,202
no breathing,
no blood pumping --
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00:05:18,204 --> 00:05:22,840
a condition virtually identical
to death.
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00:05:25,878 --> 00:05:29,881
John has 45 minutes to operate
in safety.
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00:05:29,883 --> 00:05:33,384
After an hour,
brain damage will set in.
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Now his decades of experience
come into play.
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00:05:37,123 --> 00:05:40,425
We're still
in suspended animation.
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So we've got 15 minutes to go
for safety.
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00:05:48,434 --> 00:05:50,101
Finally,
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00:05:50,103 --> 00:05:52,870
John and his team
manage to complete the repairs
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00:05:52,872 --> 00:05:55,440
with seven minutes to spare.
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00:05:55,442 --> 00:05:59,877
The patient has been
virtually dead for 38 minutes.
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00:05:59,879 --> 00:06:02,880
They slowly bring back
life support,
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00:06:02,882 --> 00:06:04,982
returning him
to the land of the living with
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00:06:04,984 --> 00:06:07,618
no damage to the brain.
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00:06:11,190 --> 00:06:15,293
Each and every day, I'm amazed
that this can be done.
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00:06:15,295 --> 00:06:18,830
The definition of death
has changed, really,
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00:06:18,832 --> 00:06:21,265
and death is death
when it's permanent.
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00:06:21,267 --> 00:06:22,567
But those criteria
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00:06:22,569 --> 00:06:26,938
in this very, very special
high-technology scenario
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00:06:26,940 --> 00:06:30,107
of suspended animation
or deep hypothermic arrest --
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00:06:30,109 --> 00:06:32,944
those criteria for death
don't really apply.
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00:06:32,946 --> 00:06:35,913
But can we bring life back
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00:06:35,915 --> 00:06:39,550
to those who die
in less controlled situations?
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00:06:45,691 --> 00:06:48,893
Lance Becker is the director of
the University of Pennsylvania's
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00:06:48,895 --> 00:06:51,929
Center
for Resuscitation Science.
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00:06:51,931 --> 00:06:55,066
He believes
the key to resurrection
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00:06:55,068 --> 00:06:57,735
is buried deep within our cells.
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00:06:57,737 --> 00:07:01,739
Well, what we've known for just
literally thousands of years
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00:07:01,741 --> 00:07:07,011
is that, if you keep meat cold,
it keeps longer.
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00:07:07,013 --> 00:07:11,182
The decay process, which is
actually that death process --
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00:07:11,184 --> 00:07:16,053
All of those things
are slowed down
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00:07:16,055 --> 00:07:18,122
in the cold setting.
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When the temperature comes down,
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the cells don't need
as much oxygen,
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00:07:21,828 --> 00:07:25,296
they don't metabolize as much,
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00:07:25,298 --> 00:07:31,402
and they essentially sort of go
into slow-mo, hibernation-style.
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00:07:33,105 --> 00:07:38,643
Your body is made of tens
of trillions of living cells.
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Regulatory genes
tell these cells how to behave.
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Think of them
as the cells' operating system.
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At the end of a cell's life,
the genes produce
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00:07:50,223 --> 00:07:53,691
destructive enzymes
that tear the cell apart.
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Every day, roughly 50 billion
of your cells die.
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00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,101
When something
goes very wrong --
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00:08:04,103 --> 00:08:07,605
say, you suffer
a cardiac arrest --
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00:08:07,607 --> 00:08:11,108
the injured cells
sound an alarm,
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telling their healthy neighbors
it's time to die.
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This sets off
a wave of cellular suicide
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that spreads rapidly
across the body.
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We don't die by accident.
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There's biological programming
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that actually controls
the way we die.
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And in that programming
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is the opportunity
for modifying that program
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so that we can alter
the outcome --
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bring someone back to life.
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To find out what
triggers the death program,
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Lance took healthy cells
and starved them of oxygen.
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He expected
most of the cells to die
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and the survivors to flourish
when oxygen was restored.
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So, what I found
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was the opposite of what
we thought we would find,
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which is the cells
without oxygen
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just sort of laid there.
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They didn't do anything,
but they didn't die.
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00:09:18,645 --> 00:09:22,780
But what happened was, when
we reoxygenated those cells,
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that's when cell death occurred.
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So it is a little bit ironic
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that oxygen, the molecule that
we love and that we live with,
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becomes the molecule
that drives death.
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00:09:37,230 --> 00:09:42,099
Somehow,
reintroducing oxygen into cells
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00:09:42,101 --> 00:09:44,435
triggers the death signal
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that causes them
to commit mass suicide.
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Freezing seems to interrupt
this process.
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Lance pressed on,
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00:09:54,247 --> 00:09:57,548
knowing that, if he found
the death signal's source,
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he might be able to stop it
from transmitting
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00:10:00,453 --> 00:10:03,320
without the need for freezing.
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00:10:03,322 --> 00:10:05,356
As we began to ask ourselves,
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00:10:05,358 --> 00:10:08,926
"What could explain
this sort of bizarre behavior?"
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00:10:08,928 --> 00:10:12,229
We started seeing
cellular pathways.
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00:10:12,231 --> 00:10:17,168
All of the paths led us to
the organelle inside our cells
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that we call the mitochondria.
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00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:26,977
Mitochondria lie deep within
every single cell of your body.
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00:10:26,979 --> 00:10:30,514
They take the food you eat
and the oxygen you breathe
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00:10:30,516 --> 00:10:33,984
and convert them
into chemical energy.
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00:10:33,986 --> 00:10:39,623
In some ways, it's a little bit
like a nuclear power plant.
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And you know how,
in a nuclear power plant,
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there are rods that come together and
they produce the heat,
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and if you don't control
that process,
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00:10:47,233 --> 00:10:49,900
you end up with Chernobyl.
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What happens is, after
one mitochondria goes nuclear,
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it starts to trigger
a chain reaction
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that amplifies the death signal,
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00:11:00,413 --> 00:11:04,648
and that death signal can be
spread throughout the body.
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00:11:05,718 --> 00:11:08,853
Lance and his team suspect
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00:11:08,855 --> 00:11:12,656
we might be able to stop
this chain reaction
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by poisoning our mitochondria
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00:11:15,094 --> 00:11:19,430
with sulfide, cyanide,
and carbon monoxide.
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A finely calibrated dose
of these toxins
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might disarm the death signal.
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It will be quicker
than freezing,
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00:11:26,372 --> 00:11:30,341
and it could reverse
a cellular meltdown.
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So, ideally,
what we'd like to do
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00:11:35,414 --> 00:11:39,083
is we'd like to get a few
of those molecules on board
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00:11:39,085 --> 00:11:42,353
as we're beginning to bring
oxygen back to the patient.
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We think we can restart
that mitochondria,
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have it convert back
to producing energy
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instead of producing death.
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00:11:53,466 --> 00:11:56,734
These treatments
are still highly experimental.
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But if doctors can silence
the death signal,
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00:12:00,206 --> 00:12:02,373
it may soon be commonplace
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00:12:02,375 --> 00:12:05,910
to revive the dying
and the recently dead.
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00:12:06,946 --> 00:12:09,180
Medical science
has already proven
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00:12:09,182 --> 00:12:10,915
that the dead can live again
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00:12:10,917 --> 00:12:14,819
under a very controlled
set of circumstances.
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00:12:14,821 --> 00:12:17,087
But can it take us further?
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00:12:18,290 --> 00:12:21,392
What if we could grow the dead
back to life?
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00:12:23,423 --> 00:12:26,091
Imagine how much richer
humanity might be
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00:12:27,084 --> 00:12:31,120
if we could raise Einstein
or Mozart from the grave
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00:12:31,122 --> 00:12:34,523
or how much it would mean
to us personally
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00:12:34,525 --> 00:12:38,794
if we could bring back
the loved ones we have lost?
192
00:12:41,064 --> 00:12:43,632
It may be possible.
193
00:12:43,634 --> 00:12:48,337
Cloning has opened up
a new road to resurrection...
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00:12:48,339 --> 00:12:50,739
But should we take it?
195
00:12:52,208 --> 00:12:56,946
Bob Lanza was born into
a working-class Boston family.
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00:12:56,948 --> 00:12:59,915
Today, he owns an island
in Massachusetts
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00:12:59,917 --> 00:13:02,384
and lives
in a sprawling compound
198
00:13:02,386 --> 00:13:06,355
that's part house,
part natural-history museum.
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00:13:06,357 --> 00:13:11,427
These are the fruits
of a career in biotechnology.
200
00:13:11,429 --> 00:13:13,862
Here's a brontosaurus femur.
201
00:13:13,864 --> 00:13:16,098
One of the first things people ask me
when they come into the house
202
00:13:16,100 --> 00:13:17,866
is, "Bob,
are you gonna clone that?"
203
00:13:17,868 --> 00:13:19,969
And I tell them,
"you can't clone from stone.
204
00:13:19,971 --> 00:13:21,103
You need a living cell."
205
00:13:21,105 --> 00:13:24,740
Over the last decade,
206
00:13:24,742 --> 00:13:29,878
Bob has successfully cloned
mice, cows, cats, dogs,
207
00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:33,549
pigs, sheep, and horses.
208
00:13:33,551 --> 00:13:37,886
In 2001, he used frozen cells
to successfully resurrect
209
00:13:37,888 --> 00:13:42,958
an extinct southeast Asian ox
called a Gaur,
210
00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:47,196
using an American cow
as a surrogate mother.
211
00:13:47,198 --> 00:13:48,731
Everyone said,
"no, that won't work.
212
00:13:48,733 --> 00:13:51,066
You can't clone one species
using the egg from another one."
213
00:13:51,068 --> 00:13:53,235
And I said, "no, no, no. If
we do it and it's close enough,
214
00:13:53,237 --> 00:13:54,436
we should get it to work."
215
00:13:54,438 --> 00:13:56,538
So I actually took skin cells
from the Gaur,
216
00:13:56,540 --> 00:13:59,441
and I actually put the DNA
into an ordinary cow egg.
217
00:13:59,443 --> 00:14:02,611
And then we created these
spectacular little Gaur embryos,
218
00:14:02,613 --> 00:14:04,680
and we shipped them off to Iowa,
219
00:14:04,682 --> 00:14:07,016
where they were implanted
into an ordinary cow.
220
00:14:07,018 --> 00:14:08,784
And it turns out
that, 10 months later,
221
00:14:08,786 --> 00:14:12,021
we had this beautiful
little baby Gaur that was born.
222
00:14:12,023 --> 00:14:14,456
It looked like a little
baby reindeer -- just adorable.
223
00:14:14,458 --> 00:14:19,995
But where Bob sees
beauty, others see monstrosity.
224
00:14:19,997 --> 00:14:23,799
Opponents of cloning
say he's playing God.
225
00:14:23,801 --> 00:14:26,735
Bob doesn't see it that way.
226
00:14:26,737 --> 00:14:29,304
Cloning really
isn't all that unusual.
227
00:14:29,306 --> 00:14:32,441
For thousands of years,
people have been cloning plants.
228
00:14:32,443 --> 00:14:35,744
You can actually start by taking
a clipping from a plant --
229
00:14:35,746 --> 00:14:38,514
you get
some of the genetic material --
230
00:14:38,516 --> 00:14:42,184
and then add
a little nutrients...
231
00:14:44,387 --> 00:14:45,621
...get it to root,
232
00:14:45,623 --> 00:14:49,224
and to basically clone
an entire new organism.
233
00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:54,063
Humanity has mastered
the cloning of plants,
234
00:14:54,065 --> 00:14:57,699
and we are now working our way
through the animal kingdom.
235
00:14:57,701 --> 00:15:00,869
Could we someday take
the DNA of dead people
236
00:15:00,871 --> 00:15:03,038
and bring their bodies
back to life?
237
00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:06,942
Can we cultivate a garden
of resurrected humans?
238
00:15:09,747 --> 00:15:11,747
Imagine a world
239
00:15:11,749 --> 00:15:14,583
where a woman could bring back
her deceased husband
240
00:15:14,585 --> 00:15:16,919
by giving birth to him...
241
00:15:16,921 --> 00:15:19,088
or a man could bring back
his mother
242
00:15:19,090 --> 00:15:21,890
and raise her as his daughter.
243
00:15:21,892 --> 00:15:24,893
If we have a living cell
of a dead person,
244
00:15:24,895 --> 00:15:28,263
certainly, we could, in theory,
clone that individual.
245
00:15:28,265 --> 00:15:31,100
We published a paper
about a year or two ago
246
00:15:31,102 --> 00:15:34,470
where we show we can actually
now create human embryos
247
00:15:34,472 --> 00:15:38,207
that are genetically identical
to a normal embryo.
248
00:15:38,209 --> 00:15:40,209
The only way
you would really know
249
00:15:40,211 --> 00:15:42,344
whether you could clone
a human being
250
00:15:42,346 --> 00:15:44,346
is to actually implant
that embryo
251
00:15:44,348 --> 00:15:46,515
into the uterus
of a surrogate mother.
252
00:15:46,517 --> 00:15:47,983
Of course,
we cannot implant those --
253
00:15:47,985 --> 00:15:49,418
that would be considered
unethical --
254
00:15:49,420 --> 00:15:51,086
so it's unclear
whether or not they would --
255
00:15:51,088 --> 00:15:52,321
would give rise
to a human being.
256
00:15:53,656 --> 00:15:59,628
Society has vehemently rejected
reproductive human cloning.
257
00:15:59,630 --> 00:16:02,831
In this climate,
it is extremely difficult
258
00:16:02,833 --> 00:16:07,369
for geneticists to obtain
funding for their research.
259
00:16:07,371 --> 00:16:10,239
There is
also a shortage of material.
260
00:16:10,241 --> 00:16:12,574
So, one of the problems
with human cloning
261
00:16:12,576 --> 00:16:13,675
is the supply of eggs.
262
00:16:13,677 --> 00:16:15,077
So, with a mouse or a cow,
263
00:16:15,079 --> 00:16:17,913
we can get literally hundreds,
if not thousands, of eggs.
264
00:16:17,915 --> 00:16:19,915
We can go to the slaughterhouse,
for instance,
265
00:16:19,917 --> 00:16:21,216
and get them for a dollar each
266
00:16:21,218 --> 00:16:22,851
and get thousands
of these cow eggs.
267
00:16:22,853 --> 00:16:26,822
With the humans, it took us over
a year just to get five eggs.
268
00:16:26,824 --> 00:16:29,124
Even if you had the eggs,
269
00:16:29,126 --> 00:16:31,527
it could take hundreds
of pregnancies
270
00:16:31,529 --> 00:16:34,096
to perfect human cloning,
271
00:16:34,098 --> 00:16:35,531
a process that could result
272
00:16:35,533 --> 00:16:39,935
in scores of babies
with horrific genetic damage.
273
00:16:39,937 --> 00:16:41,236
It'd be very much like --
274
00:16:41,238 --> 00:16:43,238
if you wanted to clone
your child,
275
00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:45,274
it'd be like sending him up
in a rocket
276
00:16:45,276 --> 00:16:47,176
with a 50-50 chance
it would blow up.
277
00:16:47,178 --> 00:16:52,481
In most of the world,
cloning humans is not illegal.
278
00:16:52,483 --> 00:16:57,753
One day, a rogue scientist
will pull it off.
279
00:16:57,755 --> 00:17:04,293
But cloning a person is not the
same as duplicating a person.
280
00:17:06,863 --> 00:17:09,431
A lot of people,
you know, who have their pets --
281
00:17:09,433 --> 00:17:12,034
they want to often clone them,
and they want Fluffy back.
282
00:17:12,036 --> 00:17:14,570
And what I tell them is, "you're
not gonna get Fluffy back."
283
00:17:14,572 --> 00:17:17,639
As a matter of fact, we actually
clone entire herds of cows
284
00:17:17,641 --> 00:17:19,875
from a single cell
from the same animal,
285
00:17:19,877 --> 00:17:21,810
and they develop
a whole hierarchy,
286
00:17:21,812 --> 00:17:23,212
just like we do in humans.
287
00:17:23,214 --> 00:17:25,514
So you have timid cows
and aggressive cows,
288
00:17:25,516 --> 00:17:26,748
and they're all clones.
289
00:17:26,750 --> 00:17:29,084
So they develop
their own behavioral patters.
290
00:17:29,086 --> 00:17:30,319
So the environment
291
00:17:30,321 --> 00:17:33,922
has a very profound impact
on your development.
292
00:17:33,924 --> 00:17:38,961
Let's say we decide
to take DNA from Einstein's hair
293
00:17:38,963 --> 00:17:42,030
and grow some new Einsteins.
294
00:17:42,032 --> 00:17:47,336
Those clones would not be the
man who wrote "E = MC squared."
295
00:17:47,338 --> 00:17:49,805
Each would have
a unique personality
296
00:17:49,807 --> 00:17:52,040
shaped by his environment.
297
00:17:53,510 --> 00:17:59,014
Clones are like identical twins
born years apart --
298
00:17:59,016 --> 00:18:04,953
they may be similar,
but they will not be the same.
299
00:18:04,955 --> 00:18:07,689
Perhaps the key
to life after death
300
00:18:07,691 --> 00:18:10,425
is not to grow
an entirely new body,
301
00:18:10,427 --> 00:18:12,527
but to resurrect
the one you have.
302
00:18:16,580 --> 00:18:19,982
At the moment, our society
does not permit human cloning,
303
00:18:21,860 --> 00:18:23,827
but that could change.
304
00:18:23,829 --> 00:18:25,562
In the meantime,
305
00:18:25,564 --> 00:18:29,799
biotechnologists have another
trick up their sleeves --
306
00:18:29,801 --> 00:18:33,636
resurrecting people
piece by piece.
307
00:18:33,638 --> 00:18:37,707
It's an approach that
could transform medical science
308
00:18:37,709 --> 00:18:42,612
and blur the line
between life and death.
309
00:18:42,614 --> 00:18:45,749
The revolution begins here,
310
00:18:45,751 --> 00:18:48,918
in a laboratory
the University of Minnesota.
311
00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:52,288
This is where Dr. Doris Taylor
312
00:18:52,290 --> 00:18:55,492
breathes life back
into the dead.
313
00:18:55,494 --> 00:18:57,861
I just want to change the world.
314
00:18:57,863 --> 00:19:00,563
I want to change the world
for people with disease.
315
00:19:00,565 --> 00:19:03,400
I also have a brother
who's chronically ill,
316
00:19:03,402 --> 00:19:07,270
and that's probably influenced
everything I've done in my life.
317
00:19:07,272 --> 00:19:11,274
Doris is changing the
world by growing new body parts
318
00:19:11,276 --> 00:19:13,543
from the shells of old ones.
319
00:19:13,545 --> 00:19:17,614
She takes organs from cadavers
and reanimates them
320
00:19:17,616 --> 00:19:23,219
using a method drawn from an
unlikely source -- architecture.
321
00:19:28,859 --> 00:19:30,527
The bricks in a building
322
00:19:30,529 --> 00:19:33,029
are just like the cells
in an organ --
323
00:19:33,031 --> 00:19:35,298
different kinds,
different shapes.
324
00:19:35,300 --> 00:19:36,800
And they make rooms,
325
00:19:36,802 --> 00:19:40,170
and the rooms are like
the chambers of a heart.
326
00:19:40,172 --> 00:19:43,673
They're connected by doorways,
like the valves.
327
00:19:43,675 --> 00:19:46,376
They have hallways,
like the arteries and veins.
328
00:19:46,378 --> 00:19:49,379
Essentially,
you can think of an organ
329
00:19:49,381 --> 00:19:51,881
just like you think
of a building.
330
00:19:52,817 --> 00:19:57,053
Just as buildings
can be rebuilt brick by brick,
331
00:19:57,055 --> 00:20:01,758
Doris believes bodies
can be rebuilt cell by cell.
332
00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:05,361
In building construction,
they use a scaffold that --
333
00:20:05,363 --> 00:20:06,863
like you see here --
334
00:20:06,865 --> 00:20:12,068
to essentially provide access
to otherwise inaccessible areas
335
00:20:12,070 --> 00:20:15,672
and to create a framework
for what they're gonna build.
336
00:20:15,674 --> 00:20:19,509
We essentially do the same thing
in the laboratory with an organ.
337
00:20:19,511 --> 00:20:22,479
We create a framework
on which we can put cells.
338
00:20:22,481 --> 00:20:27,517
Doris reanimates major organs,
339
00:20:27,519 --> 00:20:31,488
including
livers, lungs, and hearts.
340
00:20:34,091 --> 00:20:36,493
This is a ghost heart.
341
00:20:36,495 --> 00:20:40,029
This is essentially
the framework, or scaffold,
342
00:20:40,031 --> 00:20:41,898
on which the cells sit.
343
00:20:41,900 --> 00:20:45,001
And by washing out
all the cells,
344
00:20:45,003 --> 00:20:47,704
what we have left is a scaffold
345
00:20:47,706 --> 00:20:52,742
that we can repopulate with
cells to now build a new organ.
346
00:20:52,744 --> 00:20:56,779
So, essentially, this scaffold
is what tells cells
347
00:20:56,781 --> 00:21:00,149
how to join together
and become a heart.
348
00:21:02,353 --> 00:21:04,854
What happens
when you put fresh cells
349
00:21:04,856 --> 00:21:07,857
into a decellularized heart?
350
00:21:09,293 --> 00:21:13,296
This -- a modern miracle.
351
00:21:14,331 --> 00:21:17,100
Right now,
if you need a body part,
352
00:21:17,102 --> 00:21:20,537
you face the grim prospect
of organ rejection,
353
00:21:20,539 --> 00:21:25,708
but Doris' replacement organs --
heart, kidneys, and livers --
354
00:21:25,710 --> 00:21:28,878
will be tailor-made
for your body.
355
00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:33,516
We'll take an organ from a pig,
strip all the cells,
356
00:21:33,518 --> 00:21:36,519
take your stem cells,
put them in that organ,
357
00:21:36,521 --> 00:21:39,088
and build something
that matches you.
358
00:21:39,090 --> 00:21:41,791
So, if Doris and her team
359
00:21:41,793 --> 00:21:44,928
can bring hearts and livers back
from the dead,
360
00:21:44,930 --> 00:21:48,598
could they also reanimate
a human brain?
361
00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:53,202
Now, could we build
a cluster of neurons
362
00:21:53,204 --> 00:21:54,671
and glial cells
363
00:21:54,673 --> 00:21:58,575
and everything that looks like
part of a brain or a brain?
364
00:21:58,577 --> 00:22:02,612
I have no doubt that, one day,
we'll be able to do that.
365
00:22:02,614 --> 00:22:08,585
Can we resurrect you and
who you are -- your personality?
366
00:22:08,587 --> 00:22:11,321
I don't think we know
how to do that yet.
367
00:22:11,323 --> 00:22:15,158
It's more likely this technology
will be used
368
00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:17,994
to replace damaged sections
of the brain,
369
00:22:17,996 --> 00:22:22,398
perhaps even extending its life
beyond the rest of the body.
370
00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,402
But can we go even further?
371
00:22:26,404 --> 00:22:31,040
As we die, could we have
our brains transplanted
372
00:22:31,042 --> 00:22:34,177
into healthy donor bodies?
373
00:22:36,414 --> 00:22:40,583
I suspect the biggest challenge
to a brain transplant
374
00:22:40,585 --> 00:22:43,620
is keeping it alive
375
00:22:43,622 --> 00:22:49,759
during the time of removing it
from an individual
376
00:22:49,761 --> 00:22:54,297
and all the connections that
would have to be recapitulated
377
00:22:54,299 --> 00:22:56,499
in a transplanted individual,
378
00:22:56,501 --> 00:22:58,368
because unlike the heart,
379
00:22:58,370 --> 00:23:00,370
it's not just about hooking up
the blood supply.
380
00:23:00,372 --> 00:23:04,674
It'd also be about hooking up
the spinal cord,
381
00:23:04,676 --> 00:23:07,110
hooking up all the nerves.
382
00:23:07,112 --> 00:23:12,148
I can't imagine how we could
make all those connections
383
00:23:12,150 --> 00:23:16,185
in a timely way
that maintain function.
384
00:23:16,187 --> 00:23:20,923
But do we even need
to have physical brains?
385
00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:24,761
The key to resurrection
386
00:23:24,763 --> 00:23:28,431
is to restore what
fundamentally makes us unique --
387
00:23:28,433 --> 00:23:31,401
the contents of our minds.
388
00:23:31,403 --> 00:23:35,571
As technology advances, the
prospect of copying our brains
389
00:23:35,573 --> 00:23:38,041
becomes more and more likely.
390
00:23:38,043 --> 00:23:42,011
Bringing the dead back to life
may just be a matter
391
00:23:42,013 --> 00:23:46,115
of combining
the right zeroes and ones.
392
00:23:49,997 --> 00:23:53,366
Our lives are continually
monitored by technology.
393
00:23:54,801 --> 00:23:59,638
Almost everything we do
leaves a digital trail.
394
00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:02,173
This immense library
of information
395
00:24:02,175 --> 00:24:05,577
may still exist
long after we die.
396
00:24:05,579 --> 00:24:10,248
If we gathered up a lifetime
of these digital footprints,
397
00:24:10,250 --> 00:24:15,253
could we use them to bring
someone back from the dead?
398
00:24:20,393 --> 00:24:21,860
These students
399
00:24:21,862 --> 00:24:25,630
could be the first humans
to rise from the dead.
400
00:24:25,632 --> 00:24:30,001
They call themselves
extreme lifeloggers.
401
00:24:30,003 --> 00:24:34,906
And they are digitally archiving
their existence.
402
00:24:36,175 --> 00:24:40,812
Everything they see and hear,
wherever they go,
403
00:24:40,814 --> 00:24:44,316
whomever they are with,
how fast their hearts beat,
404
00:24:44,318 --> 00:24:46,685
even how much they sweat --
405
00:24:46,687 --> 00:24:50,021
it's all recorded
onto hard drives
406
00:24:50,023 --> 00:24:52,324
at Dublin City University.
407
00:24:52,326 --> 00:24:53,491
This is the brainchild
408
00:24:53,493 --> 00:24:58,263
of search-engine specialist
Cathal Gurrin.
409
00:24:58,265 --> 00:25:00,632
Hey, how did it go?
Pretty well.
410
00:25:00,634 --> 00:25:01,866
It was fun.
411
00:25:01,868 --> 00:25:03,935
How about the weather -- was it cold?
Bit cold.
412
00:25:03,937 --> 00:25:06,071
You got the devices. We can have a look?
Yes.
413
00:25:06,073 --> 00:25:08,540
Accelerometer.
Yes, accelerometer.
414
00:25:08,542 --> 00:25:10,275
Here is mine.
Oh, thank you.
415
00:25:10,277 --> 00:25:12,210
And the camera.
Camera. Great.
416
00:25:12,212 --> 00:25:13,945
Thanks.
Let's have a look.
417
00:25:13,947 --> 00:25:19,284
Cathal has recorded
his own life for 5 1/2 years.
418
00:25:19,286 --> 00:25:21,553
So far, he has gathered
419
00:25:21,555 --> 00:25:26,458
over 8 1/2 million images
and sensor readings.
420
00:25:26,460 --> 00:25:29,127
So here's, for example,
a typical day in my life --
421
00:25:29,129 --> 00:25:30,395
on the 10th of November.
422
00:25:30,397 --> 00:25:32,731
Here you can see
what I did on that day.
423
00:25:32,733 --> 00:25:35,166
I got up in the morning.
I made breakfast.
424
00:25:35,168 --> 00:25:36,401
I went to my office.
425
00:25:36,403 --> 00:25:39,504
I worked pretty much all
of the day, with a coffee break,
426
00:25:39,506 --> 00:25:41,239
and then, driving home at night,
427
00:25:41,241 --> 00:25:43,174
going by a restaurant
on the way.
428
00:25:43,176 --> 00:25:44,509
The software we have
429
00:25:44,511 --> 00:25:48,480
has managed to take about 3,000
pictures on that day
430
00:25:48,482 --> 00:25:50,281
and summarized them down
431
00:25:50,283 --> 00:25:52,584
into this collection
of about 30 pictures.
432
00:25:52,586 --> 00:25:57,689
Cathal is creating
an auxiliary memory --
433
00:25:57,691 --> 00:25:59,557
something that can be searched
434
00:25:59,559 --> 00:26:02,527
when his biological memory
fails him,
435
00:26:02,529 --> 00:26:08,933
preserved in a medium far more
accurate than the human brain.
436
00:26:08,935 --> 00:26:10,802
When you're faced
with this kind of data
437
00:26:10,804 --> 00:26:12,737
about your life --
your life in the past --
438
00:26:12,739 --> 00:26:15,740
then you start to identify times you
make mistakes in your memory.
439
00:26:15,742 --> 00:26:16,875
It becomes very apparent
440
00:26:16,877 --> 00:26:18,676
when you remember an event
in the past
441
00:26:18,678 --> 00:26:21,479
and you go back to look at it --
the differences in the reality
442
00:26:21,481 --> 00:26:23,214
versus what
you actually see itself.
443
00:26:23,216 --> 00:26:25,383
And that's where a life log
can really help you
444
00:26:25,385 --> 00:26:27,886
to identify the truth about
what's happened in the past,
445
00:26:27,888 --> 00:26:29,654
not just your memory's version
of it,
446
00:26:29,656 --> 00:26:32,690
which we know, from research,
that we'll have inaccuracies --
447
00:26:32,692 --> 00:26:34,626
we'll have flaws in that memory.
448
00:26:36,228 --> 00:26:39,798
Anyone who's spent time
on social-networking sites
449
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,066
knows that a basic form
of lifelogging
450
00:26:42,068 --> 00:26:45,670
is already practiced
by millions of people,
451
00:26:45,672 --> 00:26:48,640
anxious to share
their every passing thought,
452
00:26:48,642 --> 00:26:50,742
no matter how trivial.
453
00:26:50,744 --> 00:26:53,311
It's estimated
454
00:26:53,313 --> 00:26:57,382
that humanity today
generates more data in two days
455
00:26:57,384 --> 00:27:03,855
than it produced in all
of history up to the year 2003.
456
00:27:03,857 --> 00:27:08,493
And this data stream is expected
to increase exponentially
457
00:27:08,495 --> 00:27:09,894
in the future.
458
00:27:09,896 --> 00:27:11,863
Extreme lifelogging will add
459
00:27:11,865 --> 00:27:14,399
an enormous amount
of new imagery and data
460
00:27:14,401 --> 00:27:18,837
to the vast amount that
already floods the Internet.
461
00:27:18,839 --> 00:27:20,371
We will typically capture
462
00:27:20,373 --> 00:27:23,041
at least a million photographs
a year for an individual person.
463
00:27:23,043 --> 00:27:25,109
So that's
an incredibly huge data set
464
00:27:25,111 --> 00:27:27,011
to be handled
by a search engine.
465
00:27:27,013 --> 00:27:29,481
And that's one of the issues
about lifelogging
466
00:27:29,483 --> 00:27:31,983
that we are trying to solve
in this research --
467
00:27:31,985 --> 00:27:34,486
how to handle a million
photographs a year for people,
468
00:27:34,488 --> 00:27:37,121
how to handle many hundreds
of millions of sensor values,
469
00:27:37,123 --> 00:27:40,291
make sense of this,
organize this,
470
00:27:40,293 --> 00:27:43,495
and take this enormous quantity
of big, big data about people
471
00:27:43,497 --> 00:27:47,799
and make it useable
and easy for the people
472
00:27:47,801 --> 00:27:50,268
to access their content
from within that archive.
473
00:27:50,270 --> 00:27:52,370
Cathal and his students
474
00:27:52,372 --> 00:27:54,272
are creating backup drives
475
00:27:54,274 --> 00:27:57,976
for their entire life's
experience --
476
00:27:57,978 --> 00:28:00,945
black boxes of the mind.
477
00:28:00,947 --> 00:28:05,517
Someday, we might all have
these personal life recorders --
478
00:28:05,519 --> 00:28:08,253
initially,
to enhance our memories,
479
00:28:08,255 --> 00:28:13,358
but after death, our survivors
could take our black boxes
480
00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:17,028
and hand them over
for uploading.
481
00:28:17,030 --> 00:28:18,963
Essentially, memory defines us.
482
00:28:18,965 --> 00:28:20,598
A person's personality
is based
483
00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:22,967
on their memories
and their experiences over time.
484
00:28:22,969 --> 00:28:25,103
By gathering
all this type of data,
485
00:28:25,105 --> 00:28:27,939
we're able to hopefully,
in the future, re-create
486
00:28:27,941 --> 00:28:30,742
that person's personality
in the digital memory.
487
00:28:30,744 --> 00:28:32,677
We're able to re-create
how that person reacts
488
00:28:32,679 --> 00:28:34,412
to a certain stimulus
in the environment,
489
00:28:34,414 --> 00:28:36,714
how that person reacts to
interactions with other people.
490
00:28:36,716 --> 00:28:38,983
We'd be able to take
the digital memory data
491
00:28:38,985 --> 00:28:41,252
and by enhancing
our artificial-intelligence
492
00:28:41,254 --> 00:28:43,354
algorithms and search engines
right now,
493
00:28:43,356 --> 00:28:44,756
be able to re-create
494
00:28:44,758 --> 00:28:47,792
a fairly good representation
of that person's personality
495
00:28:47,794 --> 00:28:49,260
from the digital memory.
496
00:28:49,262 --> 00:28:53,631
This would not create
a perfect mirror of the mind,
497
00:28:53,633 --> 00:28:57,902
but it would reflect the stuff
our minds are attracted to.
498
00:28:57,904 --> 00:29:01,706
A computer algorithm would sort
through your likes and dislikes
499
00:29:01,708 --> 00:29:06,544
and extrapolate a personality
based on your experiences.
500
00:29:07,947 --> 00:29:10,315
Cathal's route to resurrection
501
00:29:10,317 --> 00:29:13,284
might bring something similar
to you back to life.
502
00:29:13,286 --> 00:29:19,424
But is there a way to exactly
re-create your inner self?
503
00:29:19,426 --> 00:29:22,460
This man says yes.
504
00:29:23,395 --> 00:29:27,298
We just need the right tools
for the job.
505
00:29:31,258 --> 00:29:33,893
Your mind is the product
506
00:29:33,895 --> 00:29:38,965
of 100 trillion neural
connections in your brain.
507
00:29:38,967 --> 00:29:42,935
This dense pattern is you.
508
00:29:42,937 --> 00:29:47,406
And when the brain dies,
you die.
509
00:29:47,408 --> 00:29:50,643
What if we could separate
the contents of our minds
510
00:29:50,645 --> 00:29:53,045
from our brains?
511
00:29:53,047 --> 00:29:56,282
If we could pull the essence
of who you are
512
00:29:56,284 --> 00:29:59,318
out of the fragile biology
of your brain
513
00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:01,988
and put it
into another container,
514
00:30:01,990 --> 00:30:05,358
you could live again.
515
00:30:09,096 --> 00:30:12,965
By day, Ken Hayworth
is a neuroscientist
516
00:30:12,967 --> 00:30:16,602
at a prestigious
Massachusetts University.
517
00:30:16,604 --> 00:30:20,639
In his off hours, he runs the
Brain Preservation Foundation,
518
00:30:20,641 --> 00:30:25,011
which looks for ways to
resurrect our minds after death.
519
00:30:25,013 --> 00:30:28,514
I want to see the future,
and death is preventing that.
520
00:30:28,516 --> 00:30:33,386
But if we can preserve and map
our brains, we can get there.
521
00:30:40,327 --> 00:30:43,896
The wiring of your brain
is like this train track,
522
00:30:43,898 --> 00:30:47,099
only the total length of wires
in your brain
523
00:30:47,101 --> 00:30:49,802
is actually billions of times
longer
524
00:30:49,804 --> 00:30:52,405
than the length
of this toy track.
525
00:30:52,407 --> 00:30:55,341
And the number of switching
points in your brain
526
00:30:55,343 --> 00:30:58,310
numbers in the hundreds
of trillions.
527
00:31:00,547 --> 00:31:04,050
We call this set of wires
and switches in a human brain
528
00:31:04,052 --> 00:31:05,718
the connectome.
529
00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:08,587
The connectome is
the seat of all of our memory,
530
00:31:08,589 --> 00:31:14,727
and it is the generator of our
thought and our consciousness.
531
00:31:14,729 --> 00:31:19,298
If we could copy this set
of trillions of connections,
532
00:31:19,300 --> 00:31:26,172
we could re-create you,
even after your body has died.
533
00:31:26,174 --> 00:31:28,974
The way to rescue
534
00:31:28,976 --> 00:31:33,879
all the information held
in the connectome, Ken says,
535
00:31:33,881 --> 00:31:37,583
is to treat the brain
like a computer.
536
00:31:37,585 --> 00:31:39,852
So, this is a dead computer.
537
00:31:39,854 --> 00:31:41,620
It's way out of date.
538
00:31:41,622 --> 00:31:43,756
It has a burned-out motherboard,
539
00:31:43,758 --> 00:31:46,959
and there's really
essentially nothing I can do
540
00:31:46,961 --> 00:31:48,961
to repair this computer.
541
00:31:48,963 --> 00:31:52,798
And I'm really sad about that,
because this particular computer
542
00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:55,701
has all my wedding photographs,
my PhD thesis,
543
00:31:55,703 --> 00:31:57,636
and I'm going to just toss it
544
00:31:57,638 --> 00:32:00,139
into the trash
and lose it forever.
545
00:32:00,141 --> 00:32:02,241
But, of course, that's not true.
546
00:32:02,243 --> 00:32:04,043
Those pieces of information
547
00:32:04,045 --> 00:32:06,812
are stored digitally
on this hard drive,
548
00:32:06,814 --> 00:32:11,484
and I can copy that information
onto another hard drive.
549
00:32:11,486 --> 00:32:16,388
Now, what I'm saying
is that neuroscience has told us
550
00:32:16,390 --> 00:32:19,058
that we, in essence,
are digital information
551
00:32:19,060 --> 00:32:22,828
stored in the synaptic
connections within our brain.
552
00:32:22,830 --> 00:32:25,798
If we preserve that brain
at our death,
553
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:29,568
then that information
that makes us unique --
554
00:32:29,570 --> 00:32:32,505
all of those memories --
they're not lost,
555
00:32:32,507 --> 00:32:35,107
and they can be
potentially brought back
556
00:32:35,109 --> 00:32:38,611
just the same way digital
information can be brought back
557
00:32:38,613 --> 00:32:40,779
by putting it
in a new computer.
558
00:32:40,781 --> 00:32:45,718
Software is physically
written onto a hard drive.
559
00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:48,387
Make an exact copy of a drive,
560
00:32:48,389 --> 00:32:53,192
and you have an exact copy
of the information it contains.
561
00:32:53,194 --> 00:32:56,862
Ken believes all the information
in your brain
562
00:32:56,864 --> 00:32:58,831
can also be copied and stored.
563
00:32:58,833 --> 00:33:01,167
All you have to do to preserve
564
00:33:01,169 --> 00:33:03,502
the connectome's trillions
of neural connections
565
00:33:03,504 --> 00:33:05,471
is to copy
the brain's hardware...
566
00:33:07,641 --> 00:33:09,508
...one slice at a time.
567
00:33:09,510 --> 00:33:13,946
Ken's brain-scanning assembly
line would work like this.
568
00:33:13,948 --> 00:33:15,915
At the moment of death,
569
00:33:15,917 --> 00:33:20,252
the brain is extracted
and preserved in plastic.
570
00:33:20,254 --> 00:33:24,523
The brain is then chopped
by a heated diamond knife
571
00:33:24,525 --> 00:33:31,130
into 20-micron cubes 40,000
times thinner than a human hair.
572
00:33:31,132 --> 00:33:35,901
These tiny slices are sliced
again, 1,000 times thinner,
573
00:33:35,903 --> 00:33:39,505
then scanned by ion beams.
574
00:33:39,507 --> 00:33:42,841
The process is repeated
millions of times
575
00:33:42,843 --> 00:33:45,744
until the entire brain
is digitized.
576
00:33:45,746 --> 00:33:47,479
Hmm? Hmm?
577
00:33:47,481 --> 00:33:50,549
It is technology
that exists today.
578
00:33:50,551 --> 00:33:53,852
We mapped small bits
of neural tissue
579
00:33:53,854 --> 00:33:56,822
at this ultimate resolution
already.
580
00:33:56,824 --> 00:33:58,958
The resolution is so high
581
00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:03,329
that we cannot only see the
connections between neurons --
582
00:34:03,331 --> 00:34:07,533
we can also determine
their strength and type.
583
00:34:07,535 --> 00:34:11,503
Once we have the ability
to map a human brain
584
00:34:11,505 --> 00:34:14,039
and once we have the knowledge
585
00:34:14,041 --> 00:34:17,209
of how that generates
a human mind,
586
00:34:17,211 --> 00:34:23,983
we will be able to simulate that
brain in a computer substrate
587
00:34:23,985 --> 00:34:28,721
and bring that individual
back to life
588
00:34:28,723 --> 00:34:31,824
inside of a computer simulation.
589
00:34:31,826 --> 00:34:34,760
Mapping the human mind today
590
00:34:34,762 --> 00:34:39,598
would require an enormously
expensive Apollo-sized project.
591
00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:44,236
But as technology gets cheaper,
that could change.
592
00:34:44,238 --> 00:34:48,374
So, whereas it's tens
of billions of dollars today
593
00:34:48,376 --> 00:34:50,209
to map a whole human mind,
594
00:34:50,211 --> 00:34:54,713
it will be thousands of dollars
100 years from now.
595
00:34:54,715 --> 00:34:59,618
Anybody that wants to get
to that future technology
596
00:34:59,620 --> 00:35:03,489
just 100 years from now
can get their brain preserved.
597
00:35:03,491 --> 00:35:08,661
Imagine the future in
which every hospital is equipped
598
00:35:08,663 --> 00:35:11,797
to preserve your brain
if you dip near death.
599
00:35:11,799 --> 00:35:16,068
Thousands of brains,
sliced and scanned,
600
00:35:16,070 --> 00:35:20,506
will be ready to form a new
population of the formerly dead.
601
00:35:20,508 --> 00:35:22,941
That person's brain
602
00:35:22,943 --> 00:35:25,411
that's sitting there on
the shelf for the last 100 years
603
00:35:25,413 --> 00:35:29,214
can be taken off, sliced,
imaged,
604
00:35:29,216 --> 00:35:32,618
and downloaded
into a computer simulation.
605
00:35:32,620 --> 00:35:37,823
And that person wakes up
like they were in a long sleep.
606
00:35:39,592 --> 00:35:46,131
And if we live on as digital
copies of ourselves, what then?
607
00:35:46,133 --> 00:35:49,601
What would life be like
as a computer program?
608
00:35:49,603 --> 00:35:52,237
How would we relate
to each other?
609
00:35:52,239 --> 00:35:56,342
Could we bear to live
without physical sensation?
610
00:35:58,144 --> 00:35:59,645
To bring back a brain
611
00:35:59,647 --> 00:36:02,147
and just leave it
in some computer
612
00:36:02,149 --> 00:36:05,184
without legs, without arms,
without eyes --
613
00:36:05,186 --> 00:36:09,655
of course, that would be
an experience worse than death.
614
00:36:09,657 --> 00:36:13,459
Resurrecting the mind
may not be enough.
615
00:36:13,461 --> 00:36:17,029
To truly live again, we will
want to see the world around us
616
00:36:17,031 --> 00:36:18,897
and touch the ones we love.
617
00:36:18,899 --> 00:36:22,601
The challenges of restoring
a mind to a biological body
618
00:36:22,603 --> 00:36:24,737
seem insurmountable.
619
00:36:24,739 --> 00:36:28,006
But there is another option.
620
00:36:28,008 --> 00:36:30,476
Perhaps we could build
new bodies
621
00:36:30,478 --> 00:36:33,379
to carry
our resurrected minds --
622
00:36:33,381 --> 00:36:37,683
robot bodies, like these.
623
00:36:41,932 --> 00:36:46,068
Someday, we may be able
to preserve our minds,
624
00:36:46,070 --> 00:36:48,971
but our resurrection
will be incomplete
625
00:36:48,973 --> 00:36:50,840
if we don't have bodies --
626
00:36:50,842 --> 00:36:53,542
not these fragile bags
of chemicals,
627
00:36:53,544 --> 00:36:56,979
but perfect replicas
of ourselves that never age
628
00:36:56,981 --> 00:36:59,682
and can be
constantly upgraded --
629
00:36:59,684 --> 00:37:04,653
robot vessels
to carry our digitized minds.
630
00:37:04,655 --> 00:37:06,655
Think of it.
631
00:37:17,834 --> 00:37:22,605
In Japan,
robots are a part of daily life.
632
00:37:22,607 --> 00:37:24,306
Most of them work in factories
633
00:37:24,308 --> 00:37:28,043
and don't look too different
from the machines they build.
634
00:37:28,045 --> 00:37:32,148
But Japan also leads the world
in building androids
635
00:37:32,150 --> 00:37:36,452
that straddle the line
between humans and machines.
636
00:37:38,588 --> 00:37:42,525
If Hiroshi Ishiguro has his way,
the world of the future
637
00:37:42,527 --> 00:37:45,694
will be filled
with replicants so realistic,
638
00:37:45,696 --> 00:37:49,932
you can't tell them apart
from flesh-and-blood people.
639
00:38:06,716 --> 00:38:12,755
Hiroshi's lab tests
how much or how little humanity
640
00:38:12,757 --> 00:38:17,726
androids need
to be accepted by humans.
641
00:38:17,728 --> 00:38:20,896
They have produced
a line of robots
642
00:38:20,898 --> 00:38:22,898
ranging from near human
643
00:38:22,900 --> 00:38:26,902
to these almost
impressionistic creatures.
644
00:38:41,852 --> 00:38:44,587
The Elfoid robots
have a bare minimum
645
00:38:44,589 --> 00:38:46,088
of human characteristics,
646
00:38:46,090 --> 00:38:49,492
yet people
are able to relate to them.
647
00:38:49,494 --> 00:38:53,996
In the future, this might be
the low-budget option
648
00:38:53,998 --> 00:38:55,898
for your robot body.
649
00:38:55,900 --> 00:38:59,368
It's simple,
but it does the job.
650
00:39:01,272 --> 00:39:04,406
For now, the Elfoid
is remote-controlled,
651
00:39:04,408 --> 00:39:07,076
like all of Hiroshi's robots.
652
00:39:07,078 --> 00:39:10,980
Software reads the facial
expressions of the operator
653
00:39:10,982 --> 00:39:13,883
and transmits them
to tiny actuators
654
00:39:13,885 --> 00:39:16,986
under the android's
synthetic skin.
655
00:39:16,988 --> 00:39:21,190
These mimic
human facial muscles.
656
00:39:29,232 --> 00:39:33,469
At the other end of the ladder
are the Geminoids,
657
00:39:33,471 --> 00:39:36,672
meant to mirror humans
as closely as possible.
658
00:39:36,674 --> 00:39:40,976
The Geminoids
are replicas of real people.
659
00:39:40,978 --> 00:39:44,313
Imagine a body like this
660
00:39:44,315 --> 00:39:48,584
loaded with the contents
of your digitized mind,
661
00:39:48,586 --> 00:39:50,953
or perhaps
your disembodied consciousness
662
00:39:50,955 --> 00:39:53,556
would operate the android
from a mainframe,
663
00:39:53,558 --> 00:39:58,093
just as these robots
are controlled from a distance.
664
00:39:58,095 --> 00:40:01,797
Hiroshi is already working
on the technology
665
00:40:01,799 --> 00:40:07,069
to connect our minds
to the androids.
666
00:40:07,071 --> 00:40:08,504
If possible...
667
00:40:18,748 --> 00:40:23,052
If Hiroshi does perfect
a brain/machine interface,
668
00:40:23,054 --> 00:40:26,589
he will probably first test it
on himself --
669
00:40:26,591 --> 00:40:31,393
or, more precisely,
his replicant.
670
00:40:31,395 --> 00:40:33,729
Yeah, yeah.
He's restarting -- restarting.
671
00:40:33,731 --> 00:40:34,930
Okay.
672
00:40:34,932 --> 00:40:36,832
Yeah, we have come --
we have come back now.
673
00:40:38,636 --> 00:40:39,668
Okay.
674
00:40:39,670 --> 00:40:41,637
Now it's okay.
Can you look at me?
675
00:40:41,639 --> 00:40:43,539
Mm-hmm.
All right.
676
00:40:43,541 --> 00:40:46,575
Hiroshi often sends his
doppelganger to other countries
677
00:40:46,577 --> 00:40:48,010
to represent him
678
00:40:48,012 --> 00:40:52,748
or to teach classes that he's
too busy to attend in the flesh.
679
00:40:52,750 --> 00:40:55,150
How do people respond
to this and me?
680
00:40:55,152 --> 00:40:57,019
Well --
well, maybe they were --
681
00:40:57,021 --> 00:40:59,922
in the first contact,
they were a little bit nervous,
682
00:40:59,924 --> 00:41:01,156
but, you know, once --
683
00:41:01,158 --> 00:41:03,492
as you know that,
once you start to talk,
684
00:41:03,494 --> 00:41:06,962
they can concentrate on the --
in a conversation.
685
00:41:08,932 --> 00:41:14,336
Hiroshi has essentially created
a robot version of himself,
686
00:41:14,338 --> 00:41:17,072
and the better
his hardware gets,
687
00:41:17,074 --> 00:41:20,476
the more his androids pass
for real people.
688
00:41:27,450 --> 00:41:30,686
The Geminoid "F"
is an android so lifelike,
689
00:41:30,688 --> 00:41:33,355
it has performed onstage
in plays,
690
00:41:33,357 --> 00:41:37,526
but its inventor
is never satisfied.
691
00:41:47,504 --> 00:41:50,839
Thank you for answering
my questions, Professor.
692
00:41:50,841 --> 00:41:52,374
You're welcome.
693
00:41:52,376 --> 00:41:55,744
This could be the future face
of the living dead --
694
00:41:55,746 --> 00:41:59,682
not decaying corpses,
but smooth silicon flesh --
695
00:41:59,684 --> 00:42:05,854
robots carrying the minds
of our long-lost loved ones.
696
00:42:17,868 --> 00:42:24,840
The day when we never have to
say goodbye may soon be at hand.
697
00:42:24,842 --> 00:42:28,944
But what would it be like to see
your dead grandmother again,
698
00:42:28,946 --> 00:42:32,347
living inside a synthetic body?
699
00:42:32,349 --> 00:42:36,585
Would she still be
the woman you knew?
700
00:42:36,587 --> 00:42:39,354
We won't know until it happens.
701
00:42:39,356 --> 00:42:41,857
The human race
may one day be filled
702
00:42:41,859 --> 00:42:45,094
with new and unfamiliar
ethnic groups.
703
00:42:45,096 --> 00:42:49,064
The people next door
might be the robotic undead,
704
00:42:49,066 --> 00:42:51,834
and the great divide in society
705
00:42:51,836 --> 00:42:56,105
would be between those
who have lived only once
706
00:42:56,107 --> 00:43:00,437
and those who are
on their second or fifth body.
707
00:43:00,438 --> 00:43:04,438
== sync, corrected by elderman ==