<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">What's happening? </h2>

It was an amazing find. The scientists were looking at soil from the SiberianSiberia is a very cold area of Russia. permafrostAny ground that remains completely frozen for at least two years. Permafrost covers large regions of the Earth. . In it were two little roundworms - and when the ice in the soil melted, they came back to life.

The scientists then set about finding out how old the soil was. They worked out the answer: 46,000 years.

For believers in cryonicsThe practice of freezing the bodies of people who have just died in the hope that future medical treatments will be able to save them. , this was amazing news. If worms could be kept in the cold for so long and then come back to life, surely humans could too.

But cryonics is far from simple. The process has to begin within 15 minutes of the heart stopping.

First the body is packed in ice and chemicals are added to the blood. Then it is cooled to just above OC. Next, the blood is replaced with a solution to keep the organs safe.

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Another liquid is used to stop ice crystals forming. Then the body is cooled to -130C. Finally, it is stored in a tank at -196C.

The idea is to keep it there until a cure is found for whatever the person died from - and also any damage done by the freezing process.

But there is a hot debate around cryonics. Some scientists think cryonics experts are giving false hope to people who want to live again in the future. The chances of it working, they say, are very very small.

Even if scientists are successful, the person brought back to life might not actually be you. It might just be someone who thinks like you.

But some people who work on cryonics claim they are being treated unfairly. Dr Ramon Risco, a cryonics expert, thinks that there are people who are afraid of what scientists like him might find out.

Yes! Things that scientists thought were impossible 100 years ago are now possible. If it can work in worms, there is a chance it can work in humans too.

No! There is no proofSomething that shows something else is true. that it could work. We do not know that the body can be brought back from freezing without serious damage.

Siberian - Siberia is a very cold area of Russia.

Permafrost - Any ground that remains completely frozen for at least two years. Permafrost covers large regions of the Earth. 

Cryonics - The practice of freezing the bodies of people who have just died in the hope that future medical treatments will be able to save them.

Proof - Something that shows something else is true.