Human hibernation has made some strides recently. I think a year or so ago a Wired mag article said the only significant unsolved problem is shivering. They have a cocktail of drugs that makes hibernation possible apart from the fact that people shiver at low temps.
If they solve this, I will gladly prefer to be shipped as cargo on a sail boat or airship so long as someone tends to a heart monitor to ensure a few heartbeats per min or whatever is still happening. No more Gestappo airport security, stresses of delayed flights, screaming babies, people eating Camembert cheese within 5 meters of you. You age at like ⅓ the rate in hibernation (or something like that). I’d gladly trade a week of reduced useful lifetime in exchange for a later death (experiencing more of the future than otherwise possible). The idea of being able to easily flip the middle finger to Boeing would also be a nice perk. (#boycottBoeing)
How is hibernation related to air travel 🤔?
Picture this. Instead of fighting through an airport to get on a flight, you check in to a facility next to a trucking yard. You get put under, trucked to the nearest railyard, and transported to the nearest port. There, you get offloaded to a cargo vessel and transported to a different continent. Reverse the process to get you awake and refreshed and maybe even time zone compensated at your destination.
No air travel, no aircraft emissions.
Doesn’t sound like something I’d do, but I’d read a science fiction book that examined the implications.
That works if I have 2+ weeks in my life at my disposal for… whatever… what if I have to be there ASAP.
You will still be able to fly but the price will be much higher because the bigger market is in economy travel, which will eventually be people in hibernation moving along the surface.
Yea, that sound reasoning to me. If you’re willing to pay a hefty carbon tax then fly all you want, sounds inside the realm of reality. The person who’s shitting on this theoretical idea is boring, and I don’t know why you would bother to contribute if you’re just going to say it’s a stupid idea.
Well, then you fly, I guess.
I’m actually on your side, I was just answering your question based on the claims. I have my doubts regarding the technology. I have my doubts regarding its practicality for enough people to have an effect on aircraft emissions or anything else, really.
The whole thing sounds like it would be better as a writing prompt than anything like a practical solution to anything. People need to go back to writing science fiction instead of putting out stuff like this.
I actually read a science fiction story once that pondered the existence of technology like this. Their concept was to examine a society in which you were awake for only one day a week.
The barrier preventing science fiction from becoming science fact is discovery of a drug that suppresses shivering that’s compatible with the cocktail of drugs they’ve already derived for hibernation. Are you saying that’s unlikely?
Well phrased! I actually have no idea what’s likely with regard to induced hibernation, so it’s good you brought me back to what the article actually said.
In fact, I take no position on the matter because it’s not something I’ve ever been interested in following.
As for the rest of what I said, who knows. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time my initial thoughts on the utility of something proved wrong!
This might be a case of fingers running disconnected from brain… :(
You don’t need air travel if you can go into hibernation for a lengthy period on slower travel methods.
Also worth noting one of the main drives for human hibernation: nutrient/food intake is cut to like ⅙ when hibernating, so you can be shipped to Mars and that hugely weight-sensitive payload allowance can be cut down to a manageable amount. IIRC, 1 person eats 1 ton of food throughout the whole trip to Mars (3 years). That food weight is a substantial hinderance in sending people to Mars, at least in numbers.
EDIT: also consider that room + board on a cargo ship is currently ~$100/day, making it much more costly than air travel in addition to having to tolerate the length of the trip. Your cost of travel in hibernation would surely fall to more like ~$20/day, making it financially more attractive than flying.