GoKawiilNectome and Sparks Brain Preservation pursue brain mapping via medically assisted death
Researchers like Sebastian Seung are mapping neural wiring in simple organisms, having traced 139,255 neurons and 55 million synapses in a fly brain using electron microscopy and image-analysis software. Some scientists speculate this connectomics work could eventually enable 'whole-brain emulation,' though a 2025 PLOS One survey of 312 neuroscientists estimated this is unlikely before 2125. Two companies, Nectome and Sparks Brain Preservation, are now offering to chemically preserve human brains using techniques similar to fly-brain fixation, and say they want to work with terminally ill patients using medical aid in dying laws, now legal in 13 states and Washington, DC.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The vast gap between near-term brain-mapping science and speculative far-future reanimation highlights how commercial offers can outpace what neuroscience actually supports. Tying brain preservation to medically assisted death raises ethical questions about vulnerable terminal patients being marketed speculative immortality services, though the article does not state the companies' motives explicitly. The PLOS One survey suggests that even optimistic experts see whole-brain emulation as a century away, which could temper expectations around these preservation offerings.
- Scientists have mapped a fly brain's 139,255 neurons and 55 million synapses using electron microscopy.
- A 2025 PLOS One survey of neuroscientists estimates human whole-brain emulation won't be possible before 2125.
- Nectome and Sparks Brain Preservation want to work with patients using medical aid in dying to preserve brains for potential future reanimation.
Source: technologyreview.com — Antonio Regalado, 2026-10-15
Published there as: “Six wild ideas for perpetuating your mind”
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