We must also consider the possibility that cellular-level information may not be sufficient to capture a person’s psychological structure. We might need molecular-level data. Even if information about the synaptic structure of the connectome is sufficient, molecular data could aid in the deduction, reconstruction, and inference of memories by providing greater precision about brain structures. A destructive molecular scan would offer a thousand times more accuracy than a simple microscopic analysis, according to Freitas’s estimates in Cryostasis Revival. Moreover, aldehyde cross-links would need to be corrected, this is essentially a computational task requiring brute-force cryptographic algorithms, as explained by cryonicist Ralph C. Merkle.
A destructive molecular scan of the brain would involve gradually disassembling it, atom by atom, recording the type and position of each atom in external backup software. This could be achieved using positional mechanosynthesis tools, a molecular nanotechnology based on diamondoid materials.
Imagine a giant surgical device mounted on a cart, far larger than a brain. Robotic arms would extend from this device and branch into billions of tiny mechanosynthetic manipulators, molecular fingers, that could manipulate atoms individually.
This method appears safer and more conservative than simply mapping a person’s connectome with fluorescent tracers.
My article focuses on a stable scenario for Alcor without an economic crisis. I believe Alcor could just as well survive 4% inflation, as they are very wealthy. Historically, it’s clear that Alcor has weathered the subprime crisis and other economic downturns, as well as a number of lawsuits from people who didn’t understand biostasis, lawsuits that unfortunately cost them a lot of money. We have no way of knowing for sure whether this trend will continue, but economically speaking, Alcor seems to have fairly good chances of surviving long enough for its cryopatients to be revived.