Key points from article :
Bredo Morstøl, known as “Grandpa Bredo,” died in 1989 at the age of 89. Following his death, his grandson Trygve Bauge preserved his body in dry ice in a makeshift cryonics facility in Nederland, Colorado.
Cryonics is the practice of freezing a body in hopes of future revival, although experts, such as Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan, argue that freezing causes irreversible cellular damage. Ramakrishnan explains that as soon as someone dies, their cells begin decaying, and freezing only worsens this by expanding water in the tissues, causing structural damage.
Bauge's efforts lacked the advanced technology of modern cryonics labs, relying on dry ice instead of liquid nitrogen and lacking cryoprotectants, substances that prevent ice formation in tissues. Despite these challenges, Grandpa Bredo’s body was kept in a Tuff shed for three decades, making him the longest amateur cryonics preservation case.
In 2023, his body was transferred to the Stanley Hotel, famous for its connection to The Shining, where the cryonics organization Alcor now stores him in liquid nitrogen. Although Bredo’s body appeared well-preserved externally, experts believe significant cellular damage occurred over the years due to the suboptimal freezing methods. Alcor plans to study the body using scans, but there hasn't been enough time for detailed analysis since the move.
Ultimately, Bauge has accepted the limitations of cryonics and is now exploring cloning as the next potential step toward his grandfather’s immortality. Despite the unlikelihood of Grandpa Bredo ever being revived, his story continues to captivate as a unique chapter in the quest for eternal life.
