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“It ALWAYS seems impossible until it’s done.” - This famous quote by Nelson Mandela from a speech in 2001 has proven true time and time again. That’s why the ideas of so many inventors were received with scorn at first. If every visionary had given up on their idea the moment they were told “it’s impossible” by their peers, significant breakthrough inventions would have never seen the light of day. We at Tomorrow Bio won’t give up on our vision for human cryopreservation, either. You think revival technology can't work - that it’s not viable? To show you that anything is possible, Tomorrow Bio invites you to take a look at some of the inventions that people deemed inconceivable just a few decades ago.

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Edison’s Lightbulb

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Ben Franklin is often thought of as the father of electricity, but it was Thomas Edison who put that energy to use. In 1879, incandescent electric light was born and because of this invention, the world can now be illuminated at the flick of a switch. However, when Edison first disclosed his ideas for harnessing electricity into light, he faced harsh backlash. It wasn’t until years later, that he became recognized as the inventor we know today and his name was met with praise. 

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Edison first illuminated the Avenue de l'Opera and the Place de l'Opera with electric light at the 1878 World Exhibition in Paris. Oxford professor Erasmus Wilson reacted to the event commenting that,  "When the Paris World's Fair is over, the electric light will go out and we'll never hear about it again." When Edison applied for a patent for his version of the lightbulb in the United States at the end of 1879,  there was a publication in the newspaper by Henry Morton, a scientist and then-president of the Stevens Institute of Technology claiming that, "Anyone who is familiar with it will recognize that Mr. Edison's lightbulb is a clear failure."

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Many people would hear that feedback and become discouraged, but not Edison. Instead, he went through thousands of prototypes until he found a way of creating the first viable lightbulb. If he had given up, who knows if and when the world would have been introduced to electric light. Thankfully, public backlash and thousands of failed attempts didn’t stop Edison from pushing forward. Eventually, he founded the Edison Electric Company, which developed into the American multinational cooperation known today as General Electric.

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Airplanes

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Flying has long been a dream for humankind, yet there was a period of time where it only existed through sketches in notebooks and failed prototypes. Everything changed in 1903, when Wilbur and Orville Wright successfully flew an airplane through the sky for the first time in history. 

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Before that fateful day, after many unsuccessful attempts of building a functional flying machine,  even the Wright brothers themselves were skeptical about their goals. Wilbur Wright once even said,  “Man will not fly for 50 years.” Luckily, he proved himself wrong just two years later. Even after the Wright Brothers’ successful airplane invention, Ferdinand Foch, a French military expert famously declared that  "Airplanes are interesting scientific toys, but they are of no military value."

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Ironically, airplanes soon became a key element in military activity. They were originally used in the First World War as a reconnaissance unit and later, in the Second World War, as an essential part of military strategy. In addition, Airplanes are responsible for speeding up the way we travel and how we transport goods all over the world. 

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Heart Surgery

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Our next pioneer who made the "impossible" possible is the german surgeon Ludwig Rehn. On September 9th 1896, a patient was brought into Ludwig’s hospital who had a knife wound in his heart. Back in the 19th century this was considered fatal and most doctors would have given up on the case. 

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Coincidentally, a book published by renowned British surgeon Stephen Paget' earlier that same year read, "No new method, and no new discovery, can overcome the natural difficulties that attend a wound of the heart." But Rehn believed it could be done, and started operating on his patient's heart. Not only did he succeed in saving the man's life, he also savored his bragging rights at a large medical convention the following April where he first publicly announced his successful operation, with his patient in attendance and in prime condition.

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That same month a second successful cardiac surgery was performed by Italian surgeon Antonio Parrozzani, using Rehn's published procedure, and many more followed.

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Even more “impossible” inventions

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Interested in hearing more about pioneering ideas throughout history thought to be impossible? 

Check out our corresponding video, including two additional examples of ultimately not so “unachievable” innovations.

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Biostasis - A present invention that some think impossible

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In 1962, author Robert Ettinger published his book “The Prospect of Immortality”, where he discussed the concept of human cryopreservation in much detail for the first time. Only a few years later in 1967 the first human was cryogenically frozen by the Life Extension Society. Soon after, Cryonics Institute and Alcor Life Extension began operations in the cryonics field and are actively cryopreserving people to this day.

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However, much like the lightbulb back in 1878, biostasis today is viewed with doubt, even by reputable scientists. Some say “it’s impossible”. This claim is mostly based on the fact that cryonics can’t guarantee future revival, because scientists haven't figured out how to do so yet.

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Nevertheless, there is no scientific research proving the contrary. Just like flight, biostasis too can be found naturally when observing nature. All we have to do is translate the concept to humans. From what scientists know, there is no reason why revival couldn’t be possible with future technology. 

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Medical standards are increasing every year and with it the quality of cryopreservation does too. Tomorrow Bio, the first biostasis company based in Europe, is constantly conducting and reviewing the newest cryoprotectant and vitrification research to provide the best cryopreservation possible. It is our mission to make cryopreservation an affordable option for everyone, and to push the field forward, so that it too, like heart surgery, can become a mainstream procedure in the future.

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Conclusion

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What we can learn is that the “impossible” can often become possible with passion and time. Scientists, researchers, and visionaries alike are creating new inventions every year that could potentially change the world forever. It is difficult to know what humanity will be able to achieve, even in a few years from now.

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Tomorrow Bio is taking part in this endeavor by conducting research in its own R&D department. We too hope to one day make the “impossible” possible and revive our members from cryopreservation in the future. If you want to know more about how we plan on reaching this goal feel free to schedule a call with us and ask us any questions you may have.