Will We Be Brought Back to Life After We Die?
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VOICE OVER: Peter DeGiglio
WRITTEN BY: Aidan Johnson
Is there a chance that death ISN'T the end? Will we be brought back to life in the future?
Will We Be Brought Back to Life After We Die?
There’s been life on Earth for at least 3.5 billion years, but alongside all of life there has always been death. The natural cycle for all living things has always (apparently inevitably) ended with that one, cosmic certainty. However, it could finally be that now is when everything will change.
This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; will we be brought back to life after we die?
For all of history, humans have grappled with the concept of death. Most religions and cultures have offered up their own unique ideas and promises as to what lies beyond the grave, ranging from resurrection to living out eternity in infinite paradise, or everlasting hell. In almost all cases there is some form of life after death; there is some way in which death isn’t the end that scientifically and physically-speaking it clearly seems to be. In Christianity, for example, resurrection is a central belief, with Jesus Christ being resurrected three days after his crucifixion - for what’s arguably the most important event in Christian lore. Christians additionally believe that at the end of time, all the dead will be resurrected and face final judgment. And that this will coincide with the second coming of Christ, at which point all of those the Lord deems faithful will be granted eternal life in heaven. Other Abrahamic religions hold similar beliefs around the themes of, again, resurrection, judgment and eternity.
The most widely followed Eastern religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, offer different takes on what’s awaiting us all. Here, reincarnation is the key term. Rather than one singular grand resurrection, Hindus and Buddhists believe that the soul is reborn into a new body after every single death. This process is guided by karma, the idea that good moral actions will provide favourable outcomes for those who perform them, including that people who are good in this life should be granted a better fate in their next and future lives. On the flipside, immoral actions generate bad karma, which means that those who are immoral are more likely to reincarnate into a bad and less favorable life next time. Liberation from this continuous cycle can be achieved, however, and is in fact an ultimate goal. In Hinduism it’s called moksha, in Buddhism it’s nirvana. For those who achieve either, they’re able to break free from the suffering of reincarnation in order to reach enlightenment.
In ancient times, the Egyptians placed huge emphasis on life after death; arguably even more so than any major religion does today. The Egyptians believed that there was a physical afterlife, and so they would host elaborate burial rituals which sought to perfectly preserve a body for its next step. The most famous aspect of the Egyptian perspective is mummification, where the body itself was literally preserved as much as possible. Meanwhile, major organs were often removed and kept separately… and the richest and most powerful (including the Pharoahs) were buried in often vast tombs, along with provisions for the afterlife such as food, tools, and their favorite belongings. In some cases, high-ranking figures were even buried with their slaves, servants, and closest companions, all so that those unfortunate people could continue to serve their master in the afterlife.
Of course, be it an ancient Egyptian temple or a modern day church, science is by nature uninterested in the fates that various Faiths claim to have in store for us. Across all fields, from biology to chemistry to engineering, the goal is to deliver undeniable proof of (or control of) what happens after we’re gone. And, clearly there has been progress made, especially in the last century or so. Human life expectancy is currently at an all-time high across the globe. There are far fewer people who are dying notably young, and there are far more people who are living long into old age. Clearly, this isn’t yet bringing people back from the dead, but it is pushing the boundaries of death back further than they’ve ever been before.
In terms of plain immortality, science (and science fiction) of course offers multiple options. Cryonics is when someone allows for their body to be frozen indefinitely, in the hope that future medical advancements can bring them back to life - and cure whatever it was that ailed them in the here and now. Unfortunately, it isn’t quite so reliable as it’s usually portrayed in film and TV, and it remains extremely unlikely that you will ever face a situation similar to Fry from “Futurama”. The first significant cryonics case was that of the American psychologist James Bedford, who was frozen in 1967, and his remains are still frozen to this day. Later, beginning in the 1980s, some companies stopped freezing whole bodies, and instead only preserved their customers’ heads, believing that our brains could be supported by machines and/or digitized in the future… so the majority of a human’s biological bulk actually won’t be necessary. But while this first step is doable, anything beyond the initial cryonically freezing process at the beginning is still pure speculation. So far, no one has ever been revived from their cryonic state. And actually, in some cases, frozen bodies have been lost due to complications, poor maintenance, or simply because the cryonics company that was storing them shut down.
An adjacent field that is increasingly less science fiction, however, is that of genetic engineering. The headlines relating to gene editing and CRISPR cas-9 technology have become common in recent times, with mounting hopes that science will soon be able to specifically eliminate diseases at the genetic level. Alongside the positivity there are some very real concerns regarding so-called “designer babies”, where the same technology is used to alter all aspects of the human body - from eye, hair and skin color, to muscle mass and brain size. But, in general, the practical applications of genetic engineering certainly appear to be huge. So huge, in fact, that it’s perhaps here that we will properly reverse the pesky business of dying.
As a starting point, we have the emerging bid to de-extinct certain species, including - most famously - the woolly mammoth. There are a number of proposed methods to do this, but in general they involve retrieving even a tiny amount of genetic material relating to the mammoth (perhaps from a recently unearthed, well-preserved bone) and working upwards from there. That material could then be implanted into a suitable host (in the mammoth’s case, an elephant) or it could be incubated within a wholly artificial womb. So the theory goes, it will then be monitored throughout its growth all the way up until its rebirth as a genuine, fully fledged mammoth. And, while the mammoth perhaps unsurprisingly gets all the headlines and mainstream attention, there’s seemingly no reason why the idea should stop there. Everything from the dodo bird to the Tasmanian tiger could well be resurrected in the same (or a similar) way. With the focus zooming into the genetic level of life, it’s a little like building the house again so long as you have the bricks.
At this stage, the mammoth hasn’t been successfully brought back to life yet… and no single species has been fully de-extincted yet. There have been many, many cases of successfully cloning something else, but not yet in quite the same way as bringing it back from the dead. For example, the singer and actor Barbra Streisand sparked controversy in 2018, when it was reported that she had had her recently passed pet dog cloned twice into two new puppies. It was (and is) true, although Streisand had arranged for the procedure before her original dog died, with the cloned animals originating from cells deliberately taken from the original’s mouth. In contrast, it’s not like anyone arranged for the mammoth’s return when it breathed its last on an ancient tundra, thousands of years ago. And yet, if reports are to be believed, then we could well see mammoths within the next generation.
So, how does it all relate to humankind? Ultimately, the next (and perhaps most unsettling) stage is easy to see. Because if (and when) the process does work for long dead animals, then it should be technically much easier to make it work for recently passed animals - including human beings - as well. There will be no need to freeze the entire body, or even the entire head, if you want to rise again… all that will really be required is a tiny amount of your genetic base. That, plus access to a willing host for your growth and/or a technologically capable vessel to nurture your returning cells. Before long, perhaps anyone could be born again. Which, on the face of it sounds great, but there’s also the disquietening prospect of consent. If genetic resurrection is ever possible (and it is still a huge if) then what’s to stop anyone bringing anyone else back to life? Could death ever really feel like a final chapter, if the dying knew it were possible for their genes to be extracted, preserved, and one day re-animated? How surprising (and unsettling) would it be for someone who died, say, 100 years ago, to find themselves brought back via the miracles of near-future science? Because, if it ever can be done for the mammoth or the dodo, then it’ll also be possible for humans. How do you think we should feel about that?
There’s been life on Earth for at least 3.5 billion years, but alongside all of life there has always been death. The natural cycle for all living things has always (apparently inevitably) ended with that one, cosmic certainty. However, it could finally be that now is when everything will change.
This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; will we be brought back to life after we die?
For all of history, humans have grappled with the concept of death. Most religions and cultures have offered up their own unique ideas and promises as to what lies beyond the grave, ranging from resurrection to living out eternity in infinite paradise, or everlasting hell. In almost all cases there is some form of life after death; there is some way in which death isn’t the end that scientifically and physically-speaking it clearly seems to be. In Christianity, for example, resurrection is a central belief, with Jesus Christ being resurrected three days after his crucifixion - for what’s arguably the most important event in Christian lore. Christians additionally believe that at the end of time, all the dead will be resurrected and face final judgment. And that this will coincide with the second coming of Christ, at which point all of those the Lord deems faithful will be granted eternal life in heaven. Other Abrahamic religions hold similar beliefs around the themes of, again, resurrection, judgment and eternity.
The most widely followed Eastern religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, offer different takes on what’s awaiting us all. Here, reincarnation is the key term. Rather than one singular grand resurrection, Hindus and Buddhists believe that the soul is reborn into a new body after every single death. This process is guided by karma, the idea that good moral actions will provide favourable outcomes for those who perform them, including that people who are good in this life should be granted a better fate in their next and future lives. On the flipside, immoral actions generate bad karma, which means that those who are immoral are more likely to reincarnate into a bad and less favorable life next time. Liberation from this continuous cycle can be achieved, however, and is in fact an ultimate goal. In Hinduism it’s called moksha, in Buddhism it’s nirvana. For those who achieve either, they’re able to break free from the suffering of reincarnation in order to reach enlightenment.
In ancient times, the Egyptians placed huge emphasis on life after death; arguably even more so than any major religion does today. The Egyptians believed that there was a physical afterlife, and so they would host elaborate burial rituals which sought to perfectly preserve a body for its next step. The most famous aspect of the Egyptian perspective is mummification, where the body itself was literally preserved as much as possible. Meanwhile, major organs were often removed and kept separately… and the richest and most powerful (including the Pharoahs) were buried in often vast tombs, along with provisions for the afterlife such as food, tools, and their favorite belongings. In some cases, high-ranking figures were even buried with their slaves, servants, and closest companions, all so that those unfortunate people could continue to serve their master in the afterlife.
Of course, be it an ancient Egyptian temple or a modern day church, science is by nature uninterested in the fates that various Faiths claim to have in store for us. Across all fields, from biology to chemistry to engineering, the goal is to deliver undeniable proof of (or control of) what happens after we’re gone. And, clearly there has been progress made, especially in the last century or so. Human life expectancy is currently at an all-time high across the globe. There are far fewer people who are dying notably young, and there are far more people who are living long into old age. Clearly, this isn’t yet bringing people back from the dead, but it is pushing the boundaries of death back further than they’ve ever been before.
In terms of plain immortality, science (and science fiction) of course offers multiple options. Cryonics is when someone allows for their body to be frozen indefinitely, in the hope that future medical advancements can bring them back to life - and cure whatever it was that ailed them in the here and now. Unfortunately, it isn’t quite so reliable as it’s usually portrayed in film and TV, and it remains extremely unlikely that you will ever face a situation similar to Fry from “Futurama”. The first significant cryonics case was that of the American psychologist James Bedford, who was frozen in 1967, and his remains are still frozen to this day. Later, beginning in the 1980s, some companies stopped freezing whole bodies, and instead only preserved their customers’ heads, believing that our brains could be supported by machines and/or digitized in the future… so the majority of a human’s biological bulk actually won’t be necessary. But while this first step is doable, anything beyond the initial cryonically freezing process at the beginning is still pure speculation. So far, no one has ever been revived from their cryonic state. And actually, in some cases, frozen bodies have been lost due to complications, poor maintenance, or simply because the cryonics company that was storing them shut down.
An adjacent field that is increasingly less science fiction, however, is that of genetic engineering. The headlines relating to gene editing and CRISPR cas-9 technology have become common in recent times, with mounting hopes that science will soon be able to specifically eliminate diseases at the genetic level. Alongside the positivity there are some very real concerns regarding so-called “designer babies”, where the same technology is used to alter all aspects of the human body - from eye, hair and skin color, to muscle mass and brain size. But, in general, the practical applications of genetic engineering certainly appear to be huge. So huge, in fact, that it’s perhaps here that we will properly reverse the pesky business of dying.
As a starting point, we have the emerging bid to de-extinct certain species, including - most famously - the woolly mammoth. There are a number of proposed methods to do this, but in general they involve retrieving even a tiny amount of genetic material relating to the mammoth (perhaps from a recently unearthed, well-preserved bone) and working upwards from there. That material could then be implanted into a suitable host (in the mammoth’s case, an elephant) or it could be incubated within a wholly artificial womb. So the theory goes, it will then be monitored throughout its growth all the way up until its rebirth as a genuine, fully fledged mammoth. And, while the mammoth perhaps unsurprisingly gets all the headlines and mainstream attention, there’s seemingly no reason why the idea should stop there. Everything from the dodo bird to the Tasmanian tiger could well be resurrected in the same (or a similar) way. With the focus zooming into the genetic level of life, it’s a little like building the house again so long as you have the bricks.
At this stage, the mammoth hasn’t been successfully brought back to life yet… and no single species has been fully de-extincted yet. There have been many, many cases of successfully cloning something else, but not yet in quite the same way as bringing it back from the dead. For example, the singer and actor Barbra Streisand sparked controversy in 2018, when it was reported that she had had her recently passed pet dog cloned twice into two new puppies. It was (and is) true, although Streisand had arranged for the procedure before her original dog died, with the cloned animals originating from cells deliberately taken from the original’s mouth. In contrast, it’s not like anyone arranged for the mammoth’s return when it breathed its last on an ancient tundra, thousands of years ago. And yet, if reports are to be believed, then we could well see mammoths within the next generation.
So, how does it all relate to humankind? Ultimately, the next (and perhaps most unsettling) stage is easy to see. Because if (and when) the process does work for long dead animals, then it should be technically much easier to make it work for recently passed animals - including human beings - as well. There will be no need to freeze the entire body, or even the entire head, if you want to rise again… all that will really be required is a tiny amount of your genetic base. That, plus access to a willing host for your growth and/or a technologically capable vessel to nurture your returning cells. Before long, perhaps anyone could be born again. Which, on the face of it sounds great, but there’s also the disquietening prospect of consent. If genetic resurrection is ever possible (and it is still a huge if) then what’s to stop anyone bringing anyone else back to life? Could death ever really feel like a final chapter, if the dying knew it were possible for their genes to be extracted, preserved, and one day re-animated? How surprising (and unsettling) would it be for someone who died, say, 100 years ago, to find themselves brought back via the miracles of near-future science? Because, if it ever can be done for the mammoth or the dodo, then it’ll also be possible for humans. How do you think we should feel about that?
