Reviving the dead is “a distinct possibility”, a leading neuroscientist has predicted. 

There is a saying that the only inevitabilities in life are death and taxes. 

Despite this, Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston is convinced this need not always be the case. 

In his book, The Future Loves You: How and Why We Should Abolish Death, he sets out the case for eternal life. 

On Moncrieff, Dr Zeleznikow-Johnston even predicted that people whose bodies are preserved could one day be resurrected centuries later using technology that he described as “very hard” to predict. 

“One possibility is that you revive people in a sense back into their original body - but with much better medicine,” he said. 

“So, in the same way that today we have treatments for today that can sort of alleviate symptoms that people might have, you can imagine more advanced versions rejuvenating someone, so that they’re chronologically 70-year-old body would be more like their 25-year-old body. 

“An alternative is to imagine giving people new bodies in the sense of digital or robotic bodies. 

“If that’s feasible - which neuroscientists think is definitely a distinct possibility - then you would get around those problems of frailty.” 

A funeral. Picture by: Pavel Danilyuk Pexels.

Currently, there are eight billion people on planet earth and, if the dead could be revived, there would naturally be an awful lot more. 

However, Dr Zeleznikow-Johnston believes the earth is good at sustaining human life. 

“Of course, there’s environmental concerns, social concerns and economic concerns,” he said. 

“These are serious concerns and in my book I spend a couple of chapters going through them in detail. 

“People were already concerned about overpopulation about 200-years ago when there were only 100 million people on the planet. 

“We should take these concerns seriously but there are typically ways of overcoming these issues without having to have far fewer people exist.” 

'I wish I could live longer still'

Dr Zeleznikow-Johnston said if the dead can be revived, the technology would likely prove very popular with people. 

“Most people say they’d like to say they’d like to live longer than they’re currently likely to get,” he said. 

“Survey people in Ireland or Britain, for example, and they’ll say about 90 - so, about 10-years longer than they’re likely to get. 

“If you ask them as they get closer to the point of dying, most people will say, ‘Actually, I wish I could live longer still.’ 

“If you survey people at death’s door, who are dying of cancer, for example, typically they have a very strong will to live - about 70% people say they wish they could continue living if only it were possible.” 

Main image: A coffin. Picture by: Alamy.com