WILL SUSPENDED ANIMATION EVER EXIST?

It already does, if you count animals hibernating over winter.

- SAFIA HALL, VIA EMAIL

But if you mean the sort of suspended animation depicted in science fiction (where a person is placed in a pod and frozen so they can survive interstellar journeys), that's a little more fanciful. But there are some very down-to-earth applications, assuming we can solve the problems with freezing human tissue.

For decades, we've known about the potential for using cold temperatures to slow the biological process and have recently started using it as a form of emergency, lifesaving treatment.

Officially termed 'suspended animation for delayed resuscitation', people suffering a heart attack, for example, can be quickly cooled to induce hypothermia. This slows their body's processes and protects their organs, in particular their brains, while the blood flow is interrupted. The technique dramatically reduces the risk of brain damage and is so effective that people can survive without medical treatment for up to 90 minutes.