Death, Afterlife, Immortality & Emerging Biotech – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering major concepts from lecture notes on death processes, afterlife beliefs, immortality themes in culture, and cutting-edge biotechnologies aimed at life extension and revival.

Complex process of death

Modern view that dying unfolds in stages and may be reversible for a short window, rather than occurring at one instant.

CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation)

1960s medical technique that renewed interest in death’s reversibility by restarting heart and breathing functions.

Resuscitation

Medical restoration of heartbeat or respiration after clinical death.

Resurrection

Metaphysical or religious return to life, distinct from clinical resuscitation.

Brain death

Legal criterion defining death as irreversible cessation of all brain functions, even if heart beats via machines.

Valhalla

Norse mythic hall where slain warriors feast until Ragnarok; modern symbol of honor or glory.

Tartarus

Deep abyss and deity in Greek myth serving as prison for Titans and realm of punishment for the wicked.

Diyu

Chinese ‘earth prison’ underworld with multiple chambers for moral atonement, ruled by King Yan.

Jigoku

Japanese Buddhist hell of hot and cold regions judged by Emma-ō.

Nirvana

Buddhist state of liberation from suffering and the cycle of rebirth.

Samsara

Endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth governed by karma in Indian philosophy.

Isekai

Japanese genre where protagonists are transported or reincarnated into alternate worlds.

Tensei subgenre

Reincarnation-focused isekai stories where characters start new lives retaining past memories.

Akuyaku Reijo (Villainess)

Isekai subgenre featuring protagonists reborn as story antagonists seeking redemption or power.

Zamaa-style story

Narrative centered on revenge and success after expulsion or humiliation, common in villainess tales.

Quest for immortality

Historical and modern efforts to achieve indefinite life or eternal youth.

2045 Initiative

Dmitry Itskov’s project aiming for human immortality via robotic avatars and brain-computer interfaces.

Ammortality

Concept of extending healthy lifespan and delaying disease rather than true immortality.

Senescent cell

Cell that permanently stops dividing and secretes harmful factors contributing to aging.

Senolytics

Drugs that selectively eliminate senescent cells to improve healthspan.

Stem-cell therapy

Medical use of stem cells to repair or replace damaged tissues; only hematopoietic transplant is FDA-approved.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)

Adult cells reprogrammed to embryonic-like pluripotency for research and therapy.

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT)

Cloning technique transferring a somatic nucleus into an enucleated egg, used to create Dolly the sheep.

Reproductive cloning

Producing a genetically identical organism by implanting a cloned embryo into a uterus.

Digital cloning

Creation of hyper-realistic digital replicas (audio, video, personality) via deep learning.

Synthetic biology

Engineering discipline that designs and builds new biological parts, devices, and systems.

CRISPR-Cas9

Genome-editing tool enabling precise DNA modifications, pivotal in synthetic biology.

Cell-free protein expression

Production of proteins without living cells, useful for rapid testing in synthetic biology.

Genome engineering market

Expanding industry projected to reach $41 billion by 2025 for gene-editing solutions.

Cryonics

Preservation of humans at ultra-low temperatures after death hoping for future revival.

Bio-mechatronics

Field combining biology and engineering to create devices that mimic or augment human functions.

Regenerative medicine

Therapies aimed at replacing or regenerating human cells, tissues, or organs.

Gene doping

Illicit use of genetic engineering to enhance athletic performance.

Hematopoietic stem cell

Blood-forming stem cell sourced from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord.

p16INK4a

Biomarker commonly used to identify senescent cells in aging research.

Dasatinib

Tyrosine-kinase inhibitor investigated as a senolytic drug.

Quercetin

Plant flavonoid studied for senolytic properties in combination therapies.

Navitoclax

BCL-2 family inhibitor functioning as a senolytic in preclinical studies.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Manga exploring immortality through an elf reflecting on relationships with mortals.

Tithonus

Tennyson’s poem character cursed with eternal old age, illustrating immortality’s burden.

The Mortal Immortal

Mary Shelley’s tale of Winzy who accidentally gains eternal life from an elixir.

Cool Air

H.P. Lovecraft story depicting horror of artificially prolonged life linked with decay.

Highlander

Franchise where immortals battle each other, showcasing social complications of eternal life.

Senility problem

Risk that immortality without eternal youth leads to cognitive decline, as in Swift’s Struldbrugs.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Norwegian facility storing over one million seed samples as global biodiversity backup.

Permafrost

Permanently frozen ground that can preserve ancient viruses and mummified remains.

Zombie virus

Colloquial term for ancient virus revived from permafrost samples in laboratory studies.

National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC)

UK repository housing thousands of clinically significant bacterial strains since 1920.

Polio virus synthesis 2002

First creation of an infectious virus from scratch using mail-ordered chemicals.

Moonshot medicine

Ambitious biotech efforts to cure major diseases via groundbreaking technologies.

Big Data & AI in healthcare

Use of large datasets and machine learning to enhance diagnosis and reduce medical costs.

Future food innovations

Biotechnologies aiming for sustainable, gene-edited crops and healthier diets.

Valhalla impact crater

Large ringed crater on Jupiter’s moon Callisto named after Norse hall of the slain.

Aston Martin Valhalla

Mid-engine hybrid supercar named after the Norse mythic hall to evoke performance glory.

Naraka

Buddhist concept of hell influencing Chinese Diyu and Japanese Jigoku beliefs.

Emma-ō

Judge of the dead in Japanese Buddhism ruling over Jigoku.

King Yan (Yama)

God of death overseeing the Ten Kings of Hell in Chinese mythology.

RPG mechanics in isekai

Use of game-like leveling, quests and stats to structure alternate-world narratives.

Levelling-up trope

Typical isekai element where protagonists gain power through explicit progress systems.

Guild

Collaborative group in fantasy or gaming settings, common social structure in isekai stories.

Bit.bio

UK biotech company researching cell programming for longevity and disease treatment.

Illumina

Leading genomics firm providing sequencing technology central to longevity research.

BCL-2 proteins

Apoptosis-regulating family targeted by some senolytics to kill senescent cells.

Hesiod’s Theogony

Ancient Greek poem detailing cosmogony, including Tartarus as primordial entity.

Youdu

Capital city of Diyu governed by King Yan in Chinese afterlife lore.

Hot Jigoku

Fiery region of Japanese hell depicting punishments through burning heat.

Cold Jigoku

Icy region of Japanese hell where sinners suffer freezing torments.

Ragnarok

Prophesied end-time battle in Norse myth for which Valhalla’s warriors prepare.

Chaos (Greek myth)

Primordial void existing alongside Tartarus and Gaia in early cosmology.

Karma

Moral law of cause and effect determining future existences in Indian religions.

Four Noble Truths

Buddhist framework diagnosing suffering and prescribing the path to Nirvana.

Immortal boredom

Fictional trope where endless life leads to ennui or suicide, e.g., Varley’s Eight Worlds.

Lazarus Pit

DC Comics’ rejuvenating pool granting Ra’s al Ghul longevity with episodes of insanity.

Weapon X project

Marvel program that amplified Wolverine’s healing factor, exemplifying immortal experimentation.

Udrebà

Le Guin’s fictional disease in “The Immortals,” compared to leprosy to critique immortality.

Mindclone

Digital replication of a person’s memories and personality for potential virtual survival.

Deepfake

AI-generated audiovisual content that mimics real individuals, central to digital cloning ethics.

SynBioSS

Software tool for modeling and simulating synthetic biological systems.

Microfluidics

Technology manipulating tiny fluid volumes, enabling high-throughput bio screening.

Oligonucleotide

Short DNA or RNA molecule widely used in genetic synthesis and diagnostics.

Bacterial type strain

Reference microbial strain stored in collections like NCTC for taxonomic and clinical study.

Anthrax permafrost outbreak 2016

Siberian incident where thawing released spores, infecting reindeer and humans.

SARS-CoV-2 deep freeze concerns

Speculative fear that ultra-cold environments could harbor coronaviruses long-term.

Noah’s Ark analogy

Comparison used to describe vaults preserving biodiversity against global catastrophes.

Oreo Global Vault

Marketing stunt creating a mini vault near Svalbard to store cookies and recipe.

Frieren’s loneliness theme

Exploration of how an immortal mage copes with outliving companions.

Winzy’s ‘mortal immortal’

Paradox where a character is biologically ageless yet psychologically human and desiring death.

Struldbrugs

Swift’s fictional immortal beings who age eternally, demonstrating immortality’s drawbacks.

WOWBagger

Douglas Adams character who insults the universe to relieve immortal boredom.

Latent virus

Dormant virus preserved in permafrost or host tissues, potentially re-activatable.

Gene circuit

Engineered combination of genetic parts functioning like electronic logic inside cells.

Biosecurity

Safeguards preventing misuse of biological research, especially in synthetic biology.

Viral spillover

Transmission of viruses into new host species, risk heightened by climate change.

Seed diversity

Variety of crop genetic resources stored in vaults to ensure future food security.

Bank of America Longevity thesis

Analyst report projecting $600 billion market for technologies delaying human death by 2025.