Sources — Post 1: Why are humans (not) solid?

Every URL consulted in researching this post, with a one-line note.

Egg and body composition

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6470839/ — Whole egg / yolk / white composition percentages (water, protein, lipid).
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9407204/ — Egg white composition 88% water, 11% protein confirmation.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_white — Orientation on egg white composition; not cited as primary.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10265208/ — Body water percentage across age (primary for 58±8% male / 48±6% female).
• https://www.medicinenet.com/what_percentage_of_your_body_should_be_water/article.htm — Adult male vs female body water triangulation.
• https://psu.pb.unizin.org/nutr100/chapter/7-2-defining-protein/ — Adult ~20% protein by mass.
• https://askthescientists.com/body-composition/ — Lean body mass fractionation.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8148928/ — Adipose tissue lipid fraction 61–94%.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extracellular_matrix — Collagen as 25–30% of human protein mass (orientation).
• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-46896-0 — ECM composition systematic review, tissue-specific collagen percentages.
• https://www.physio-pedia.com/Extracellular_Matrix — ECM orientation.

Egg cooking chemistry

• https://www.incredibleegg.org/professionals/manufacturers/real-egg-functionality/coagulation-thickening/ — Egg white coagulation temperature 62–65 °C.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2366979/ — Ovalbumin denaturation kinetics (Weijers et al.), S-ovalbumin temperatures.
• https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/11/3/176 — Disulfide + hydrophobic cross-linking in egg gel.
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224423001978 — Egg white gel formation mechanism review.
• https://cool.culturalheritage.org/albumen/library/c20/gossett1984.html — Gelation quantitative analysis (background).

Brain composition

• https://www.jlr.org/article/S0022-2275(20)39619-X/pdf — O'Brien & Sampson 1965, J. Lipid Res. — canonical brain lipid fractions (gray/white/myelin).
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5865382/ — O'Brien & Sampson 1965 PubMed.
• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48734-y — 2024 lipidome atlas of adult human brain.
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK28221/ — Basic Neurochemistry chapter on myelin composition.
• https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2020.570750/full — Brain ECS at 20% volume fraction, cryofixation comparison.

Aldehyde fixation chemistry — primary

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001122401500245X — McIntyre & Fahy 2015, Cryobiology, ASC paper (primary).
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26408851/ — McIntyre & Fahy 2015 PubMed (abstract and quotes).
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2144/04375RV01 — Migneault et al. 2004 BioTechniques — glutaraldehyde aqueous chemistry review (primary source).
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2833024/ — Revisiting glutaraldehyde cross-linking (Arg-Lys doublet).
• https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(20)49515-8/fulltext — Hoffman et al. 2015 JBC — Formaldehyde crosslinking mechanism review (primary).
• https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0004636 — Schmiedeberg et al. 2009 PLoS ONE — Temporal threshold for formaldehyde crosslinking.
• https://synapseweb.clm.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/synapseweb/files/synapseweb_protocols_-_cross-linking_fixatives.pdf — UT-Austin synapseweb fixation protocol overview.
• https://www.leicabiosystems.com/us/knowledge-pathway/fixation-and-fixatives-2-factors-influencing-chemical-fixation-formaldehyde-and-glutaraldehyde/ — Fixation penetration rates (Medawar equation).
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12503730/ — Kinetic study of glutaraldehyde binding in liver.
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0009308469900218 — Roozemond 1969 — Glutaraldehyde reaction with tissue lipids (PE cross-linking).
• https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Organic_Chemistry/Organic_Chemistry_(Morsch_et_al.)/19:Aldehydes_and_Ketones-_Nucleophilic_Addition_Reactions/19.08:_Nucleophilic_Addition_of_Amines-_Imine_and_Enamine_Formation — Mechanism of Schiff base/imine formation (textbook).
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/805108/ — Glutaraldehyde reactions with nucleic acids (limited DNA reactivity).
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixation_(histology) — Fixation overview; "Aldehydes do not cross-link lipids" attributed here.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14516365/ — Endosome morphology distortion by aldehyde fixation.

Osmium tetroxide / lipid fixation (contrast case)

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/osmium-tetroxide — OsO4 chemistry overview, lipid double-bond reaction.
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0005276068901185 — OsO4 mechanism for lipids (primary, Riemersma 1968).
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25867849/ — Mikula & Denk 2015 Nature Methods — whole-brain EM staining (BROPA protocol).
• https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-methods/fulltext/S2667-2375(23)00149-2 — Mikula 2023 Cell Reports Methods — ECS preservation.
• https://elifesciences.org/articles/08206 — Pallotto et al. 2015 eLife — ECS preservation via osmolarity.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10391564/ — ECS preservation PMC version.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37533653/ — Mikula 2023 PubMed — 30% volume shrinkage in chemical fixation.

Brain Preservation Foundation and ASC evaluation

• https://www.brainpreservation.org/21cm-aldehyde-stabilized-cryopreservation-eval-page/ — ASC evaluation overview.
• https://www.brainpreservation.org/asc_rabbit_fulleval/ — ASC rabbit brain images.
• https://www.brainpreservation.org/aldehyde-stabilized-cryopreserved-pig-brain-evaluation-images/ — ASC pig brain images and protocol notes.
• https://www.brainpreservation.org/small-mammal-announcement/ — 2016 Small Mammal Prize announcement (rabbit, McIntyre/Fahy).
• https://www.brainpreservation.org/large-mammal-announcement/ — 2018 Large Mammal Prize announcement (pig).
• https://www.brainpreservation.org/implications-of-the-bpf-large-mammal-brain-preservation-prize/ — BPF implications post with key quotes.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldehyde-stabilized_cryopreservation — Wikipedia overview.
• https://www.sparksbrain.org/cryonicsVsAldehyde.html — Sparks Brain Preservation comparison of cryonics and ASC.
• https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.04.709724v1 — 2026 Nectome bioRxiv preprint, MAiD-compatible large mammal protocol (WebFetch was 403; citing via search result title and URL).
• https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.02.708967v1 — 2026 bioRxiv companion paper on whole-brain aldehyde-based cryopreservation.
• https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medical-technology/articles/10.3389/fmedt.2024.1400615/full — Zeleznikow-Johnston et al. 2024 Frontiers — Structural brain preservation review.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11416988/ — Same paper PMC version.

Cryonics / vitrification context

• https://biostasis.substack.com/p/cryopreservation-of-the-brain-by — Glass transition temp at −131 °C for 65% EG.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2781097/ — Fahy 2009 — Physical and biological aspects of renal vitrification (M22 solution).
• https://www.biostasis.com/microvasculature-perfusion-failure-in-cryonics/ — Context on perfusion failure.
• https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1089/rej.2011.1272 — Best 2012 — Vascular and neuronal ischemic damage in cryonics patients.
• https://www.brainpreservation.org/ken-hayworths-personal-response-to-mit-technology-review-article/ — Hayworth response on ASC.

Endogenous aldehydes, aging, and cell death

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6115986/ — Lipid peroxidation aldehydes (4-HNE, MDA) in aging disorders.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8994689/ — Oxidative stress and 4-HNE in aging.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5524799/ — 4-HNE in aging oocyte; primary amino acid adduction targets.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10135105/ — 4-HNE protein adducts review, Michael addition rankings.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5438786/ — 4-HNE signaling and aging.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-Hydroxynonenal — Structure and chemistry orientation.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3517031/ — Acrolein review in neurotrauma.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20302565/ — Acrolein in Alzheimer's neurodegeneration.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34838693/ — Acrolein gavage induces AD-like pathology in mice.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15843039/ — Acrolein induces apoptosis via mitochondrial pathway.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18823586/ — Acrolein induces neurofilament-L aggregation.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22114878/ — 4-HNE in neurodegenerative disease, redox proteomics.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10618051/ — ALDH2 in neuropathology and neurodegeneration.

Glycation / AGEs / Maillard

• https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/12/9881 — Maillard theory of aging review.
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9029922/ — AGEs formation, chemistry, classification.
• https://www.aging-us.com/article/101450/text — Protein carbonylation/crosslinking in aging brain (imidazolium crosslinks).
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6355252/ — AGEs in aging and metabolic disease.
• https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-biologyofaging/chapter/theory-3-cross-linkage-theory/ — Cross-linking theory of aging (1942 origin).
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213453024000028 — Maillard reaction/AGEs in aging review.

Ferroptosis

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26653790/ — Stockwell et al. 2016 — "Ferroptosis: Death by Lipid Peroxidation."
• https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2023.1226044/full — ROS / lipid peroxidation in ferroptosis, aldehyde pore formation.
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39863749/ — ALDH3A1 in ferroptosis protection.
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092867425002922 — ALDH7A1 in ferroptosis protection.

Other cell-death modes (counterweight to the aldehyde hypothesis)

• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41423-020-00630-3 — Necroptosis / pyroptosis / apoptosis review.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apoptosis — Apoptosis caspase cascade.

Embalming / formaldehyde history

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3931544/ — Human body preservation old and new techniques.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embalming_chemicals — Composition of modern embalming fluids.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embalming — Embalming history.