Photo: Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images

As reported in a New York Times article, Jeffrey Epstein allegedly had plans to impregnate 20 women at a time on his own “baby ranch.” If that wasn’t shocking enough, another detail that stood out was Epstein’s supposed interest in cryonic preservation, a pseudoscientific process in which the human body or head is frozen and stored with the hope that it could be successfully revived in the future, à la Encino Man. According to sources who spoke to the Times, Epstein “wanted his head and penis to be frozen.”

It sounds like a plot from a Black Mirror episode, but cryonics organizations have existed for decades, despite there being no scientific proof to back up the practice. And they’ve been supported by wealthy enthusiasts who will pay tens of thousands of dollars to get their bodies frozen. One such organization, Alcor Life Extension Foundation, currently has over 150 patients who have already undergone cryonic preservation, which includes both the freezing of the entire body or just the head and the brain.

Alcor, which is located in Arizona, has over 1,200 members who have signed up for the same fate. These members pay for the cryonics process through life insurance — $200,000 for the whole body and $80,000 for neuropreservation, which is when only the brain is frozen. This concept made headlines in 2015 with the story of a 23-year-old woman who chose to preserve her brain when she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

Unlike Alcor, the Michigan-based Cryonics Institute does not have an option for neuropreservation because, according to its F.A.Q., they “believe that whole body preservation could certainly enhance the chances of successful revival,” and are “concerned about neuro’s negative effect on the public’s perception of cryonics and, especially, because of the negative impact on the families of patients.” It’s also considerably cheaper at Cryonics Institute, at $28,000 for the entire body.

The Times article didn’t provide a reason why Epstein would choose to freeze only certain body parts instead of his entire body. Neither Alcor nor Cryonics Institute appear to offer the option of freezing one’s genitals. But as we’ve learned throughout this whole ordeal, Epstein’s wealth has allowed him access to many things, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if he found someone willing to preserve his “egg-shaped” penis for the right price.

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