The Monetary Value of Your Body's Basic Components

The Monetary Value of Your Body's Basic Components

In an intriguing exploration of the limits of human ingenuity, the question of whether it is possible to synthesize a human body from raw materials has gained attention. While the idea might seem far-fetched, a closer look at the facts reveals a complex and costly endeavour.

From a molecular standpoint, a pig and a human are essentially the same thing, composed primarily of water, inorganic minerals, and organic molecules such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. Synthesizing these raw materials at scale would require producing a vast array of chemical elements and complex biopolymers in precise quantities and purities.

The synthesis of complex organic molecules, such as amino acids, nucleotides, and lipids, typically starts with basic chemical precursors. The cost of these precursors varies based on availability and manufacturing complexity. For instance, the cost of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) — which are often complex molecules — is largely driven by raw material costs, multi-step synthesis processes, and regulatory compliance. This illustrates that producing biochemical building blocks from scratch involves high costs due to technical complexity and stringent purity requirements.

Moreover, the scale of the operation would significantly increase costs. API or biochemical raw material production benefits from economies of scale. Independent, small-scale synthesis would be far more expensive per unit mass compared to industrial-scale manufacturing, because fixed costs (equipment, energy, labor, compliance) cannot be spread over large volumes.

The human raw materials market for cell therapies, which includes purified proteins, nucleotides, enzymes, and growth factors relevant to human cells, is growing rapidly. This market is valued at billions of dollars annually and expected to grow by over 20% CAGR in the near term. This indicates the high market value and demand for purified biological raw materials but also implies these materials are costly to produce commercially.

Estimating the cost to synthesize the raw materials equivalent to a human body independently, including self-refining and purchasing from stores, is extraordinarily complex and currently lacks direct, comprehensive data. However, some insights frame the challenge and cost drivers involved.

If one were to refine the materials themselves, the cost of a body would be significantly less. Adding 10kg of ammonium sulphate fertiliser to one's shopping cart costs £23 ($31) and can be used to create the nitrogen and sulphur needed. The remaining elements in a human body, when accounted for, would only add an additional £10-15 ($13-20) of value.

However, the total cost of these raw materials in chemically pure form is over £116,000 ($150,000), as calculated by author Bill Bryson. Good quality charcoal, which is about 70% carbon, can be purchased for £56 ($75) and used to obtain the carbon needed for a body.

Despite these costs, the cost of obtaining raw materials to make a body using conventional methods has been estimated to be under £100 ($133). This is a far cry from the astronomical energy costs associated with synthesizing these materials from pure energy. To make 70kg of matter from pure energy using a particle accelerator, approximately 10^17 joules of energy would be needed, an amount of energy equivalent to 1.75 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity, which is about 70 times the world's annual consumption.

In conclusion, synthesizing all raw materials composing a human body independently is currently impractical and prohibitively expensive, most likely costing millions to billions of US dollars. This is due to the complexity and diversity of biomolecules, the need for multi-step chemical and biological synthesis, high purity standards, and large-scale infrastructure requirements. Commercial markets for relevant human biological raw materials alone operate in the multi-billion-dollar range globally, highlighting the enormous economic scale involved.

1. The synthesis of complex organic molecules, essential for creating human raw materials, is costly due to the need for precise quantities and purities of chemical elements and biopolymers, as shown in the cost of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs).
2. The human raw materials market for cell therapies, consisting of purified proteins, nucleotides, enzymes, and growth factors, is growing rapidly and valued at billions of dollars annually, implying these materials are costly to produce commercially.
3. Estimating the cost to synthesize the raw materials equivalent to a human body independently is complex, but it was calculated by author Bill Bryson that the total cost of these raw materials in chemically pure form is over £116,000 ($150,000).

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