Armada Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 This is pretty neat; however I cannot imagine the feeling of having a different body. A radical plan for transplanting a head onto someone else’s body is set to be announced. But is such ethically sensitive surgery even feasible? IT'S heady stuff. The world's first attempt to transplant a human head will be launched this year at a surgical conference in the US. The move is a call to arms to get interested parties together to work towards the surgery. The idea was first proposed in 2013 by Sergio Canavero of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group in Italy. He wants to use the surgery to extend the lives of people whose muscles and nerves have degenerated or whose organs are riddled with cancer. Now he claims the major hurdles, such as fusing the spinal cord and preventing the body's immune system from rejecting the head, are surmountable, and the surgery could be ready as early as 2017. It involves cooling the recipient's head and the donor body to extend the time their cells can survive without oxygen. The tissue around the neck is dissected and the major blood vessels are linked using tiny tubes, before the spinal cords of each person are cut. Cleanly severing the cords is key, says Canavero. The recipient's head is then moved onto the donor body and the two ends of the spinal cord – which resemble two densely packed bundles of spaghetti – are fused together. To achieve this, Canavero intends to flush the area with a chemical called polyethylene glycol, and follow up with several hours of injections of the same stuff. Just like hot water makes dry spaghetti stick together, polyethylene glycol encourages the fat in cell membranes to mesh. Next, the muscles and blood supply would be sutured and the recipient kept in a coma for three or four weeks to prevent movement. Implanted electrodes would provide regular electrical stimulation to the spinal cord, because research suggests this can strengthen new nerve connections. When the recipient wakes up, Canavero predicts they would be able to move and feel their face and would speak with the same voice. He says that physiotherapy would enable the person to walk within a year. Several people have already volunteered to get a new body, he says. Read the rest of the article: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530103.700-first-human-head-transplant-could-happen-in-two-years.html#.VPEb9_nF-So Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugor Hill Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Great! Put Stephen Hawking's head on Drew Doughty's body. (And I don't care what you do with Doughty's head) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoneypuckOverlord Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 its bound for failure. when the head is decapicated it's pretty much dead. nothing can change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuktravella Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 interesting hope its a sucess for the people but thats pretty insane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Where's Wellwood Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 its bound for failure. when the head is decapicated it's pretty much dead. nothing can change it. The same could be said for heart transplants years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Clutch Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Soooo, someone with a cancerous liver gets another body. But what about the person who owned the other body? Where does this perfectly usable body come from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 In unrelated news.... The Chinese government has now changed their execution method from firing range to beheading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Barzal Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Soooo, someone with a cancerous liver gets another body. But what about the person who owned the other body? Where does this perfectly usable body come from? Some perfectly expendable kid from a third world country of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surtur Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Soooo, someone with a cancerous liver gets another body. But what about the person who owned the other body? Where does this perfectly usable body come from?probably head trauma victim. Maybe incurable brain cancer, tumor etc. But I would rather they find a cure for the issues other then transplant a head that would be so difficult to get use to. I could imagine the person going insane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejazz97 Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 So wait... isn't this more of a body transplant, rather than a head transplant?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLASSJAW Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 your move, ISIS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangelos Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Great! Put Stephen Hawking's head on Drew Doughty's body. (And I don't care what you do with Doughty's head) CDC Post of the year lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsedin33 Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 This is all kinds of wrong. Imagine transplanting your head onto a body of the opposite sex, or someone a different age, like you'd have a head of a 30 year old on a body of a 15 year old. Imagine the shock the body and brain would have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangelos Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 This is all kinds of wrong. Imagine transplanting your head onto a body of the opposite sex, or someone a different age, like you'd have a head of a 30 year old on a body of a 15 year old. Imagine the shock the body and brain would have. Lol anyone thinking of Mars attacks? Why not put Doughty's head on a chihuahua? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejazz97 Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Lol anyone thinking of Mars attacks?Why not put Doughty's head on a chihuahua? Where would you put the chihuahua's head? On a lemur? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangelos Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Where would you put the chihuahua's head? On a lemur? The possibilities are endless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFirstLine Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Messing with gods creation smh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KFBR392 Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 What if my healthy body wants a new head? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armada Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 Imagine going from extremely obese to shredded 6 pack abs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurn Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Maybe, rather than working on this small stuff they could cure death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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