Holy shit! And just when Americans were nearing the apex of dissatisfaction with their bodies. I probably wouldn't ever go through with a transplant like this unless I absolutely needed it. Hell, I would even be hesitant to consider getting those Kick-Ass augmentations in Deus Ex.

whoa

Umm, I think he's going to be paralyzed from the neck down. If it works at all.

So I was actually reading about that since I was wondering how they'd get around that.
Apparently there's been some neat developments in this biopaste stuff. So they'll be using a super sharp scalpel making the incision as small as possible, then using this paste stuff, and the man will be in a coma for a while to prevent movement.

So yeah.

Bio superglue! XP

Well, the head might be transplanted, but what about the nerves? I assume he won't be able to move^^
Other than that I guess it will be successful since it is already been done with animals^^

yeah, I can't be certain since I'm not a top end surgeon, but like I said to the comment above, they've taken that into account.

It's a bit of a misconception that nerves can never heal, it takes a shit ton to do it, but there's been successful limb transplants for that reason.

So they're going to use a super sharp scalpel, reduce the cut as much as possible then pasting the two parts together and putting him into a coma so that he doesn't move for a few weeks.

Oh my god I hope this works. This would be amazing.

I read about this somewhere. It's actually very terrifying when you think about it.

it's certainly brave of the gentleman that volunteered. There's a lot of complications to this. If the body rejects the head, if the brain is incapable of accepting the change. At the same time if it succeeds it will be a huge development for medicine.

If this surgery is successful, how long will it be until things like this are possible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pvf3yBnk7E I wonder how many furries would actually want to have animal bodies.

I don't think that it will be allowed.

tbh I think we're more likely to see the digitization of our brains and putting it into AI situations with furries than actual transplant to an animal body.

It doesn't serve a medical purpose and the possibility of informed consent is really questionable. I'd have to look through my human research literature again, I dunno if it's illegal atm, but it's really really doubtful.

I'm just joking. Out of curiosity, whose body is this guy's head going to be transplanted onto? Where are they going to find a second person willing to sacrifice their own body to have another head replace their own? And since this guy won't be able to move for a few month to let his spinal cord heal, how will he eat or go to the bathroom?

The donor will come from a brain dead individual with otherwise healthy body, basically an organ donor but getting all the organs rather than having them harvested. So really it's just a matter of when there is a viable body just like with a regular transplant case.

As for eating and bathroom. He'll be placed into a chemical coma, meaning he'll be under hospital care. probably would just have an IV and a catheter like most others in bedridden states.

While the idea of being in another person's skin is certainly entertaining, I don't know if I would ever be able to go through with such a thing even supposing that the procedure has no future complications. It does put into perspective how far we have come that we can honestly consider transplanting a head and yet there remains much to be desired.

I think, if there were no complications, the only reason I would do it is if I had some degenerative disease or something like that.

I could certainly see that, and I do believe the candidate for this particular instance is suffering from a fatal disease. Although, would you undergo a transplant if disease were a non-issue? Either from already being healthy or replacement organs/limbs/whatever being available with relative ease.

personally prolly not. I just don't have a reason to.

I would be much the same.

The only issue in doing such if I chose to do so is how much that procedure actually costs which is like 11 million. I hope to hear the follow up on this surgery, especially when this person with such a disease may not live past 20, and if successful may go beyond that if there are no serious problems with the new body.

Yeah, I wouldn't expect anyone to do it now since it's still so exploratory, but in the future if it is a success and time and technolog reform things so such a surgery is more reasonable in terms of expense.

Ok this is the first I an hearing of this, if successful it make the heads in a jar obsolete, sorry Futurama. I also see this as the fist Frankenstein's monster experiment if successful also, with the stitches and bolts in the neck to prove it.
All the same, I see so many complication too, like how will the spinal chord be attached, using stem cells or something, and what of all those detached nerve endings? Even transplanting organs is never a 100% success rate, a whole head I think be more complicated. I know that (bleaching) organs to just the frame structure of the muscle fibers and then filling with the patients blood works better, but not for a head. An here I thought the future was to digitizes a persons mind into an AI bot and one like a bio-mechanical synthesis, and to a form the mind so chooses.
Am if it does work what about all the sociological ramifications, in cultures world over, and the division on the matter (mostly within religious communities), this will be interesting to see what cone of that if the person lives. I can see a whole other class to disorders that could stem in its wake. It could be like a sci-fi Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, or Outer Limits like episode too.
This is till just wow, like the first clone sheep in the late 90s.

Yeah medical, science, and philosophy fields are going a bit bonkers over the implications and ramifications if it works. Will the body affect the mind, will this breed a new type of insanity (from some of the more sensationalist writings on it)

I'm really curious to see what will come.

As for the detached nerve endings, it's a misconception that nerves can't heal at all. We tend to lump spinal injuries or nerve injuries all together. If you watch the TED talk on this he explains the difference. If a nerve is cut, it can repair itself, it's just a matter of knitting back together. Now if it's crushed or shredded, that's a different story. It's like with bones, a simple fracture isn't that hard to heal, but crushed or shattered and the bone just don't heal properly.

Most spinal injuries we see is the nasty variety, not a straight cut.

So we've known about nerve splicing for a while now, that's why we can transplant limbs and such. Heck, I damaged the nerves in my thumb a while back and it eventually recovered in full. So they can heal, for the spine it just needs to be clean and the person can't move around.

I am curious of the outcome will be now as well. I just more wonder if this works their will be those persons who come our of the woodwork who would what to do those as elective surgery like those who feel the need for elective amputation. I do wonder how if successful will the medical, science, and philosophy fields react on both sides.
Yes you are right about accident victims crushed compared to smooth cut, and yes I have seen the limb transplant before, like he guy with 2 left arms, and other such surgeries, if this is similar, then we will see how it goes.

I'm really interested to see if they can pull this off and I agree that the person who volunteered is quite brave.

I am more interested into the reaction of the immune system. I guess he will take some serious immune system suppressors?

Yeah the articles I've been reading say he'll have a really heavy dose while he's in the chemical coma afterward.

Do you perhaps have a link to the article? I'm curious to read about it. I'd more desire to have more synthetic organs, like what you see in the story 'Bicentennial Man'. They do have an artificial spleen now.

Yeah no problem

This is the article I preferred reading, there's a ton others but a lot are sensationalist or don't go into detail enough
http://www.thejournal.ie/head-trans.....43786-Apr2015/

The ted talk http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Head.....ion-The-Future

and for another comment in tracking the sources I found a journal article on the process! http://www.surgicalneurologyint.com.....4/2/335/113444

Thanks Fay!

Oh also, Yeah I think I would prefer synthetic organs, but in terms of the degenerative muscle diseases I can see it as a really viable solution, since really the issue is "well the body is wasting away" so just some organs isn't too helpful.

Smells like a hoax to me. And I noticed you didn't provide any links or references (and if you had provided links, well, we all know how reliable some of the stuff one can read online is). Not intending to be rude, just saying.

A little skepticism on the internet is healthy but wow, I mean a quick google search will bring you a wealth of resources including TED Talks.
At least do a little due diligence before calling me a liar or easily conned by false sources

You're right, I didn't post sources, I just wanted to talk about what is literally the big news in the medical and science circles.

So again, good don't believe everything you hear online, but don't try to say I'm talking shit and immediately disregard possible sources before even taking a look. Even for your own sake saying "and if you had provided links, well, we all know how reliable some of the stuff one can read online is" is a really shitty attitude toward possible learning and discover. Even before giving an idea a chance and wanting to talk about it you are shutting it out as "probably wrong, I'm not going to bother"

You've just looked literal innovation in the eye, the largest step in human medical science and you've said "well I don't fucking believe it and I'm not even going to attempt to learn something for myself because I don't think it can be true anyway"

So yes, your comment is extremely rude. Not because you pointed out lack of sources (other people asked for sources too, that's cool, that's just wanting more info) but because you have immediately disregarded the basic process of intellectual discovery. That's a terrible attitude to bring to a science discussion and you have essentially insulted every single person here either with the implication they are stupid and gullible, or worse, implications that research and evaluation of the information being discussed is a waste of time.

I know this is a harsh reply to what was probably an off hand comment, but I find such comments to be insufferable and a general harm overall to the internet community due to the malicious anti-intellectual attitude it spreads. Skepticism without due diligence is just the last resort of the intellectually lazy.

All that being said here's some sources
http://www.thejournal.ie/head-trans.....43786-Apr2015/ a good article on the subject, repeating much of what the others are saying as well as explaining the process more.

http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Head.....ion-The-Future the full TEDx video from the surgeon himself

http://www.surgicalneurologyint.com.....4/2/335/113444 link to an academic journal article by the surgeon detailing the process of the spinal fusion.

I never intended to say you were lying or anything like that. I did wonder, though, if someone else might have been.

I did say that I didn't want to be rude, didn't I? And I never said I wasn't going to bother looking. I didn't have time just then to Google it or anything (especially as I've found that Google doesn't give you just what you are looking for, but usually lots of other stuff besides, stuff that matches one of the search words but not the others).

I never insulted anyone here about this topic.

"I know this is a harsh reply to what was probably an off hand comment, but I find such comments to be insufferable and a general harm overall to the internet community due to the malicious anti-intellectual attitude it spreads. Skepticism without due diligence is just the last resort of the intellectually lazy." Do you have any idea how close that brought me to blocking you? Very nice of you to go calling me names like you have done in that last sentence in the quote.

And getting back to this: "You've just looked literal innovation in the eye, the largest step in human medical science and you've said "well I don't fucking believe it and I'm not even going to attempt to learn something for myself because I don't think it can be true anyway" ." I DID NOT SAY I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT, I ONLY SAID I WAS A BIT DOUBTFUL. And like I said also, I didn't have time to look it up.

Thanks for the links, though. I AM checking them.

I'm sorry that the reply was harsh, honestly the type of response you gave is something I've seen a lot, it's used to simply disregard thoughts and points. You may not have meant to be insulting, but you were.

The problem with the statement was that it wasn't just doubt and asking to be reassured, you expressed doubt and then said that the possible sources were probably bad as well.

So, I am sorry for making such harsh statements, it was an overreaction to a message which from my point of view is along the line of statements people use to completely disregard a topic and discussion.

Ah, I see. I'm sorry.

I've seen quite a few bad (or possibly bad) sources passed along online, though, so I couldn't help being suspicious.

Like I said, I understand being suspicious, and wanting sources is totally fine. It was more the immediate "and even if you did..." statement that really bothered me.

oh well, sources are there now, the whole thing is fascinating.

As someone with limited use of their body I would consider this. However, I would wait until the creation of synthetic bodies that are already biochemically attuned to the head getting put on. That way no rejection could happen. Or at least a very small chance. In my opinion it's mad science with a very small chance of success.

It will be interesting to see if this succeeds.