July 24, 2006
He has been described as a modern Dr. Frankenstein....
The image of the severed head has a power in myth and art...
Dr. White is the self-acknowledged expert in the field. Is he right, or are his ideas merely sceince-fiction?
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"Good news! Your head transplant has proved a partial success!"
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It doesn't really look like he's done anything terribly spectacular, just lined up the holes right so that the circulation systems link up. I'd say he hasn't made any progress on the soviets' experiments on keeping severed heads alive in the 1940s, only replace their mechanical pump system with an organic one. Until he sorts out the nervous system, he's no closer than they were 60 years ago.
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*passes monkey head to Ronaldinho* He shoots, HE SCORES!
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He admitted that it could appear "grotesque", but said there had been ethical considerations throughout the history of organ transplants. Well, people don't generally imbue kidneys and livers with personality, since neither of these organs exhibit consciousness. The brain is seen as the seat of a person's character and "soul" (if such a thing exists), and there will likely be a fight between those who see this as a tissue issue (heh) or as a spiritual one. But hey: if it works, then why not? By the time the surgery is perfected, Bush won't be president and won't veto due to moral objections.
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It strikes me as a natural eventual chain in the evolution of medical science and transplantation in general. Sure, it probably won't happen in my lifetime, but I take comfort in imagining that if my great-great grandnephew is horribly injured he'll have some kind of hope.
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nunia my left kidney takes offense to your organ bias. End braincentrism, stop the hate!
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By the time the surgery is perfected, Bush won't be president and won't veto due to moral objections. Damn! And here I got all excited when I read this thinking we could transplant a brain before he left office.
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And here I was, watching the teevee, when that damned Sally Struthers starts begging for money for that damned Feed the Kidneys Foundation. Dammit.
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My right kidney does not mind, but lefty calls him a "self-hating kidney," whatever that means.
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Your kidneys need to quiet down. I'm trying to enjoy my kidney pie over here. *munch munch*
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I find two things interesting about the idea of this: First, it seems likely that the research involved in this could have side benefits. Learning how to reattach nerves could have benefits for the paralyzed. Second, this seems like, once the bugs are worked out, as if it would be a way for a person to acheive a form of immortality. Of course, it would only be available to the very rich. It is easy to imagine a Bill Gates or Emir of Oman paying to have their head transplanted into a young, healthy body.
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ARE YOU PEOPLE EVEN AWAKE??? THIS PROCEDURE WOULD REVOLUTIONIZE THE SEX CHANGE INDUSTRY! Hey! This weekend I'm going to be a perfect 10 Bo Derek on a group sex hunt, next weekend I'm going to be... ...well, dead, because of last weekend. But still, there's potential...
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That is a good point. It's not hard to imagine a world, a hundred years from now, where one can, for the right amount of money swap bodies with someone of the opposite sex. I must admit, I would be first in line.
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I'm still waiting for my robot body. To hell with cheap human meat substitutes.
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for the right amount of money swap bodies with someone of the opposite sex But what guy wants to mate with a woman with a dude head? It is easy to imagine a Bill Gates or Emir of Oman paying to have their head transplanted into a young, healthy body. Regardless of how young the body is that you're swapping to, the head will still be as old and will continue to age according to its pre-programmed cell decay. I'll be impressed when they can figure out how to transplant consciousness...if they can ever figure out what it really is.
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Regardless of how young the body is that you're swapping to, the head will still be as old and will continue to age according to its pre-programmed cell decay. Wull, I'll just walk around with a bag over my head, then.
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Sgt P: Well, King, it's time we headed out of this thread. King: w00f!
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some time in the distant future.... Child: Mommy, why does that lady over there have a bag on her head? Mother: Don't stare, dear. It's The Unknown Monster.
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I guess it wasn't clear, but the guy's ultimate goal is to be able to do brain transplants. There are predictions that within ten years we will be able to do so. Also, as far as a man machine interface, scientists have experimented with putting animal brains into machines. I'm tired tonight, but tomorrow I will endeavor to find links to explain more fully.
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But you're still stuck with the pre-programmed cell decay if you transplant a brain. It's not like the brain's age is going to reverse if it's put into a new body.
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nunia = negative nancy
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Yeah, that is one of the big questions about the whole thing, is it possible to come up with a way to arrest the brain decay? Of course, for all we know, the decay of the brain might be tied to the age of the body. Perhaps putting an old brain in a younger body would arrest the decay?
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You people are hard to please. A perfectly serviceable head transplant isn't enough: it's also got to confer eternal life? Sheesh.
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(insert "good head" joke here.)
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nunia = negative nancy And your first clue was...?
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... tomorrow I will endeavor to find links to explain more fully /patiently waiting