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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,895
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

Re: First human head transplant

I'm reminded of Young Frankenstein, where Marty Feldman, as Igor (he pronounced it Eye-gor) went to the lab to steal a brain. However, after dropping the brain of a great scientist, Igor had to improvise. He confessed to Dr Frankenstein (pronounced Fronken-steen) that he had stolen the brain of "Abby-someone." After being pressed about who this Abby was, Igor replied, "Abby-normal." This head transplant idea is too Abby-normal to me.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 21,204
Registered: ‎10-04-2010

Re: First human head transplant

That's just sick!

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,008
Registered: ‎09-05-2014

Re: First human head transplant


@stuyvesant wrote:

I'm not providing any links, but this has been in the news.  If you search my thread title, you can read about the story.

 

Basically, a very ill man, with no hopeful prognosis, is willing to spend a lot of millions to have his head grafted onto a viable body.

 

The scientists who are doing this, think it can be done.  But I think most of us know, the most hopeful outcome from this operation is that the body and brain may be kept oxygenated for a while.

 

What I want to discuss, is this worthwhile?  The guy thinks it's his best shot at a life.

 

I think this guy is dreaming, about somebody in his situation a 100 years from now, and wants to start the search for knowledge.  I think he's picking an esoteric way of serving humanity, and ending his suffering.


I'm guessing it's the guy in Russia...I read about that about a year ago. I hope they progressed from the monkey trials, bcz last I read, the monkey that they experimented on had to be put down as it went insane from the pain 😳

Honored Contributor
Posts: 19,543
Registered: ‎06-17-2015

Re: First human head transplant

We have so many other issues to tackle-be it cures for the multitude of illnesses out there and/or for spinal cord issues.

 

The focus should be on those; I'm sure all those out there, including my loved ones, would prefer to see research on those issues instead of this insane and (can't post the name of that horrid doctor during WWII) type horror.

 

Nobody leaves this world alive.   We do the best to find the utmost in care for loved ones but it simply doesn't work out that way all the time.

 

I wish it did. 

"" Compassion is a verb."-Thich Nhat Hanh
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,008
Registered: ‎09-05-2014

Re: First human head transplant


@SeaMaiden wrote:

It may sound like science fiction... but much science fiction becomes the future eventually.

 

 I see this as  a very plausible thing with all the transplants now being preformed.  I remember when the first face transplant happened years ago  at first it was also looked at as sci fi...... and now many many have been done and are helping lives be better.

 

 


The future is farther along than I think most people realize. Some of the stuff you see in sci-fi movies are actual technologies now, that have been around for years. When "Minority Report" came out, people commented on the cool way Tom Cruise was moving the files through the air...at the time, that tech existed and is now found partially on your iPads, etc. with the "swiping" and "zoom in and out w/ your fingers"..also, they can project files into the air and have 3d images "jump" out of your phone and drive around in front of you. That's been around for at least 5 years and is kind of "old news" now.

I was watching the HBO series "Vice" last night for the episode called "Unnatural Selection" and they were talking about a dna sequencing process that  a scientist at UC Berkeley co-discovered that goes into DNA, cuts out bad code, and inserts whatever other code to "fix" it. This is great in terms of diseases, etc, but they also discussed how people are going to fertility doctors to "design" their baby (eye color, gender, height, etc) Also, since no one has fully cracked the dna codes, there is a race by countries to have to most data. China currently has the largest dna data bank in the world and they are puching their scientists hard to crack the codes. They have 450,000 mice in containers that have been genetically modified to study 😳

The creepier thing, to me, is called "The Singularity". There are people who are REALLY into this (Ray Kurzweil of Google and Elon Musk of Tesla) and are trying to "eradicate death" by replacing failing parts of your body with machines. Eventually, you get to the point that all parts have been replaced, download your brain into a computer and live forever. This sounds like fantasyland...until you look at the science and how far it's actually come...then it's just downright creepy

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,635
Registered: ‎08-20-2012

Re: First human head transplant

@QuseA DNA database?  you mean like Ancester  and the like?  And what about that brain quiz website they were touting a few years ago.  Where they keeping track of results from geographic locations even if not actual persons.  The information is out there.  The replacement of original parts for machines is an idea older than Sci Fi. and belped build the genra itself. If I got downlowded I'd be afraid I'd be hacked!

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,008
Registered: ‎09-05-2014

Re: First human head transplant


@candys mine wrote:

@QuseA DNA database?  you mean like Ancester  and the like?  And what about that brain quiz website they were touting a few years ago.  Where they keeping track of results from geographic locations even if not actual persons.  The information is out there.  The replacement of original parts for machines is an idea older than Sci Fi. and belped build the genra itself. If I got downlowded I'd be afraid I'd be hacked!


@candys mineNo, not like Ancestry, a much deeper, more involved database of  human genomes and DNA sequencing (actually mice genomes, but mice are the most similar to humans, DNA wise, to humans than other species.
I'm guessing, given human nature, that it will start "good: (curing diseases) then move more into "designing" the human species. Basically, the country with the most data "wins"...so there is a race to crack the code....bcz the one with most data has the most power in determining what to do with the science.
Like I said...creepy

Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,685
Registered: ‎07-21-2011

Re: First human head transplant

I don't think so.  A sci-fi movie perhaps?????

kindness is strength
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,798
Registered: ‎06-16-2015

Re: First human head transplant

[ Edited ]

I'd have more faith in a successful human cloning than I would of a head transplant. I don't even believe it's feasible. First of all, the spinal cord would have to be severed. Not to mantion all the other tissue that would be necessary to guarantee voluntary and involuntary movements and dispositions could take place. As far as I know, no one has ever successfully reconnected a spinal cord. This is just silly, and if it is really being attempted, it borders on the experiments of Josef Mengele.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,036
Registered: ‎07-25-2010

Re: First human head transplant

Wow...could really change the meaning of "donating your body to science"... I can't imagne anyone is going to want this old body.....so I think my family is safe from seeing me sashaying around for an additional 20 years after my demise!