16 replies to this topic

[Danail Bulgaria]

I found a strange video on youtube, showing survival animals with no head.

 

 

 

 

The entertainment is nice, but it made me think, at what extend the brain is needed for supporting the life.

[Danail Bulgaria]

It goes and another question: Can the head survive,if it is supplied adecuately with blood?

[lucid]

Yes and vice versa. An experiment was done a long time ago where a puppy's head was surgically attached to an adult dog. Brutal as the experiment was, both dogs survived in an alert conscious state for about half a day. The puppy head apparently played a lot with the adult.

Can't see the video but the most famous headless case was a chicken that survived for years after its head was cut off. Some cns tissue was intact at the top of the spine.

[Danail Bulgaria]

I think, that I saw somewhere a video for the pupies heads, but I can't find it now.

This questions are very important for those, who choose the "Neuro" option in cryonics.

[Antonio2014]

I don't think it's important at all for cryonics. I think very likely that, when working, reliable cryopreservation reversing technologies are available, cloning a body from a head will be very easy. I think the cloning problem is much easier than the cryoreversing problem.

Edited by Antonio2014, 08 November 2014 - 01:16 PM.

[Danail Bulgaria]

Yes, correct. But once you have the clonned body and the successfully restored cryopreserved head, wouldn't you need to have it transplanted to the cloned body, in order for the head to survive?

[Antonio2014]

Yes, but, by the time cryoreversing will be available, that transplantation will be easy (or, better, cloning and growing the body from the head).

[forever freedom]

Also of interest is whether we could remove people's heads from their bodies and achieve long term survival. I mean, it would solve the problem of heart attacks, most types of cancers/diseases, etc. This would be a last and extreme measure, of course. But could mean radical life expectancy increases.

[Danail Bulgaria]

The brain needs oxygen and glucose to survive. It needs also to be removed the waste products of the work of its cells. Adding glucose to the blood, ok. Artifitial kidneys... ok. But does it exist an artifitial lungs and liver? Plus how you will be ale to work like that?

 

[Antonio2014]

Mmm yes, it could be difficult to grow a body from a head.

[forever freedom]

The brain needs oxygen and glucose to survive. It needs also to be removed the waste products of the work of its cells. Adding glucose to the blood, ok. Artifitial kidneys... ok. But does it exist an artifitial lungs and liver? Plus how you will be ale to work like that?

 

Yes, unfortunately head transplants remain science fiction for now. Maybe when we cure tetraplegics, we could solve many problems surrounding head transplants. So first things first :/

 

 

 

edit: Look, this is what i'm talking about, i knew i had read about this somewhere: 

 

http://www.usnews.co...ead-transplants

 

 

I believe ethical issues in excessively conservative US would prevent this scientist from receiving his funding. But should he succeed, the ramifications would be revolutionary; we would only need to worry about brain aging (well at least the wealthier who would be able to afford brand new bodies).

 

 

 

edit 2: Ok, i may have to start a new topic about this subject which i find very interesting. I may do that soon.

 

A new article, just 10 days old, about this subject, more optimistic with recent advances, stating that human head transplants are becoming more practical, and may even be possible NOW, with fully connected spinal cords between transplanted head and new body, although the cost would be of almost 13 millions USd, requiring 100 surgeons and 36 hours of surgery. I mean, so a wealthy individual could have this right now?? This seems like science fiction to me. I gotta market this to wealthy old hags. Maybe they would fund this scientist. Of course this procedure would require some testing first, which could reveal complications.

 

http://magazine.good...ead-transplants

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by forever freedom, 11 November 2014 - 09:05 PM.

[Danail Bulgaria]

Brain - computer interface type of connections between the brain and the organs can be used instead of rewireing again the spinal cord.

 

I am not saying, that exploring how to reconnect the spinal cord and the medula oblungata part of the brain is worthless - all of the medical technologies must be developed, since you don't know where from will emerge the needed technology. Simply there are more options.

One immortality activist (if I may name her on tis way) - Maria Konovalenko has predicted different technologies, that may lead to our immortality:

http://mariakonovale...to-immortality/

If you look at the "Cyborgization" route, you will see, that the first step are artifitial limbs, controlled through brain signals, directly from the brain.

At 2020 she predicts artifitial equivalents of all body organs. This can be enough for a head to survive in an artifital environment - something like the characted Krang from kids science fiction from the 80's:

http://thinkingoutsi...ion/tmnt-krang/

[forever freedom]

2020 is 5 years from now. It is impossible that we will have all types of artificial organs in just 5 years, unfortunately.

I believe the "Cyborgization" route will take at least another 20 years...

[Danail Bulgaria]

Then I wish you to survive 20 years more :D

 

If 20 years does not work for you, they will certainly work for your children or your grand-children.

[forever freedom]

I intend to be around for at least another 60 years. Worst case scenario it does not seem like a bad idea to get my 86 years old head off and plug it into a 20 years old body. I would only have to worry about my brain aging it seems.

Edited by forever freedom, 20 November 2014 - 09:00 PM.

[Danail Bulgaria]

Well... the brain tumors, and the tumors of the soft tissues of the face and head bones perhaps also will cause you some worries

[olaf.larsson]

 

 

Also of interest is whether we could remove people's heads from their bodies and achieve long term survival. I mean, it would solve the problem of heart attacks, most types of cancers/diseases, etc. This would be a last and extreme measure, of course. But could mean radical life expectancy increases.

You have to pay the bill Sir or else we will quit the supply of blood and glucose to you/your brain.

 

Edited by olaf.larsson, 13 April 2015 - 01:49 AM.