h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was just catching up with some back issues of New Scientist and found this one on human head transplants:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530103-700-first-human-head-transplant-could-happen-in-two-years/

I guess it's a bit of a misnomer - you'd actually be having a head-down full body transplant. Clearly, fusing the spinal cords isn't something the medics are too worried about.

So, three important questions:

1. Is this ethical?

2. Would we be able to psychologically cope with this?

and 3. Whose body would you like to fuse your head to?

(or indeed, whose head would you like to fuse your body to?)

(fixing that https link, sorry):

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530103-700-first-human-head-transplant-could-happen-in-two-years/

So assuming donors could be a problem Zaphod Beblebrox could become the new look

The Futurama head museam is a possibility

I can't understand why it's not called a 'whole body tranplant' (to the head)

Could I have my head transplanted onto my own 20 year old body?

PP.

This may be one for the future, but it would be good if we could have 'hot-swappable' bodies to suit the occasion.

Some serious design decisions would first need to be made - not least, whether to have the neck as a screw or bayonet fitting.

Can you clone a replacement new body and when the time comes swap the knackered original fro the pre prepared clone. No rejection problem even the same fingerprints.

better still just swap the brain

"Can you clone a replacement new body and when the time comes swap the knackered original fro the pre prepared clone?" [Bob Stafford]

I'm thinking no. The body requires signals from the brain in order to function. It would be more practical to cone the whole body and then swap the two heads.

Is there a world shortage of people?

They'd be different fingerprints in point of fact. Fingerprints form in the womb, their pattern isn't genetic.

So a clone is not identical in every way a DNA duplicate is not exact, Interesting

Best demonstrated by the differences between identical twins.

There may not be a shortage of people, but there's only one of me.

Icy: "Some serious design decisions would first need to be made - not least, whether to have the neck as a screw or bayonet fitting."

Now, I'm thinking more along the lines of using something like a headphone jack to plug into the top of the spine.

only on h2g2

Deb

Actually, you're on to something there - we just need to produce a spinal cord in a pluggable cable form. We could then move our head around with complete freedom. Handy for seeing what we look like from behind, or for looking under the bed without having to lie on the floor. The possibilities are endless.

Not a USB port please - it'd get immensely tiring having to plug your head in three times, every time.

That gives a whole new meaning to plug and play

I'm not sure I want to be able to see my butt.

Ah, butt be careful if you wear a loose jacket/shirt with breast pockets... if you don't check the buttons are done up, your camera is likely to go Clonk! onto a concrete floor.

(been there too, done that too)