Human head transplants are possible, says neuroscientist

[Malthus]

Who controls what?

"I call dibs on the cock"

[Eddie Teach]

Does this mean you're volunteering to become a Malthus/Liep hybrid?

[Malthus]

Does this mean you're volunteering to become a Malthus/Liep hybrid?

No. Just a general statement, made (no doubt simultaniously) by heads finding themselves in such a predicament. 

[Ideologue]

Had a conversation over wine with a neurosurgeon once and he mentioned that even if we could remove a human brain and put into a perfectly immortal body, or some sort of robotic body that could support it the brain itself has an aging process and would fall to extreme dementia over time and become basically non-functional. So we'd have to find a way to fix that before going into a robot body would make any sense.

Yep.  Even if it didn't have an aging process per se (which is theoretically reparable), there's a space limit to the human brain as well, iirc estimates put it around 1000 years worth of normal memories high maximum.

Of course, if you're at the point that you can wire existing brains into immortal bodies and repair the brains on the fly, you probably have the technological capacity to create storage modules out of brain tissue for back-up purposes.

[CountDeMoney]

Had a conversation over wine with a neurosurgeon once and he mentioned that even if we could remove a human brain and put into a perfectly immortal body, or some sort of robotic body that could support it the brain itself has an aging process and would fall to extreme dementia over time and become basically non-functional. So we'd have to find a way to fix that before going into a robot body would make any sense.

Yep.  Even if it didn't have an aging process per se (which is theoretically reparable), there's a space limit to the human brain as well, iirc estimates put it around 1000 years worth of normal memories high maximum.

Embryonic stem cells.  It's what's for dinner.

[DontSayBanana]

Rather than stupid shit like tranplanting the head, why don't they just use spine-fixing technology to fix the spine of the cripple?

This is the real news right here, folks.  That's a huge advancement in spinal regenerative therapies, as opposed to finally reviving zombie Walt Disney.

[Eddie Teach]

No. Just a general statement, made (no doubt simultaniously) by heads finding themselves in such a predicament. 

Might backfire on him if the other head decides to control the hands.

[garbon]

Rather than stupid shit like tranplanting the head, why don't they just use spine-fixing technology to fix the spine of the cripple?

This is the real news right here, folks.  That's a huge advancement in spinal regenerative therapies, as opposed to finally reviving zombie Walt Disney.

Do we actually have those therapies?

[DontSayBanana]

Do we actually have those therapies?

Good point.  "Potential for spinal regenerative therapies."  Since, you know, these haven't actually been tested with human genetic material.

As the article says, head transplants were performed "successfully" on monkeys as far back as the '70s.

[Siege]

there's a space limit to the human brain as well, iirc estimates put it around 1000 years worth of normal memories high maximum.

Whoa, where di you get this from?
I can I use it to support biblical studies that in the Torah, before the Flood (Noah's time), human used to live for 1000 years?

I mean, why would we have a 1000 years of memory capacity if we cannot possibly use it?
Brilliant!

[Neil]

there's a space limit to the human brain as well, iirc estimates put it around 1000 years worth of normal memories high maximum.

Whoa, where di you get this from?
I can I use it to support biblical studies that in the Torah, before the Flood (Noah's time), human used to live for 1000 years?

[Josquius]

The key problem with creationists summed up in one neat sentence.

[Eddie Teach]

I don't think is a sentence. 

[Ideologue]

there's a space limit to the human brain as well, iirc estimates put it around 1000 years worth of normal memories high maximum.

Whoa, where di you get this from?
I can I use it to support biblical studies that in the Torah, before the Flood (Noah's time), human used to live for 1000 years?

I mean, why would we have a 1000 years of memory capacity if we cannot possibly use it?
Brilliant!

I forget, though it's mentioned in Frank Tipler and David Deutsch's futurist books, amongst other sources.  Iirc, the idea was to imagine memories as requiring the minimum number of neurons to store, then assuming they can all be used for fact memory (i.e., "Moscow is the capital of Russia," "My father's name is ____ and looks like a Sean Connery," and they can't), then multiplying times number of neurons.  There is no rigorous science behind any exact number, but obviously the brain, as a physically finite object, has finite information storage capacity.

I suppose your basis for using it in a Creationist style would be to argue that the human brain would not be created to store X number of memories when we only live Y number of years, but bear in mind the human brain is also selected to be highly redundant, as well as the fact many facets of human anatomy are useless and/or poorly "designed."

[dps]

there's a space limit to the human brain as well, iirc estimates put it around 1000 years worth of normal memories high maximum.

Whoa, where di you get this from?
I can I use it to support biblical studies that in the Torah, before the Flood (Noah's time), human used to live for 1000 years?

I mean, why would we have a 1000 years of memory capacity if we cannot possibly use it?
Brilliant!

Some of us can learn a thousand year's worth of stuff in a couple decades or so. 

Some of us never learn jack shit.