111–120 of 122 posts
It's hard for me to imagine the bravery it takes to sign up for this -- even if you're dying already, something like this is unlikely to result in a peaceful final days on earth (between being a science experiment, the media, optional major traumatic surgery, etc...). The folks undergoing this are incredibly admirable.
It's impossible for me to see this as anything but an amazing development. But the sentient-pig SF horror genre pretty much writes itself.
… does it? It’s a kidney, not a brain. Brain transplants from a pig seem like a pretty obviously bad idea.
https://www.alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/ratings/cere...
imo only way forward (in broad terms) is taking ones cells, fixing dna/genes, growing cells as neccesary and transplanting them back and having valid cells of your own making. everything else is just suffering and living with "incompatible" parts.
They seem to have had success with making a bladder:
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45470799
But a bladder is just a tube. Cultivating and growing a multilayered higher functioning organ like a kidney or a heart is a lot harder.
I do hope they can pull it off though, especially if they can reset the genetic clocks on the new organs.
I imagine there are trillions of dollars on the line as well. Organs are big money and necessary for life but there's also the plastic surgery aspect.
For instance, new skin.
I could see 25-50 years from now being able to go to the doctors and drop off a few skin cells and then coming back 3 months later, shucking your old skin and getting the new skin put on, floating in a star wars bacta tank for a week or so while the nerve integrate and the sutures heal, and then coming out looking like a teenager again.
But not just for old people but for burn victims, too.
Of course, while you're at it, get your new heart / lungs / kidneys / knees / eyes / hair follicles / breast & genital upgrades / remove all of the excess fat from your body / upgrade muscles / get a new set of adult teeth installed / get any bone level deformities handled...
The wealthy could go into these retreats for a few months and come out as basically a brand new human if they had the cash or credit.
It's impossible for me to see this as anything but an amazing development. But the sentient-pig SF horror genre pretty much writes itself.
I remember reading online a short sci-fi piece where people keep their own generically engineered pigs for spare parts, and the main character develops an affection for the animal (that is smart enough to almost talk). The story ends with him needing a transplant, and sitting in the mud with the pig, contemplating the choice he has before him. Edit: In a more 'realistic' scenario, capitalism would ensure we were more…
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Speaking for liver transplants, they are a many hour traumatic affair. My daughter lost and received more than her entire blood volume during hers. Initial recovery is extremely immunosuppressed and some of the drugs we had to handle with masks and gloves, and had 4x a day medication schedules. So you couldn't burn through pig livers I believe getting them swapped frequently. My daughter received her liver at age 8 m…
Wow, congrats. Does she still take immunosuppressants? If so do you and your family take extra caution to not bring home any sickness (for example always washing hands or similar). If her body accepted the liver, how long did it take for that to happen? It's very interesting to me, especially if we can figure out how to force the body to learn/accept the transplant with something better than immunosuppressants and no…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Speaking for liver transplants, they are a many hour traumatic affair. My daughter lost and received more than her entire blood volume during hers. Initial recovery is extremely immunosuppressed and some of the drugs we had to handle with masks and gloves, and had 4x a day medication schedules. So you couldn't burn through pig livers I believe getting them swapped frequently. My daughter received her liver at age 8 m…
Just curious, about how long does the initial recovery phase last? Congratulations to your daughter by the way, happy you all pulled through.
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I don't think censorship is a necessary part of addressing this problem.
Parent poster suggested censoring doctors..
You're making a very big leap from "doctors should not be encouraging this" to "we should not allow doctors to encourage this".
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Parent poster suggested censoring doctors..
Parent poster did not suggest censoring doctors. You're making a very big leap from "doctors should not be encouraging this" to "we should not allow doctors to encourage this".
And my comment likened both, so to suggest the intent of the word censoring is somehow different is semantic nitpicking rather than any productive discourse.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Parent poster did not suggest censoring doctors. You're making a very big leap from "doctors should not be encouraging this" to "we should not allow doctors to encourage this".
So why say anything if it’s just an opinion if not a call to action seeking to censor certain opinions? And my comment likened both, so to suggest the intent of the word censoring is somehow different is semantic nitpicking rather than any productive discourse.
Why not? I could make an argument that cultural change happens through conversations like this, but honestly I think people are just intrinsically motivated to share their opinions whether it makes any difference or not.
> And my comment likened both, so to suggest the intent of the word censoring is somehow different is semantic nitpicking rather than any productive discourse.
The difference between censoring someone and disagreeing with their opinion is NOT a nitpicky detail. It's literally one of the major differences between totalitarianism and democracy.
The position that censorship is the only way to get people to stop saying things you disagree with, is an absurd, extremist position.