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Man still alive six months after pig kidney transplant

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Re: Man still alive six months after pig kidney transplant

#51

Post by webnrrd2k »

Waterluvian wrote: post #2

“Xenotransplantation” is pretty #%^*ing metal. It’s pretty wild being alive these days. Lots of big stuff the species is struggling to adapt to and figure out how to exist with. But also… we got the tablets from Star Trek. And now we have the ship’s computer from Star Trek, and the early makings of the holodeck. And we’re making pigmen senior citizens who would otherwise be dead. It’s quite something to stop and thin…

Re: “how do we handle how this changes what it is like to be human today?” part of your post... I think that came to prominence when cheap, effective birth control became available. I think it was about the first time that the common people could decide to make major alterations in how their bodies function. That debate continue in the current fight about trans rights.

As science and medicine progress, what was once considered solely god-given, or exclusively biologically determined, will be for people to decide for themselves, the decision made between them and their doctors.

Re: Man still alive six months after pig kidney transplant

#52

Post by firesteelrain »

Waterluvian wrote: post #2

“Xenotransplantation” is pretty #%^*ing metal. It’s pretty wild being alive these days. Lots of big stuff the species is struggling to adapt to and figure out how to exist with. But also… we got the tablets from Star Trek. And now we have the ship’s computer from Star Trek, and the early makings of the holodeck. And we’re making pigmen senior citizens who would otherwise be dead. It’s quite something to stop and thin…

Next is Old Man’s War style bodies

Re: Man still alive six months after pig kidney transplant

#53

Post by quasarj »

_heimdall wrote: post #35

I have always wondered what decision I would make facing such a health concern. > Reaching 12 months would be another milestone and a “fantastic long-term outcome”, he adds. I am surprised by this being considered a long-term outcome though. Going through the high risk of a kidney transplant, immunosuppression required, risk of using a pig kidney in general, etc seems like a lot if the hope is for 12 months as a long…

I've been on dialysis for 5 years now... which means when I eventually get listed for transplant, I'll be at the top of the list, because nobody survives 5 years...

Re: Man still alive six months after pig kidney transplant

#54

Post by ACCount37 »

_heimdall wrote: post #35

I have always wondered what decision I would make facing such a health concern. > Reaching 12 months would be another milestone and a “fantastic long-term outcome”, he adds. I am surprised by this being considered a long-term outcome though. Going through the high risk of a kidney transplant, immunosuppression required, risk of using a pig kidney in general, etc seems like a lot if the hope is for 12 months as a long…

The alternative is dialysis, which isn't a good patient experience at all. And this is an experimental procedure, testing an early version of the xenotransplant technology. A bad long term outcome would be "the organ ends up rejected within two weeks, and does some damage to the patient while at it".

In a perfect world, this tech would work first try, and the xenotransplant would last for decades. We don't live in a perfect world.

If this proves a workable stopgap, bridging the wait time for the people waiting for donor organs, extending lives of those who don't qualify for organ donations? It might be worth using on those grounds alone. And it's likely that organ longevity could be improved iteratively.

I.e. use an organ to failure, figure out what went wrong and what the host immune system has reacted to, find a way to gene edit around that, get another 6 months of transplant longevity in the next version. Rinse and repeat.

Yes, we don't know what the true limits are - "universal and permanent organ replacement" is very much on the table with this tech. But it's pretty clear: getting all the way there wouldn't be quick or easy. A year of organ lifetime is a damn good start.

Re: Man still alive six months after pig kidney transplant

#55

Post by bryanrasmussen »

chickenzzzzu wrote: post #21
SoftTalker wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meanwhile we can’t figure out how to provide a basic level of housing and healthcare to everyone.

We've figured that out, but certain members of society decided that extracting wealth through protectionist zoning/building code behavior is much, much more lucrative.

that just moves the figuring out one step to the right. knowing how something will work but not knowing how to get it implemented means the problem is not completely figured out yet.

Re: Man still alive six months after pig kidney transplant

#56

Post by ianbutler »

stackbutterflow wrote: post #45
dmitrygr wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Insane take. Even if you confiscated ALL the money from all the billionaires (instant 100% wealth tax) and spread it to everyone worldwide, it would be a one time sum of under $2000. And what then?

Then the former billionaires won't have the ability to influence society to pass laws that favours them. We'll finally be able to build a society for everyone.

> We'll finally be able to build a society for everyone.

I assure you this isn't the only blocker and its naive to think that [other_set_of_humans] will not try to consolidate power for themselves after you remove the current set.

Most people are not in it for their fellow man and whoever sold you this idea that billionaires are the only impediment to, or even blocking now, a better society -- lied to you.

By all means get rid of the billionaires, I don't particularly care; just don't be so surprised when it turns out that was just a side quest.

I think there are other avenues here that are probably better spent to make society better.

Re: Man still alive six months after pig kidney transplant

#57

Post by MobiusHorizons »

chickenzzzzu wrote: post #21
SoftTalker wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meanwhile we can’t figure out how to provide a basic level of housing and healthcare to everyone.

We've figured that out, but certain members of society decided that extracting wealth through protectionist zoning/building code behavior is much, much more lucrative.

Really? I think I can agree that the zoning isn't helping, but claiming we have figured it out seems like bold claim. Where _is_ it working? My impression is that housing costs are increasing faster than inflation and wages not only in North America, but also in the UK and EU, which don't have the same kinds of zoning laws.

Re: Man still alive six months after pig kidney transplant

#58

Post by c0balt »

will_pseudonym wrote: post #31

Pig-human organ transplants make me think of The Onion series, Porkin' Across America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwQns6vGfj4&list=PL4NL9i-Fu1...

This was not what I expected but thank you for sharing. The onion does not cease to amaze me in eccentric productions

Re: Man still alive six months after pig kidney transplant

#60

Post by MangoToupe »

ashdksnndck wrote: post #28
blurbleblurble wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://ips-dc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fy-2023-fed-bu...

Defense is only 13% of federal spending: https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/feder... Military spending has actually decreased a lot as a % of GDP in the US over time, so old narratives about this have become less true. So the anti-military-spending orgs have to abuse the numbers if they want to keep that narrative going: https://econofact.org/u-s-defense-spending-in-historical-and... Though, a rea…

> Healthcare spending is now 4x higher than military in the US (across the whole economy, not just government). So it’s hard to claim the problem is we’re prioritizing the military over healthcare.

I don't think that's a hard claim to make in other terms than % of gdp—I can't imagine many americans want to devote that much of our gdp to it when other countries manage a high degree of care with much more efficiency. But we seem to have largely talked ourselves out of democratic control of such matters, somehow, for some reason, repeatedly over the last 70 years or so.

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