Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: neilep on 27/05/2022 18:32:28

Title: Can JUST a head survive ?
Post by: neilep on 27/05/2022 18:32:28
Dear Cranial Inplantologists,

As a sheepy I just love my head being where it is. Each day I find it at the end of my neck and it pleases me no end.

Say I was the unfortunate casualty of a horrific happenstance ! A very serious papercut that separates my brain bowl from my body.
I know the outpour of grief would stop the Earth spinning but Could my head(or anybody else's head) remain alive and well if attached to the appropriate equipment


As a firm believer in empirical study I perchance found myself removing my neighbour's *head at 3am this morning and with the aid of Lego I created a toy car that I threw at it  !..A toy car that after all my endless research (none) I thought was the appropriate equipment...................anyway no luck there !....sheesh !!!


whajafink ?










*Please do not try this tat home, I am a trained neighbour-head remover.



Title: Re: Can JUST a head survive ?
Post by: Halc on 27/05/2022 19:56:35
Could my head(or anybody else's head) remain alive and well if attached to the appropriate equipment
The technology may not be currently up to the task, but since your body constitutes 'appropriate equipment', the answer is very much yes. All it has to do is what the rest of you does.

You could always attach the head to a different host like the other end of the neighbor sheep producing a sort of 'push me pull ewe'.
Title: Re: Can JUST a head survive ?
Post by: alancalverd on 27/05/2022 19:57:00
No obvious reason why not, but whilst an elementary textbook might show any organ merely devouring glucose  and oxygen (science), the details of the plumbing and chemistry are very complicated (engineering - or biology, if you prefer).

Old Irish story: Traveller arrives in Dublin and asks the way to Cork. Bloke says "If I was going to Cork, I wouldn't start from Dublin". So here's the sales engineer's response:

The simplest and cheapest way of keeping a head alive is to leave it attached to the original body, which can process common foods and ambient air into whatever the brain needs. Our standard product runs on fish, chips and mushy peas, washed down with beer. Runs for about 80 years with minimum maintenance, and if you get a complementary pair, they will make another one - complete with head - automatically.
Title: Re: Can JUST a head survive ?
Post by: evan_au on 28/05/2022 02:13:50
It's already been done, on Futurama...  ;)
Title: Re: Can JUST a head survive ?
Post by: neilep on 28/05/2022 12:38:49
ha ha " push me pull ewe" lol


ok, so it is feasible...probably something for the future then. A portable head survival kit.

Could my head(or anybody else's head) remain alive and well if attached to the appropriate equipment
The technology may not be currently up to the task, but since your body constitutes 'appropriate equipment', the answer is very much yes. All it has to do is what the rest of you does.

You could always attach the head to a different host like the other end of the neighbor sheep producing a sort of 'push me pull ewe'.
Title: Re: Can JUST a head survive ?
Post by: neilep on 28/05/2022 12:40:50

Thank ewe Alan. love the joke, do they do a hybrid model?

No obvious reason why not, but whilst an elementary textbook might show any organ merely devouring glucose  and oxygen (science), the details of the plumbing and chemistry are very complicated (engineering - or biology, if you prefer).

Old Irish story: Traveller arrives in Dublin and asks the way to Cork. Bloke says "If I was going to Cork, I wouldn't start from Dublin". So here's the sales engineer's response:

The simplest and cheapest way of keeping a head alive is to leave it attached to the original body, which can process common foods and ambient air into whatever the brain needs. Our standard product runs on fish, chips and mushy peas, washed down with beer. Runs for about 80 years with minimum maintenance, and if you get a complementary pair, they will make another one - complete with head - automatically.
Title: Re: Can JUST a head survive ?
Post by: neilep on 28/05/2022 12:41:30
 ;D ;D

It's already been done, on Futurama...  ;)

Title: Re: Can JUST a head survive ?
Post by: tackem on 08/06/2022 23:44:46
Your head may survive given the right support, but you'd soon get fed up of getting hats for every birthday
Title: Re: Can JUST a head survive ?
Post by: Bored chemist on 09/06/2022 17:18:49
Your head may survive given the right support, but you'd soon get fed up of getting hats for every birthday
And also copies of this song.
Title: Re: Can JUST a head survive ?
Post by: SeanB on 09/06/2022 17:27:06
"Friends come in Boxes" by Michael G Coney is still appropriate for this....

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/michael-g-coney/friends-come-in-boxes.htm

Or read online at

https://archive.bookfrom.net/michael-g-coney/522230-friends_come_in_boxes.html