Successful transplantation of monkey heads in China

A neurosurgeon claims to have successfully implanted a monkey's head without leaving any nerve damage. Transplants take place in Heilongjiang Province (China).

The implantist is Italian Dr. Sergio Canavero. Previously, he had planned to perform a similar head transplant on humans, according to The Mirror.

The monkey head transplants were conducted at Harbin Medical University. Although the surgery was successful, the scientists killed the monkey 20 minutes later for moral reasons.

The image of the monkey was successfully transplanted.

Dr Canavero's surgical team has published a video showing the monkey being grafted. The stitches are still visible around the animal's neck.

The key to transplant is by connecting the spinal cord to the new body. The scientists used a polyethylene glycol compound to connect the spinal cord, according to Mirror.

The head transplant plan is causing a lot of controversy. Dr. Canavero plans to perform the world's first human head transplant for Valery Spiridonov, a 31-year-old Russian who suffers from muscular atrophy.

Mr. Canavero affirmed the successful first transplants on monkeys and corpses who showed that the ambition to transplant a person's head into the donor's body is feasible.

This groundbreaking surgery can be done at the end of 2017, he told New Scientist. If successful, this solution can help completely cure muscle paralysis.