00:00 A surgeon is planning to perform a head transplant surgery, despite opposition from the medical and bioethical community.

04:44 A surgeon is planning to perform a human body transplant, also known as a head transplant, where a person with a fully functioning brain but a wasting body would receive a new body from a recently deceased person, and although the idea is not new, the possibility of actually carrying out the surgery is fairly new.

09:53 Dr. Canavero has faced criticism from scientists and doctors for his brash and controversial approach to the head transplant procedure, with many questioning the feasibility and ethics of the surgery.

15:02 Dr. Canavero published a step-by-step outline of the head transplant surgery in a journal, which includes taking different surgeries and assembling them into one massive surgery.

20:11 The biggest obstacle in the head transplant surgery is connecting the spinal cord, as cutting and reattaching the spinal columns without causing scar tissue and inflammation is a major challenge.

24:43 The researchers are using a special surgical glue called peg polyethylene glycol to reattach the spinal columns in the head transplant procedure, which has shown promising results in mice by attracting damaged cells and promoting regeneration.

29:22 After reattaching the spinal columns and inducing a medical coma, the next step is to pass electrical charges through the spinal column to try to induce axon regrowth and repair, with the ultimate goal of seeing movement below the neck.

34:20 One concern with head or body transplants is the potential psychological impact, as our sense of self is largely tied to our body, and waking up with a different body could cause an identity crisis; however, there are also questions about whether this surgery would be acceptable for changing one's gender or for purely cosmetic reasons, although the ethical issue of taking organs from potential donors for superficial reasons is a major concern.

39:11 The surgeon attempting the head transplant is facing challenges in getting approval for his experiments on animals and may have to go to China or Vietnam for the procedure, and is currently trying to raise money through selling merchandise; there is also a concern about the "yuck factor" and the public's discomfort with the procedure, with a debate about whether this discomfort is based on an inner wisdom or simply a reaction to something that challenges normalcy.

44:04 The podcast episode concludes with a listener expressing their appreciation for the show and hoping for a tattoo of the iconic microphone, while the hosts discuss how to get in touch with them and promote Discover credit card.