"In a few months we will sever a body from a head in an umprecedented medical procedure. In this phase, there is no life activity, not in the brain, not anywhere else in the body. "If we bring this patient back to life we will receive the first real account of what actually happens after death. The head transplant gives us the first insight into whether there is an afterlife, a heaven, a hearafter. "If we are able to prove that our brain does not create consciousness, religions will be swept away forever. They will no longer be necessary, as humans no longer need to be afraid of death. We no longer need a Catholic Church, no Judaisim, and no Islam because religions in general will be obsolete. "It will be a turning point in human history." The exclusive interview can be read in full in Saturday's edition of Ooom.
By 2018, scientists will have the ability to "reawaken" the first cryogenically frozen human head, according to Professor Sergio Canavero, director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group. Canavero has attracted media attention in recent months after vowing to perform the world's first human head transplant in 2018. The Italian neurosurgeon and his team are currently working on a procedure that would allow for the freezing of brain tissue from living patients who suffer severe neurological disorders. However, critics remain sceptical. " The wishful thinking engendered by cryogenics companies is irresponsible," said Clive Coen, professor of neuroscience at King’s College London.