Surgeon: Human head transplant is coming soon

In the 1950s, scientists successfully transplanted a dog's head. By the 1970s, researchers were able to transplant a monkey's head. But a human head? It has never been done before, but now one surgeon in Italy says it will be possible within two years. He plans to present his new human head transplant techniques at a conference this summer.

Speaking with SkyNews, Dr. Sergio Canavero said first the transplant head and donor body would need to be cooled. Then the necks would be cut and blood vessels would have to be linked.

Among the biggest challenges is the joining the spinal cords. Think of it like two handfuls of spaghetti. Any number of things could go wrong when trying to line up the tightly packed nerves exactly and fusing them together.

Dr. Manny Alvarez, the senior managing health editor for foxnews.com, is among the many skeptics. And he also has some ethical concerns.

But Dr. Canavero is used to defending his vision. He said the huge part is being able to reconnect the spinal cord. He said that is what he has been working on for decades.