Mouse survives HEAD TRANSPLANT… and doc says humans next

A distressing – but strangely compelling – video (below) shows a mouse move THREE WEEKS after surgeons cut and re-fused its spinal cord.

The revelation comes as a rival Chinese team successfully completed a similar operation on a monkey.

Now Canavero is now appealing to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to fund the first human head transplant.

The mouse can be seen sniffing and crawling towards food – with some difficulty – in the new clip released.

The movement is a breakthrough as it proves animals – and humans – can regain control of their limbs after their spinal column is cut.

A South Korean team used a special chemical called polyethylene glycol to preserve the spinal membranes during the procedure.

Dr Canavero also revealed a team of researchers working under his arch-rival – Chinese surgeon Xiaoping Ren – have carried out a successful head transplant on a monkey.

An image supposedly showing the primate – which some readers may find distressing – appears below.

The team at Harbin Medical University froze the monkey head at -15C to prevent brain death.

They connected up the blood supply between the new head and body – reportedly without any neurological damage.

Canavero hopes to carry out the procedure on a human – and already has a volunteer.Russian Valery Spriridonov, 31, who has a genetic muscle-wasting disease, has put himself forward for the risky procedure.

Canavero said: "It’s important that people stop thinking this is impossible.

"This is absolutely possible and we’re working towards it.”

(dailystar.co.uk)