But are they really a good idea? Some scientists say it will soon be possible to connect a sick person’s head to a healthy body. Few proposals have excited so much controversy.
2030 forecast: human head transplants
Trump card: By 2030, could Donald Trump have extended his lifespan (and the life of his presidency) by transplanting his head onto the body of a much younger American? Glossary
Decapitated - When the head is cut off.
Soviet - Relating to the Soviet Union, a powerful group of communist republics, the biggest being Russia, that existed from 1922 to 1991.
Neurosurgeon - A surgeon specialising in the brain, spinal cord and nervous system.
Rigorous - Extremely thorough.
Spinal cord - The bundle of nerves enclosed in the spine, connecting parts of the body to the brain.
Paralysed - Unable to move.
Chronic - A condition which recurs over time, or lasts for several years.
Clone - To create an exact genetic copy of an organism or cell.