Researchers around the globe are attempting to refine the microsurgical techniques necessary to perform face transplant operations. The procedure, which would presumably be used on individuals suffering from burns or tumors, would involve the removal of part or all of the patient’s facial skin, and its replacement with tissues from the face of a corpse. Technical questions relating to circulation and tissue rejection have yet to be settled, so the procedure is unlikely to be attempted except “in a research setting.” And there are of course enormous moral, societal, and psychological issues that have only begun to be considered, according to a preliminary report from the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
As any American with a pulse knows by now, singer Janet Jackson set off a wave of anger and acrimony when she revealed her breast on live television during the Super Bowl halftime show in February. But shock was not all that she set off. Video of Jackson’s “performance” became the most-searched subject in the history of Internet search engines — easily beating out the previous title-holder, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. And the event was also the most watched and rewatched program in the three-year history of TiVo, the digital video recording service that allows users to pause and rewind live television broadcasts. In fact, TiVo’s announcement of the record-breaking popularity of the halftime peep-show raised some concerns among the device’s users, who may not have been fully aware that their viewing habits are monitored, recorded, and analyzed by the company.
