Comment There's not a whole lot of danger to this (Score 3, Insightful) 242
Facial transplants could help so many, from folks who've survived car accidents to (as mentioned in one article) cancer patients to kids with birth defects. The surgery at best would provide the image of a normal, healthy, whole face, which is how we get a lot of non-verbal information from people. It's not like there would be a strong resemblence to the deceased due to differences in not only bone struction, but also in habitual expressions and personality.
There's really not much chance of any one person being able to "steal" another's family or life with this technology. The recipient would have to 1) have the same physical structure, 2) be one fantastic actor, and 3) manage to imitate body odor as well. While the third may seem trivial, there's a lot of research regarding pheromone-immune system links to mate selection. The transplanted party's significant others and pets would still recognize him or her via smell.
There's really not much chance of any one person being able to "steal" another's family or life with this technology. The recipient would have to 1) have the same physical structure, 2) be one fantastic actor, and 3) manage to imitate body odor as well. While the third may seem trivial, there's a lot of research regarding pheromone-immune system links to mate selection. The transplanted party's significant others and pets would still recognize him or her via smell.
