Hybrid Faces

A woman in France has become the world's first face transpant recipient. Says BBC:

The woman had lost her nose, lips and chin after being savaged by a dog.

In the controversial operation, tissues, muscles, arteries and veins were taken from a brain-dead donor and attached to the patient's lower face.

Doctors stress the woman will not look like her donor, but nor will she look like she did before the attack - instead she will have a "hybrid" face.

Apparently, the brain-dead donor was alive when the tissue was taken, which is just plain creepy, not to mention ethically challenging. That may explain why it occurred in France.

Doctors said they would have to wait to evaluate whether she would be able to look down her new nose at others as well as other French people do.