In his free time, whereas working as a clerk at a neighborhood Australian railway, James Harrison saved hundreds of thousands of lives — together with his blood.
Harrison had notably particular plasma: It had a uncommon antibody that docs used to make a drugs for pregnant moms with totally different blood varieties from their newborns. When this occurs, it might result in the mom’s immune system attacking the still-developing crimson blood cells of the fetus.
But it surely’s not just like the docs drew blood one time, discovered this particular antibody, and made a treatment that they may find yourself reusing. Harrison needed to preserve donating his blood. Nearly 1,200 occasions.
He was petrified of needles, he needed to journey an hour every technique to the lab, and nonetheless, he saved donating again and again, each two weeks or so. For 64 consecutive years, till he died in his sleep in March, having saved virtually 2.5 million infants in Australia.
However the purpose he needed to do all this within the first place is as a result of scientists nonetheless don’t actually perceive blood.
Nicola Twilley, the host of Vox Media’s Gastropod podcast, wrote a bit for the New Yorker earlier this yr about blood and the scientists attempting to grasp the way it does what it does. On the newest episode of the Unexplainable podcast, she spoke with host Noam Hassenfeld concerning the quest for synthetic blood on the newest. Hearken to their dialog beneath, or within the feed of your favourite podcast app.
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