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 significantly particular plasma: It had a uncommon antibody that docs used to make a medicine for pregnant moms with totally different blood sorts from their newborns. When this occurs, it may well result in the mom’s immune system attacking the still-developing crimson blood cells of the fetus.
Nevertheless it’s not just like the docs drew blood one time, discovered this particular antibody, and made a treatment that they might find yourself reusing. Harrison needed to preserve donating his blood. Nearly 1,200 instances.
He was afraid of needles, he needed to journey an hour every solution to the lab, and nonetheless, he stored donating time and again, each two weeks or so. For 64 consecutive years, till he died in his sleep in March, having saved nearly 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 12 months about blood and the scientists making an attempt to know the way it does what it does. On the newest episode of the Unexplainable podcast, she spoke with host Noam Hassenfeld in regards to the quest for synthetic blood on the newest. Take heed to their dialog beneath, or within the feed of your favourite podcast app.
This podcast is introduced by Roomba. Roomba doesn’t have a say in our editorial choices, however they make episodes like this doable.
