Science and Arts: A Pi Day Special

Want to read more?
Check out this post from the New Voices archive: Ode to Pi.

Eye of the Tired

Photo credit: flickrPrince on Flickr

Do me a favor. Before you continue reading this post, get up and get away from your computer screen for a few minutes. The rest of this post will be waiting for you when you get back.

-----

There. Don’t your eyes feel better?

It’s “Save Your Vision” week in the US, and while most of us turn a blind eye to our health for the sake of computer screens, TVs, and smartphones, it’s time to take a step back – literally and figuratively.

Take a look at these facts:

• The average American adult spends more than eight hours in front of a computer, TV or other screen.
• Nearly 90% of people who spend three hours or more in front of a screen report problems related to eye strain.
• Optometrists report more than 10 million eye exams are done each year because of computer-related problems.

If those numbers make you perk up in your chair, good. The American Optometric Association recommends good posture as part of maintaining an eye-healthy environment at your computer. The AOA also recommends keeping the screen 20-28 inches away from your eyes, and 4-5 inches below horizontal eye level. As you did a few seconds ago, take breaks, too. For every two continuous hours of computer use, get away for 15 minutes, or try the 20-20-20 rule: 20 seconds of looking at something 20 feet away, every 20 minutes.

There are, of course, other ways to be kind to your eyes. Researchers have long recommended a diet rich in beta-carotene, which means orange-colored fruits and vegetables (carrots – it’s not a myth!), as well as certain dark green vegetables, like spinach and kale. You should also protect your eyes from UV rays by wearing sunglasses, and avoid developing chronic diseases like diabetes, which can affect your eyes. One other recommendation that’s gaining ground is taking omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish and fish oil supplements. A study published in Science Translational Medicine found that mice ingesting omega-3 fatty acids showed less abnormal blood vessel growth, which could be a factor in worsening eyes.

Whatever changes you might make in your daily habits, those small changes could make a big difference in your eye health. Risking one more lame pun, I’d say the facts are clear for all to see.

Nerd Alert: Stop the Bullying

Nerd!

It’s a name you’re most likely proud of today. Most of us who go into science embrace the fact that we’re nerds because we love the field, and we have an appreciation for the many great things that come out of it.

Across the country, however, there are kids being called nerds for all the wrong reasons. Like generations before them, kids today have to put up with shots at their sexual orientation, economic status, appearance, and academic interests.

We can change this. Today is National Stop Bullying Day, and as happy, successful, grown-up nerds, we can show that there’s nothing bad about an interest in science.

For one, we can stand up as role models. We can show that our academic interests carried on through elementary, middle, and high school – no matter what people might have said – and flourished into successful careers. Bullies’ talents for calling people names can’t flourish into careers (unless they go into politics or punditry, I guess).

We can also help today’s nerds by speaking up for the value of what we’ve accomplished. Medical and health research especially have the power to change and save lives. There’s nothing funny about that. And even if some people don’t find science interesting, or would never want to associate themselves with nerds, they at least respect the fact that nerds have made our world a better, safer, and healthier place.

Lastly, we can do our part to advocate for the nerd work of tomorrow. Whether young nerds go into healthcare, policy, or – you guessed it – research, we have a responsibility to make opportunities for them so that they, too, can prove their bullies wrong.

So today, while you go about your lab or office, think about what it means to be a nerd. Then think about what might have happened to those people who called you a nerd to hurt you. When you’re done, you’ll probably agree that bullying is no way to live your life or contribute to society. For everyone’s sake – not just the nerds’ – it’s time for the bullying to stop.

Happy 2011!

Best wishes for a healthy, happy, and safe end of 2010 and beginning of 2011. New Voices will be back in the new year!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

It's a favorite story to be read in so many households tonight, but this version is for all the science lovers out there. I can't take the credit for this beautiful rendition of Chemistry Christmas by Matt Monroe.

'Twas the night before Christmas,

The lab was quite still;

Not a Bunsen was burning

(Nor had they the will).

The test tubes were placed

In their racks with great care,

In hopes Father Chemistry

Soon would be there.

The students were sleeping

So sound in their dorms,

All dreaming of fluids

And Crystalline forms.

Lab-Aids in their aprons

And I in my smock.

When outside the lab

There arose such a roar

I leaped from my stool

And fell flat on the floor.

Out of the fire escape

All of us flew.

What was the commotion?

Not one of knew.

The flood-lights shone out

O're the campus so bright

It looked like old Stockholm

On Nobel Prize Night.

My fume-blinded eyes

Then viewed (dare I say?)

Eight anions pulling

A water-trough sleigh.

And holding the bonds

Tied to each one of them

Was a figure I knew

As our own Papa Chem.

With speeds in excess

Of most X-rays they came.

As they Dopplered along

He called each one by name.

"Now Nitrite, now Phosphate,

Now Borate, now Chloride

On Citrate, on Bromate,

On Sulfite and Oxide.

Forget what you know

Of that randomness stuff,

Let's go straight to that roof,

If you've quanta enough."

As fluids Bernoullian

Behave in a pinch,

Those ions said "Alchemist

This is a cinch."

So up to the lab-roof

Those "chargers" they sped

With Pop Chemistry safe

In his water-trough sled.

Just a microsec later

Electroscopes showed

Charged particles coming

To our lab abode

We raced back inside,

And what d'ya think?

Down the fume-hood Pop Chem fell,

Right into the sink.

He was dressed in a lab-coat,

Quite ragged and old,

With removable buttons

(The style, we're told)

A tray-full of beakers

He clutched to his heart--

And under his arm

Was an orbital chart.

His eyes through his goggles

I just couldn't see

His hands were all yellow

From H-N-O-3.

His head was quite bald

With a fringe all around

Like a ring test for iron,

That same shade of brown.

He puffed a cigar

With a smell not at all

Unlike the organic lab

Right down the hall.

The smoke billowed forth

From his angular face

And with Brownian Movement

Enveloped the place.

He was thin as a match

And not terribly tall

He wasn't the type

I'd expected at all

But a look at his clothes,

In the lab's harsh white light,

With their acid-burn holes--

He's a chemist all right!

He didn't say much

(He had no time to kill)

And filled all the test tubes

With nary a spill.

Then placing them bak

On the benches with care

He dashed to the fume-hood

And rose through the air.

He called to his team

And his ions took off

And kinetics took care

Of Pop Chem and his trough,

But I heard him cry out

As he flew down the street

"Merry Holidays to all!

May your stockrooms stay neat!"

National Re-Gifting Day!

It is the season of perpetual hope. Of giving. Of generously not throwing snowballs at passersby. It's also a time for re-giving.

One way to re-give is wrapping up a present you got last year - but don't particularly like - and giving it to someone else. (This was entirely evident at our office holiday celebration today during the White Elephant gift exchange.)

Another way is to pay it forward. Sort of like this...

Each of you has a gift. Whether it is being a brilliant researcher, a fantastic mentor, a strategic communicator, a policy wonk, or an issue expert; your gift could be put to good use. When thinking about re-gifting this season, I hope you'll also consider re-gifting your talents in a new and interesting way outside of your professional life.

What unique gifts do you have to share this holiday season?

Christmas Tree Rocket

Using science and math to make good use of ... actually, I'm not sure this is a good use at all.

Diabetic Thanksgiving: Delicious & Nutritious

Continuing our look at healthy Thanksgiving fare, here are a few recipes geared for a most delicious & nutritious national holiday. Don't let the lack of added sugar fool you - these diabetic-friendly recipes are great for everyone.!

Pumpkin Soup
A warm treat to start everyone off while the turkey rests.

Ingredients: 6 cups pumpkin mash (either make your own with a sliced up pumpkin or can be found in cans at the grocery store), ~1 cup cream (light or heavy depending on how thick you want the soup), 1 yellow onion, olive oil, cumin, allspice (nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger are all easily found separately too). Optional spice: cardamom.

Dice onion and saute in olive oil at bottom of a stew pot until clear. Add pumpkin mash, stirring until well blended with onions throughout. Add cream and spices to liking. Simmer for at least one hour, stirring intermittently. Taste occasionally and season as appropriate.

Special note on spices: freshly ground or zested spices will carry more flavor than dried spices. That being said, nutmeg is incredibly strong in any form and should added incrementally to taste. Always let simmer an additional five to ten minutes after adding more spices.

Asparagus with Cranberries
Combine two awesome side-dishes without the sugar.

Ingredients: 1 bunch asparagus, 1/2 cup of cranberries, salt, pepper, olive oil

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Cut the asparagus into 1 inch segments, and boil with cranberries for 3 to 5 minutes (add the flower end with only 2 minutes left to go to avoid mushiness).

Drain and toss with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.


Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Great as a holiday dish or a way to quickly adapt leftovers.

Ingredients: 4 sweet potatoes, 1 apple or pear, allspice (or nutmeg, cinnamon & ginger), salt and pepper to taste. Optional: butter, for consistency.

Wrap sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and bake until soft throughout. Remove skin and discard.
In the same oven, bake a peeled apple or pear until soft.
Dice up softened fruit and add to the sweet potatoes. Mash in your preferred method (a fork should do it if everything is cooked through enough), and add spices to taste. Optionally, add butter to make the blending process a little smoother.

Come by tomorrow for a fun fact about sweet potatoes versus yams!


More Thanksgiving posts from New Voices
Thanksgiving Recipes
A Second Helping of Thanksgiving
Vegan Thanksgiving

Vegan Thanksgiving

You can't think about Thanksgiving without thinking about food, and since we at New Voices are all about healthy minds and bodies, we want to keep your food focused thoughts on some healthy alternatives this Thanksgiving week. This quickly led us to long time friend of New Voices, Dana Loy. Today, Dana will be sharing her experience in celebrating this poultry-centric holiday as a vegan.

Oh no! Not vegan Thanksgiving!

After looking through the Trader Joe's turkey-gravy-and-stuffing advertisement mailed to my house in early November, I came to the official conclusion that Thanksgiving is the least vegan-friendly holiday ever.

After all, the crowning achievement of any holiday table in America is a golden, roasted fowl--the bigger, the better. Fortunately, it's easier to survive Thanksgiving as a vegan than one would initially think. Over the past two years, it's been nothing but fun for me to dispel people's stereotypical notions of "vegan Thanksgiving" as a slab of Tofurkey and a plateful of limp broccoli.

Perhaps the most essential tools in any vegan Thanksgiving arsenal are replacement foods. Earth Balance buttery spread is a staple in my refrigerator; it comes in both stick and tub form, perfect for spreading on rolls and for baking into cookies and pies. Tofutti makes a vegan sour cream that works especially well when blended into mashed potatoes (or dolloped onto nachos any other time of the year).

Soy milk is an excellent dairy substitute for any creamy dish; for nuttier flavors or different nutritional benefits, almond milk and hemp milk are personal favorites and particularly good in cinnamon-y baked goods. Egg replacements can run the gamut from ground flaxseed or oil to applesauce or silken tofu and are easy to find with a quick Internet search. (Just don't tell anyone about the tofu--I've found it has a surprisingly negative affect on omnivores' appetites.) And of course, flavorful vegetable broth is an easy substitute for chicken, beef, or turkey broth. Armed with these products, most of which are available at your local grocery, co-op, or health food store, you're able to substitute vegan ingredients in traditional recipes to veganize almost any Thanksgiving dish you can imagine.

Any dish, that is, except for the turkey. What to do for a main dish? Personally, I'd rather just eat the side dishes with no main course. The sides are the best part of Thanksgiving anyways! If you really want a main dish to fill you up, I'd suggest a stuffed acorn squash, a veggie pot pie with sliced portabello mushrooms, or for a meatier substitute, a seitan-based recipe (such as Vegan Yum Yum's Seitan Roulade with Chestnut Stuffing).

Once the initial shock of Thanksgiving without a turkey subsides, you'll find that there's a whole host of animal-free substitutes just begging to find a way onto your holiday dinner plate. Although you may seem overwhelmed heading into Thanksgiving as a vegan, you'll quickly find that many other vegheads are in the same situation. Take a few deep breaths and plan your menu with your personal tastes in mind.

If you're hosting dinner and feel comfortable having meat in your house, you may want to ask some omnivore guests to bring a small turkey or order a pre-cooked turkey from a grocery store. If you're attending a dinner at a meat-eater's home, be sure to contact your host ahead of time and ask what's on the menu. Don't expect them to go out of their way to prepare special dishes just for you, but offering to provide them with some of the vegan ingredients mentioned above may lead to more animal-free dishes at the gathering.

If your host isn't amenable to using vegan ingredients, I'd suggest preparing a few vegan dishes to bring and share (I usually go with two sides and a dessert) so that you'll have something to eat without inconveniencing anyone. And who knows? Once people taste the pure goodness of vegan cooking, they might be willing to try some animal-free recipes themselves. Spread the vegan love!


Dana Loy is a PhD student at University of Wisconsin Madison in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Dana is a long time follower of New Voices and we're thrilled she took the time to be a guest blogger.


More Thanksgiving posts from New Voices
Thanksgiving Recipes
A Second Helping of Thanksgiving

Military Research Benefits All Americans

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “The U.S. military investment in research to improve health for service members and veterans is a good use of my tax dollars.”

A recent Research!America survey found that 87% of Americans think it is worthwhile investment. Throughout the past few election cycles there has been a lot of discussion about budgets and military spending, but the health benefits Americans gain from research conducted by the military on disease prevention, surgical techniques, safety gear, and any number of other topics doesn't just stay within the armed services. It comes back to the community as body armor for police, vaccines for travelers, limb replacement techniques, better football helmets for kids, and safer vehicles on the road.

While you're thanking veterans for their service today (and everyday!) don't forget to thank them for the extraordinary research they're doing too.

Happy Mole Day!

What happens at 6:02 on 10/23? Can't figure it out? It's mole day!



Mole day is celebrated from 6:02am-6:02pm on October 23 to commemorate Avogadro's number: 6.02x10²³ (get it?). I'm sure the chemistry-lovers out there already know this, but to clarify: Avogadro determined that one mole of any given substance contains 6.02x10²³ particles.

So, to celebrate, get crazy--drink one mole of water (18g or 0.63 ounces) at 6:02am!

*Don't worry, it's still the 22nd. We just wanted to prepare you for tomorrow.

Family, Food, & Fun Friday

Today is full of fun holidays like Family Health and Fitness Day and Punctuation Day, as well as being part of the Great American (low cholesterol/ low fat) Pizza Bake Month. (We swear, we are not making these up.) So since it is Friday, we're taking a few moments to talk about family, food and fun (because we also like alliteration).

Kate's Memories
Have you noticed that it’s cooler in the mornings and the air is crisper? Fall is sneaking up on us! I love the fall. I am a hiker, and the fall is one of the best times of the year to get out on the trails. The trees are changing colors, the temperature is comfortable and the air just smells like autumn.

I distinctly remember hiking in Hocking Hills with my family when I was a kid at least once every fall. It was always such a treat—we packed a lunch, got out our hiking shoes, and piled in the car. On the trail, we would find the brightest leaves to press between wax paper or pick up the perfect walking stick along the way.

I had no idea that those hiking trips in my childhood would shape who I am today.

Heather's Memories
Growing up, my family of five was busy. Somehow, despite softball and swim team practices, my working mom going back to school and my dad commuting from Miami, we managed to eat together almost every night. Many of those dinners are now a blur, but some of the more memorable were pizza nights.

Sure, we all loved pizza (I am Italian-American after all!) but pizza night was special because we got to make our own. Together we'd add homemade sauce, pepperoni, olives, green peppers, mushrooms, and lots of cheese onto dough we'd smushed onto cookie sheets. Our pizzas were special because they: 1. messy 2. rectangular 3. brought us together.

Our advice
Studies show that kids from families that eat dinner together regularly are happier and healthier. So how can you make pizza night just as fun and doubly healthy? Here are some deliciously good-for-you options:

• Use whole wheat pizza dough or purchase a pre-made whole-wheat pizza dough (make sure there are no hydrogenated oils in the ingredients).
• Try low-fat/reduced-fat mozzarella (or other cheese) to reduces the fat and cholesterol.
• Make your own sauce: To sauteed onions and garlic add 1 can of crushed tomatoes, a teaspoon each of parsley, basil, and oregano, and a splash of milk (or pinch of baking soda). Delicious and less salt, sugar and preservatives than jarred sauce.
• Load the pizza with veggies to give an added health boost and fill you up.
• Put your pizza on the grill.
  
• Substitute chicken- or turkey-sausage or pepperoni for less fat and cholesterol.
• Or try this collection of healthy pizza recipes.

Also, now is a great time to get outside and make wonderful memories with your family. You don’t have to plan a faraway trip, either.

• You can take a walk in a nearby park or in your neighborhood to enjoy the changing colors of the trees.
  
• You can rake those leaves into a pile and jump into them with your kids and be a kid again, even if just for a moment.

As the weather cools, there are plenty of ways to stay active even indoors.

• Pull out your favorite music and dance around the house with your kids. You can stage your very own version of American Idol.
• Play Simon Says with your kids and see who can follow the fitness moves.

Now is the time to teach your family a happy and healthy lifestyle.

Deaf Awareness Week

Sign language alphabet

From the chair in my office I can currently hear:

• The air conditioner in my office building whirring.
• Keys on my computer's keyboard clicking.
• Colleagues down the hall quickly chatting.

When I step outside there'll be:

• Birds chirping.
• Bugs buzzing.
• Radios playing in passing cars as their engines purr (or putz) and their tires crunch minuscule gravel on the road.

This morning, I missed a call from my boss because I didn't hear my phone ring while on the metro and it caused a two hour period of intense work. All because I couldn't hear my phone for a few minutes in a tunnel.

But what if I could never hear my phone? What if I could never hear my doorbell ring, or my alarm clock go off, or that pesky alert-thing from Outlook that tells me it's time for my next meeting?

As we go about our hearing lives this week, take a moment to reflect on what it might be like to be deaf in today's society. Sure, research has done marvelous things to help people (like me) be able to hear and there are a number of fabulous ways that deaf Americans have adapted to living in a hearing society; but we are just that - a hearing society.


What would your day have been like if you couldn't hear today?

No Paraskevidekatriaphobics Here

Paraskevidekatriaphobics is quite a mouthful. But what it means is relatively simple. An irrational, terrible fear of Friday the 13th. It's claimed by some to be the most widespread superstition in the U.S., even to the extent that studies have been done to try and confirm the fear. One in the UK showed a supposed higher risk of hospitalization due to car accidents on Friday the 13th as compared to other Fridays.

There are a lot of reasons people have for why the number 13 is unlucky. The two most common being that there were 13 at The Last Supper and Judas, being the first to rise, was the first to die. Also that the raid on the Knights Templar was planned for October 13, 1307, a Friday the 13th.

However, despite studies and reasons like these, I have no fear of this day. One reason? It's my birthday! I also turned 13 on a Friday the 13th, and everything was extremely pleasant. So whether or not you have triskaidekaphobia (and if you do, here's some helpful hints to get over it), make sure to have a safe and wonderful day!

Draft Beer, Not People

Did your pledge to celebrate international beer day yesterday result in waking up on a stranger’s lawn? Did your plan to just stop by happy hour to try the De Molen Donder & Bliksem Doppelbock later result in difficult questions like, “Where are your pants?" Did you sit down to a delicious breakfast of Tylenol and coffee this morning? If you answered yes to any of these questions, valuable information follows.

First the bad news - you have a hangover and no proven cure exists. The good news is that this is a research based blog and you owe it to the research community to try a few of the following possible hangover cures to confirm or deny these hypotheses.

Some ideas of known origins:

• Everyone’s favorite Roman, Pliny the Elder - raw owl eggs, or fried canary

• The Ritz-Carlton hotel, 1938 - Coca-Cola and milk

• Big time drinker Earnest Hemingway – beer and tomato juice

• The Paris World Exposition, 1878 – “The Prairie Oyster" (raw egg yolk, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt and pepper)

• Wayne State University Study, 1957 – fried food, tomato juice, and sexual activity

Ideas of unknown origins (or suggestions no one will admit to)

Hair of the dog – This is the common idea that a little more alcohol will make you feel better. Scientists will tell us that the body is going through alcohol withdrawal and introducing more alcohol will only delay the inevitable. Does this explain how I can eat an entire pizza and still want more pizza the next day? Probably not.

Artichoke – Trying to get into one of these damn things might make you forget about your hangover, but an actual scientific study in 2003 proved that “artichoke extract is not effective in preventing the signs and symptoms of alcohol-induced hangover."

Propranolol – LOL This classic beta blocker will steady your hands, (just ask North Korean pistol shooter Kim Jong Su who used it to win two gold medals in the 2008 Winter Olympics), but won’t do a thing for that tequila taste permanently lodged in the of the back of your throat.

Sugar – there are some suggestions that fructose and glucose inhibit metabolic disturbances induced by alcohol. Don’t be stingy with the maple syrup on your next day’s pancakes.

Want more suggestions? Check out this video.

Have any full proof method's of your own? It's the weekend - you should share!


Want to read more?
Check out these posts from the New Voices archives: The Science of Beer and St. Patrick's Day Special: Beer.

The Chemistry of Fireworks

Chances are you saw some fireworks this weekend; felt the thump of the sonic booms as the dizzying array of colors lit up the night sky. If you missed them, here’s a short clip of my view of the fireworks on the National Mall.


If you’re the science-type, you probably know that the types of metals in each of the fireworks is what makes them appear different colors – but what chemicals are making what colors?

Table credit: http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/fireworks/fireworks.htm

So based on the table above, what chemicals do you think were in the fireworks Ryan and Alissa saw on the 4th of July?

Ryan's view from Antietam Battlefield in Maryland.

Alissa's view from Gahanna, Ohio.

Are You Positive You’re Negative?

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) over 20% of people infected with HIV in the US today do not know they have the virus. This means they are at a higher risk for transmitting the virus to others, because they do not know they have it.

To be completely sure you are not carrying HIV, get tested. Find a clinic near you today. And while you may be thinking, “I don’t need to get tested, I know I’m negative.” Just beware of these facts. The top five states with the most visitors to New Voices for Research are also all high on the list of total cases of AIDS (according to the CDC):

• Maryland, #9 with 31,931 cases
• Pennsylvania, #6 with 35,489 cases
• Florida, #3 with 109,524 cases
• California, #2 with 148,949 cases
• New York, #1 with 181,461 cases

Not all HIV tests require a blood draw from your arm. Some can be much quicker and pain free.

Bottom line: Get tested. Today.

For the Fathers

Thanks to my grandfather, P.B., for leading by example.

Thanks for always encouraging me to get a good education, Dad; even if it was at a rival SEC school. :)

Thanks Dad for always taking us to visit the coolest places across the country!

Just because you're not sick doesn't mean you're healthy

Attention readers with a Y-chromosome – this is the week to put down the bacon cheeseburger and pick up some carrots. This is the week to put down the remote control and pick up a tennis racket. This is the week to put out the cigarette and put in some time at the gym. This is the week to…well you get the point. By official Congressional Proclamation (seriously) June 14th to 20th 2010 is National Men’s Health Week.

Why should you care? Here are some facts that hopefully get your attention:

• Someone 40% overweight is twice as likely to die prematurely as a person of normal weight
• Despite the advances in medical technology and research, men continue to live an average of 7 years less than women
• The likelihood that a man will develop prostate cancer is 1 in 11.
• The death rate for prostate cancer has grown at almost twice the death rate of breast cancer in the last five years.
• African-American men in the United States have the highest incidence in the world of cancer of the prostate.
• Testicular cancer is one of the most common cancers in men aged 15-34, and when detected early, has an 87 percent survival rate.
• Smoking triples the risk of dying from heart disease in middle age
  
• Men are seven times as likely as women to be arrested for drunk driving and three times as likely to be alcoholics.

Here are some useful men’s health related resources:

1. The CDC reviews science and research related to men’s health and wellness
2. Valuable information about prostate cancer
3. A good overview of a healthy male diet and nutrition
4. Facts about baldness from consumer reports
5. Everything from skin care to how to look taller

Become a Hero in 60 minutes

Today is World Blood Donor Day, and if you haven’t donated lately, I hope you take some time today to set up an appointment at a blood drive near you.

One of the first things people think about or ask when talking about blood donation is "what is your/my blood type?"

At the turn of the last century, an Austrian scientist named Karl Landsteiner noticed why some people had fatal reactions to blood transfusions. He realized that when you mixed the blood of two different people you sometimes get clumping or agglutination. He also discovered that these clumps not only were dangerous, but that the reaction that caused them was immunological. He determined that there were different "blood groups." These became known as the blood types of today.

In the first years of life people develop antibodies to the antigens found on blood different from their own. For example, someone with type B (like me) develops antibodies against the A antigen found on the blood cells of someone with type A. Type O blood has no antigens and so develops antibodies against both A and B, and someone with type AB develops no antibodies because they have A and B antigens.

The type(s) of antigens you have on your blood cells is determined genetically. You inherit it from your parents. However, since both your parents contribute, there is no guarantee that you will end up with either of your parent’s blood types.

When someone receives blood that isn’t compatible with their own, their blood’s antibodies see the new blood as foreign. This triggers an immune reaction that starts fighting off the "invaders." This causes the new blood cells to be forced into clumps that start to die. These dying clumps of cells then release toxins into the blood stream that can cause severe problems up to and including death.

So now, thanks to Landsteiner, we know which people can receive which types of blood (see chart below). Therefore blood transfusions are very successful, which is good for the up to 5 million Americans every year who need life-saving blood from someone else.


If you, like me, are a part of the 38% of the American public eligible to donate blood, I hope you do. I know every time I do I almost pass out. But I keep going back. Why? Because each time you donate blood you can save up to three lives.

Just imagine, if you donated every two months (as often as allowed), you could save up to 18 lives a year. If you did that for 30 years, that’s over 500 lives you could save. You could be quite the superhero. All from one hour and one pint of your blood a few times a year. Can you help? Sign up now!

Image Credits:
The University of Utah at http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/traits/blood/
The American Red Cross at http://www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/blood-types