A fluid which delivers substances to various cells within an organism's body. The most common fucntion are the delivery of nutrients and the transportation of waste products. Composition varies widely across species.
Questions tagged [blood]
20 questions
69
votes
1 answer
Does the Red Cross sell $2.1 billion worth of blood annually?
This recent image on cracked.com claims that the Red Cross grosses USD 2.1 billion a year from selling blood. It also claims that the Red Cross is a business which sells donated blood for $400 a pint.
Are there any verifiable sources for this claim…
March Ho
- 18,688
- 12
- 81
- 109
64
votes
2 answers
Is deoxygenated blood blue?
I have encountered many people in my life that believe that your blood is blue until it hits the air and only then it turns red. The blue color of our veins is also explained the same way, as the deoxygenated blood in the veins is claimed to be…
JD Isaacks
- 743
- 1
- 5
- 9
36
votes
1 answer
Can you cause mosquitos to explode from drinking too much blood by flexing your muscles?
I have heard several times as I've grown up that you can flex your muscles to make mosquitos get stuck and explode. Looking around the web, I find several sources claiming the same.
Q: If you flex your muscle while a mosquito is biting you, will…
Wertilq
- 5,948
- 8
- 42
- 63
29
votes
1 answer
Does blood type affect what type of food is best for you?
I remember that, a few years ago, my parents were told that different blood types need to eat differently. From a quick look online, it seems to be called "Eat Right For Your Type."
It claimed that, depending on what your blood type is, some food…
Borror0
- 7,581
- 6
- 48
- 67
19
votes
2 answers
Does cows' milk contain blood?
Someone in my Twitter feed said today:
TIL starbucks put ground up insects in stuff, and milk has blood in
it.
The ground up insects part is true for now, but I'm not sure about the blood-in-milk one. It sounds half-way plausible, considering…
Andrew Grimm
- 38,859
- 36
- 141
- 342
17
votes
1 answer
Does donating blood boost the immune system?
I read a claim that not only is blood donation safe, it actually boosts the immune system. As the source (a Red Cross-affiliated blood donation drive) is not neutral, I'm skeptical of this. Is it true?
The claim, translated:
Donating blood is good…
user10765
15
votes
2 answers
Does St. Januarius' "blood" congeal and liquefy?
Saint Januarius is famous for the reputed miracle of the annual liquefaction of his blood, which, according to legend, was saved by a woman called Eusebia just after the saint's death. Thousands of people assemble to witness this event in Naples…
Sklivvz
- 78,578
- 29
- 321
- 428
15
votes
2 answers
Can blood group affect behavior?
In Japan, blood group is believed to have ties with behavior. Is there scientific evidence for it?
Stefano Borini
- 1,836
- 2
- 18
- 22
13
votes
2 answers
Is the US FDA policy of deferring blood donations from MSM justified by increased STD risk?
I have heard the gay community complain that the Red Cross/FDA discriminate against them by refusing to allow men who have sex with other men (MSM) to donate blood.
Here is an article on Wikipedia about the controversy:
Many LGBT organizations view…
dsollen
- 10,062
- 12
- 43
- 71
11
votes
2 answers
Has a bone marrow transplant caused confusion in criminal investigations?
Dr. Azita Alizadeh wrote an 'Ask a geneticist' column about how patients with a bone marrow transplant will end up with at least two different sets of DNA in their body - DNA from their blood (which comes from the bone marrow) might not match the…
Ebbinghaus
- 279
- 1
- 9
8
votes
2 answers
Are the phosphors in fluorescent lamps dangerously anticoagulant?
A user over on Home Improvement asked How to deal with broken compact fluorescent (and its mecury) without breaking the bank? with emphasis on the mercury which such lamps contain.
I had a vague recollection of something I'd heard a few years ago…
Andrew Morton
- 185
- 8
8
votes
1 answer
Do you bleed more when drunk?
While my friend was getting a tattoo the tattoo artist said you'll bleed more because you're drunk.
Is this true?
Mark Price
- 1,477
- 11
- 15
7
votes
0 answers
Do those receiving blood transfusions have worse outcomes than those with bloodless corrected anemia?
The American Red Cross proudly proclaims “Give blood, save lives” Honorable, but is it true? Multiple studies on all-cause or total mortality have shown in fact the traditional practices of transfusing blood may actually worsen outcomes of not only…
Richard Stanzak
- 627
- 5
- 8
4
votes
1 answer
Do the hemoglobin genotypes of a couple affect whether their offspring will get Sickle Cell Disease?
I just read this (currently unanswered) Quora quesion:
What should I do? After seven years in a relationship, I just find out that our genotype is AS.
Since I never heard of this before I googled and found this article about genotypes:
Knowing…
d-b
- 1,575
- 2
- 11
- 13
4
votes
1 answer
Does doubling the atmospheric pressure make its gases toxic to humans?
I was recently reading an article which made the claim that doubling atmospheric pressure would cause gases to become toxic and make it impossible for human life. From the article:
double[ing] the earth’s atmospheric pressure... [would make] oxygen…
James Shewey
- 161
- 4