Blood is the complex and most important component in our body, without which it becomes impossible to live a normal human life. Blood is truly the river of life that helps to provide nutrients to all the cells. Normally, we don’t focus much on blood until and unless we get a cut, or we are in need of blood to save one’s life. Here we bring you some amazing, yet true facts about blood.
1. A single red blood cell is around 7 microns in size where a single micron is one millionth of a meter.
2. After needing 13 liters of blood for a surgery at the age of 13, a man named James Harrison pledged to donate blood once he turned 18. It was discovered that his blood contained a rare antigen, which cured Rhesus disease. He has donated blood a record 1,000 times and saved 2,000,000 lives.
3. About 1 out of 7 patients in hospital is always in need of blood.
4. It is said that 1 pint of donated blood can save life of upto 3 people.
5. In Japan, blood type is believed to be an indicator as to one’s personality. They have also created a market for different blood types and their themed products. They have separate set of drinks for people belonging to different blood group. The belief is so prevalent that the Japanese version of Facebook has a “Blood Type” drop down option for profiles.
6. 1.3 million pints of donated blood spoil every year since blood only has a 40-day shelf life.
7. If you thought all blood was red, than you are probably wrong. Crabs have blue blood. Earthworms and leeches have green blood. Many invertebrates, such as starfish, have clear or yellowish blood.
8. Did you know cows have 800 types of blood? There are various research going on to discover, if there are any more types in them.
9. It only takes 20 to 60 seconds for a drop of blood to travel from the heart, through your body, and back to the heart again.
10. Donated blood can stay upto 42 days, donated plasma can stay upto 5 days and frozen plasma can stay upto one year.
11. If all blood donors donated their blood thrice a year, than shortage of blood would be a rare event then.
12. If you begin at the age of 17, you can donate 46.5 galoons of blood and donate after every 56 days and continue upto the age of 79. (which truly depends upon the level of irons in the body)
13. Blood makes upto 7 percent of your body’s weight and a new born baby has about one cup of blood in his body.
14. There are about 150 billion red blood cells in one ounce of blood and 2.4 trillion red blood cells in one pint of blood.
15. Someone in USA is in need of blood every two second.
16. On an average, it would take more than 1,200,000 mosquitoes (all sucking one’s)to completely drain the average amount of human blood of an adult.
17. It is only the female mosquitoes that sucks bloods from human body, and he have heard male mosquitoes are only vegetarians.
18. It is said that human body consists gold, most of them is in your blood. According to the Telegraph, human body contains 0.2 milligrams of gold that is diffused in the blood.
19. There are various beliefs that coconut water can be used as an alternative to blood plasma as it possess identical properties of blood plasma.
Would you like to share some more facts about blood?