IN 2023, a paper was printed within the journal Blood that ended a thriller stretching again 4 a long time. It detailed the existence of a new blood type, first proposed within the Eighties – and of which there at the moment are 45 so far.

This explicit discovery was born from tragedy. A child died out of the blue shortly after start. Its mom was subsequently found to have a blood kind (or group) that had by no means been recognized earlier than, whereas the newborn had inherited its father’s. The 2 blood teams interacted in a uncommon manner that led to a deadly inflammatory response.

It displays a long-standing thriller of the human physique – simply what number of blood varieties there actually are, and the way this a part of our physiology will evolve sooner or later. We’re making headway: our not too long ago improved understanding of the variations in our blood helps to make transfusions safer and even beginning to reveal how your blood group influences your well being.

What number of blood varieties are there?

Blood varieties are distinguished by what sort of antigens are connected to pink blood cells and what sort of antibodies are within the surrounding plasma. The 4 most typical blood teams are A, B, O and AB, which relate to combos of antigens and antibodies, however delve a little bit deeper and there may be astonishing complexity. Presently, the 45 blood varieties symbolize greater than 390 completely different antigens and antibodies, with new discoveries being made on a regular basis.

This…