Updated October 23, 2024
A collection of videos about Blood
Blood explained
5:00Blood is the most vital substance in a body, ferrying oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells in need while regulating body temperature and collecting cellular waste and byproducts, such as carbon dioxide, for removal. Every adult human has over a gallon of the red liquid coursing through their veins. So how does it work, why is it red, and what makes it so special? Find out the basics in our explainer video.
Relevant articles, podcasts, videos, and more from around the internet — curated and summarized by our team
The New Yorker
Blood has been seen as a semi-magical substance since ancient times. Alchemists theorized it was a mixture of the four elements. Others proposed it was one of four bodily fluids whose balance dictated health (the other fluids were yellow bile, black bile, and white phlegm). This 2019 New Yorker essay by a hematologist—a medical blood specialist—overviews blood's reputation across cultures and centuries.
Atlas Obscura
Blood's importance to humanity is summarized by the fact that, without it, we die. This importance naturally begets assumptions about its medicinal properties, many of which appear accessible through drinking or eating the fluid connective tissue. This article details the history of blood drinking, from ancient Roman gladiators to modern-day sanguinarians.
About 55% of your blood volume is plasma, the liquid part of blood created from water, proteins, minerals, and salts absorbed through the digestive tract. This 49-minute podcast episode explores the business of plasma donations, which differ from blood donations in that they are usually compensated and are part of a global industry expected to be worth $50B by 2029.
We're trying. Scientists are currently working on creating viable synthetic blood, an alternative to the presently relied-upon donations that manage to fall short of demand. More than half of the world's nations struggle to meet their population's need for blood. This article details current and historical efforts to develop synthetic blood, a venture that started more than 400 years ago.
Interactive Biology
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The antigens (proteins that tell the immune system to attack mismatched variations) that dot the outside of a red blood cell determine one's blood type, which is why the four main blood types are A, B, AB, and O, each with positive and negative variations. Watch this six-minute video to better understand the physiology of blood types and how they factor into blood donations.
Professor Dave Explains
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Blood is pumped around the body via the circulatory system, also known as the cardiovascular system. This system comprises the heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries. This 10-minute video is the first in a multi-part series on the circulatory system and focuses on the role of the heart, the pump that powers the entire system.
Search and uncover even more interesting information in our vast database of curated Blood resources
1440 Daily Digest
Blood is the most vital substance in a body, ferrying oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells in need while regulating body temperature and collecting cellular waste and byproducts, such as carbon dioxide, for removal. Every adult human has over a gallon of the red liquid coursing through their veins. So how does it work, why is it red, and what makes it so special? Find out the basics in our explainer video.
Every blood vessel is lined with endothelial cells that act as filters between blood and the rest of the body. In the brain, these cells are tightly packed together to keep a close watch on what substances can access the vital organ. This protective measure poses an obstacle to drugmakers looking to deliver drugs to the well-defended brain for conditions like Alzheimer's. Watch a quick overview here.
Knowable Magazine
The average blood pressure of a giraffe is about double that of a human, yet they don't suffer from the symptoms of high blood pressure that humans do: stiffening of the left heart ventricle, shortness of breath, fatigue, or swollen legs and ankles. This article explains how giraffes have evolved to have the "biological equivalent of support stockings."
Atlas Obscura
Blood's importance to humanity is summarized by the fact that, without it, we die. This importance naturally begets assumptions about its medicinal properties, many of which appear accessible through drinking or eating the fluid connective tissue. This article details the history of blood drinking, from ancient Roman gladiators to modern-day sanguinarians.
Undark Magazine
When the US established its first nationwide network of blood banks in 1941 with the hopes of restoring the dwindling reserves of military members, it was quick to emphasize blood donated by Black Americans wouldn't coat the veins of white servicemen. Historians say this policy was meant to appease white Southerners who believed Black blood was inferior to their own.This policy was leaked to the press that same year.
The Economics of Everyday Things
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Horseshoe crabs are older than dinosaurs and have survived five mass extinctions that wiped most life from the planet. But it's only now that their future as a species is in danger. This blood, worth about $60,000 per gallon, is hyper-sensitized to certain bacteria that are fatal to humans. This 17-minute podcast dives into humanity's pursuit of horseshoe crab blood, a "somewhat magical" mixture heavily relied on by the pharmaceutical industry.