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 are actually 45 so far.

This explicit discovery was born from tragedy. A child died immediately shortly after start. Its mom was subsequently found to have a blood type (or group) that had by no means been recognized earlier than, whereas the infant had inherited its father’s. The two blood teams interacted in a uncommon approach 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 are making headway: our lately 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.

How many blood varieties are there?

Blood varieties are distinguished by what sort of antigens are hooked up to purple blood cells and how much antibodies are within the surrounding plasma. The 4 commonest blood teams are A, B, O and AB, which relate to combos of antigens and antibodies, however delve a bit deeper and there may be astonishing complexity. Currently, the 45 blood varieties symbolize greater than 390 totally different antigens and antibodies, with new discoveries being made on a regular basis.

This…