blood news stories on Newser

Infuriating Fans, 'Reagan's Blood' to Be Auctioned

Kate Schwartz — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:39:45 CDT

It may sound creepy to you, but to the head of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, it's "craven": A UK-based auctioneer has put a vial purported to hold Reagan's blood up on the block. PFC Auctions says a lab technician spirited the blood out of the hospital where Reagan was...

Iceman's Offering: World's Oldest Blood

Matt Cantor — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:15:38 CDT

It's the ultimate cold case: Researchers continue to investigate the death of 5,300-year-old Oetzi the iceman, and they're making some fascinating discoveries. Their latest find is ancient blood—the world's oldest, the BBC reports. Usually, blood breaks down fast, and researchers had believed that was the case with the...

Weight Loss May Push Toxins Into Bloodstream

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 03:40:00 CST

Scientists have uncovered a toxic underside to weight loss: the breaking down of fat cells can release a flood of "pollutants" stored there. Fat stores trap certain toxins such as DDT and PCBs. When significant amounts of fat are broken down, these chemicals are released into the bloodstream, where they...

Krakow Church's New Relic: Blood of John Paul II

Matt Cantor — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 12:57:05 CST

A vial holding the blood of Pope John Paul II will be installed in a Polish church as a relic, the AP reports. The vial will form part of the altar at a Krakow church due to open in May, the month of the late Polish pope's beatification. The city’s...

Scientists Create Blood From Human Skin

Slurge — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:54:57 CST

Researchers from McMaster University in Canada have created blood from tiny pieces of skin in a development hailed as a major breakthrough. Why the big deal? Because the blood created is genetically identical to that of the skin's donor, meaning there's no chance of rejection. Not only that, experiments have...

True Blood Stars Get Naked, Bloody for Rolling Stone

Emily Rauhala — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:04:51 CDT

This week Rolling Stone puts three True Blood stars on its cover—stark naked and streaked in blood. In a preview of the sure-to-be-buzzed-about cover story, creator Alan Ball says his show, unlike other vampire franchises (ahem, Twilight ), is all about sex. "The idea of celibate vampires is ridiculous....

Al-Qaeda Steals Blood From Iraq Hospitals

John Johnson — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:06:00 CDT

As if working in an Iraqi hospital isn't challenge enough: The New York Times reports that Al-Qaeda groups routinely steal blood at gunpoint to treat their own wounded soldiers, often while Iraqi security forces stand by and watch. It's been going on for years, ever since Iraqi police began making...

US May Allow Gay Men to Donate Blood Again

Nick McMaster — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:20:00 CDT

A quarter-century after the US started barring gay men from donating blood, Department of Health and Human Services experts are deciding whether to lift the lifetime ban, HealthDay News reports. The policy was instituted in 1985, as public consciousness of HIV/AIDS grew. "There was good reason for it, based on...

Japanese Hook Up, Hire by Blood Type

Jane Yager — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 09:48:38 CDT

If you're looking for a decisive, confident partner, try dating someone with type O blood. Type As are dependable worrywarts, ABs are balanced but high-maintenance, and if you've been burned by a selfish ex, blame their type B blood. That's the conventional wisdom in Japan, where people believe blood group...