Blood types are a 20-million-year mystery 

Do you know your blood type? How’d you find out?

To all those who donate blood, I am still alive because of you. I have received about 20 blood transfusions because of blood cancer over the last 4 years and now it looks like i will be in long term remission. I wish I could thank every person whose blood has coursed through my body. (acute myeloid leukemia)

There are 2 antigens *A* and *B* Blood group *A* - has *only A* antigens Blood group *B* - has *only B* antigens Blood group *AB* - has *both AB* antigens Blood group *O* - has *neither A nor B* antigens And there is an *additional protein* called *Rh factor* If the Rh factor protein is *present* it is denoted by *+* If the Rh factor protein is *absent* it is denoted by *-* If a patient receives blood that has an antigen or protein that the patient's blood does not contain then the blood is *harmful* for the patient If the patient receives blood that does not contain any antigen or protein that is not in the patient's blood (and some of the antigens or proteins that the patient's blood contains can be absent from the blood) then it is *safe* for the patient

as an O- from a small city on the great plains I remember being contacted by the police to please report to the hospital to donate to another O- who was in dire straits. one was a baby the other was a minister.

Nicely produced video, but a couple of corrections. First, when your body's immune system attacks transfused red blood cells from a mismatched donor, it's not an "autoimmune" response as stated; autoimmune means attacking one's own cells. Second, there is no hospital in the developed world that would ever take the word of a patient regarding their blood type at the time of a transfusion - particularly if it was from a do-it-yourself kit they ordered over the internet. If there isn't time to cross-match blood, the patient gets O negative; if there is time, they always get cross-matched. The risk of death from ABO incompatibility is too great to rely on an acutely ill person's memory of an infrequently relevant part of their medical history.

My father was blood type A- and when he received the universal blood type "O" he would become very ill. When his doctor found out his children were A- he requested we do designated donations for my father as we all were A-. He never became ill when he received "A-" blood. I agree that our blood is very unique, meaning everyone. Hopefully one day scientists will find out more.

in Latin America the blood type is in your ID.

Type O negative is not just a useful blood type,but a great band as well.

i'm skeptical when they say someone like william harvey "discovered" that blood flowed through the body. many ancient cultures could of already have been aware of this, like the Egyptians

0 neg . Found out when donating the first time and they are after my blood like vampires :-D

There is absolutely no way that a doctor would transfuse blood on the basis of what the patient thought their blood type was. The chances of that patient incorrectly remembering it is just too high. Thus knowing your blood type is just not that practically useful. Transfusions are a particularly tightly regulated area of medicine. Patients blood will always be checked before a transfusion, and if this isnt possible because of an emergency they will be given O -ve. I've seen patients have their blood cross matched (checked) multiple times due to having different operations on different days. The blood bank won't even trust an old cross match result from a month earlier, it will be rechecked again. - Final year medical student NZ

For everyone who is Rh - ( I’m O) and donated blood . I wouldn’t be here without you guys . I have systemic Lupus and when I gave birth to my daughter I almost had Mitral Valve prolapse. I now have permanent cardiomyopathy and leaky mitral valve . I get a echocardiogram every 6 months with my cardiologist. I always wished I could donate my blood because I know only 15% in the world has my blood type . Also I’m so grateful for the RhoGAM shot . I wouldn’t have my two miracle babies

I was a regular donor until I became ill a few years ago, that's when I found out my blood type is A2+. Then I became a Plasma donor for a while. Blood plasma is given to Haemophiliacs to control bleeding. It's a weird procedure but I was happy to be able to help. I'm sad that I can no longer be a donor, but I'm pleased that I was able to for so long.

Holy shit there are actually people who grow up without knowing their blood type WTF, where i'm from we all get tested at birth so we know all our life about it.

I've been wanting to know my blood type since high school and always wanted to donate blood, but whenever the donation buses come around I always end up having a bit of a cold :/ This year.

High 5 to all my A+ blood family out there. 🙏

"The life is in the blood"

Yay, finally a subject I can elaborate on! Warning, this will be a long read: Your blood type depends on what antigens are on the outside of your red blood cells. Think of antigens as small markers that cover your red blood cells. As the video mentioned, the main blood types in humans are from the ABO blood group. People that have type AB blood have A- and B-antigens on their red blood cells, while people with type O blood have neither A- nor B-antigens on theirs. It's important to give patients blood, that is compatible with their ABO blood type, like the chart at 2:53 indicates. That is because the body automatically creates antibodies against the ABO antigens, that their own red blood cells don't have. E.g. people with type O blood automatically have antibodies against A- and B-antigens (anti-A and anti-B antibodies), while people with blood type A only have antibodies against B-antigens (anti-B antibodies). What are antibodies, you might ask? In our case here, they're little compounds, that can latch onto their corresponding antigen, e.g. the anti-B can latch onto B-antigens on someones red blood cells. When an antibody latches onto an antigen, it kind of tells the body, that this is a foreign object, and this can cause the body to attack the red blood cell. Our immune system also uses antibodies to attack e.g. bacteria and other stuff. The ABO blood group system is very important, precisely because we automatically create these antibodies, against the antigens we don't have. So if you have type A blood, your blood is already filled with anti-B antibodies in your blood, even if your body has never actually "seen" a B-antigen before. What's this about positive and negative blood then? This is another important antigen, the Rh-D antigen (that's why one of the circles on the blood type card at 4:24 says anti-D, because there are antibodies against the Rh-D antigen on that circle, if you have the Rh-D antigen on your red blood cells). You might've heard people say "I'm Rhesus positive" or something like that. That's referring to the Rh-D antigen. This antigen is very important, because it can also create some complications, when people get blood transfusions. However, people who are "Rhesus negative" don't automatically create antibodies against the Rh-D antigen - we only create it when our bodies are exposed to the Rh-D antigen. That's (also) why the ABO blood group system is kind of special. We also have other blood group systems, like the Duffy blood group system mentioned in the video. In fact, the Rh-D antigen I mentioned earlier is part of a bigger Rh blood group system. Some of the most important "secondary" blood group systems (with some of their important antigens in parentheses) are the Rh system (D, C, c, E, e), the Kell system (K, k, Kpa, Kpb), the Duffy system (Fya, Fyb), the Kidd system (Jka, Jkb), the Lewis system (Lea, Leb), the MNS system (M, N, S, s) and the Lutheran system (Lua, Lub). Everyone has some of these antigens on their red blood cells, along with their ABO blood type. E.g you can have A+ blood (i.e. A-antigen and RhD-antigens on your red blood cells), and also have K, E, Jka and C antigens alongside them. However, these "secondary" blood group systems aren't as important (with the exception of Rh-D) for normal people, since most people only naturally have antibodies against the ABO blood group system. The body doesn't automatically create antibodies against these "secondary" antigens. However (!), if someone *has* antibodies against some of these "secondary" antigens, they'll get blood that corresponds to their ABO/RhD type *AND* that's negative for whatever "irregular" antibodies they've produced against these "secondary" antigens. So if you're hospitalised, and you need a blood transfusion, then the blood bank will test you for your ABO/RhD blood type, and they'll also do an "antibody screen test" against these "irregular" antibodies...unless you need blood *right now* - then you'll get O- blood, as the video mentioned. Phew...if anyone spots any mistakes, please, feel free to correct me! I'm still just a poor student, haha.

A suggestion for future videos, even though this was fun and informative, I really would’ve liked it to go a bit deeper on blood types, explain them, explain Rh factor and so on. This is a science channel after all and people subscribing to it expect it. Best of luck in the future! :)

I'm AB- as are my parents and both siblings. I think that makes our situation pretty rare!

hey, Im a 1st class donor (donated 25l plus) from Poland, it is the first time I fully grasped the type compatibility. thanks for the video. Im 0 RH + btw ;-)

Me: Whats your blood type, quickly you're losing blood! Grandfather: B Positive Me: I'M TRYING MY BEST HERE

I have my masters in Medical Laboratory Science. In the developed world, knowing your blood type is trivial. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES would you ever receive blood based off of what you say your blood type is. Compatibility of the blood is tested before in the lab.

I’m currently in the Army and I rarely see anyone with my A- blood type. It’s a lonely life :(.

I've got optimistic blood, B+.

Wait I thought it's normal for one to know their blood type... I just know it and I don't even know who told me my blood type.

I coud spend my blood to everyone, but when I need blood, I need my own Type 0- blood=D

When you’re type A but you be getting straight Fs at school😢

I’m type B- so I’m going to have to ask forgiveness when I say STFU! 😂

Man, i like these brief 8mins max videos! It’s like watching a short fast-paced documentary that’s so interesting and helpful! Thank you for making this channel 🙏

In Japan its common for you to know your blood type from birth. So I knew I was bloodtype A since I was born. There is a whole culture around bloodtype in japan (its like the constellations in the west) where bloodtype determines your personality, your fate etc. edit: Just saw the part of the video where it discussed this lol

Rh O Negative and I am a regular blood donor 😁 easiest way to save a life!

O negative here. 🤗

Lol. This was most probably designed for the US audieces. In Poland I don't know anyone who would not know their blood type.

Fascinating, important, and entertaining stuff guys! Keep 'em coming please!

My blood type is AB- and I found out during a follow-up OBGYN appointment while I was pregnant. They normally take blood to check for things like blood type, HIV, diabetes, Hep. B, and a ton of other stuff in the pregnant woman.

A- Negative here😘😌

Don't know my blood type and I'm 19. But if/when I ever have to do a blood test imma pass out 100%. I can't stand it!

The HH blood type is also called Bombay blood type.

Here in Mexico you know your blood type as soon as you are born because it's the procedure of standard care. I cannot believe that in US they don't know their blood type.

I’m from Colombia. Knowing your blood type in Colombia is pretty common, mostly everyone in my school knew their blood type. But once I moved to Australia (at the age of 14), I’ve noticed that not many people know their blood type. I found it interesting because of the first and third world country differences. It is so beneficial to know your blood types for emergency situations.

My hypothesis: Biodiversity-in case a pathogen made to attack a blood type, members of a different one will still survive. But I obv haven't tested it.

I'm O- when I was young and starting my family I found out my blood group. After each of my first two babies I received a letter from the blood bank requesting that after my baby was 12 weeks old could I please donate a pint of my blood. I did donate a few times between having my children. It's painless and I'm always advocating that others donate their blood regardless of their group type. It's a nice feeling to think your blood may have saved a life.

Because I'm RH B+ I've found out how to regrow my hair according to the food source to match my blood type & my hairs growing again with hardly no hair comming out 👍

I am O negative and a regular Donor 😊

Seriously? US people aren’t that aware of their own blood type? Wow! Us Sri Lankan’s are so aware of it. We generally donate blood a lot as well for others.

Where does A negative come from?

I'm O- and I met 2 amazing girls Saturday night A- and AB- (also best friends/roommates) The three of us were mentally connected almost instantly and then the Rh negative thing was revealed within minutes. Surprise!? I was on cloud 9.

FYI blood type O was actually 0 (zero) and in some countries still is but English doctors/scientists made a mistake while reading it so they've settled using the letter O instead.

I have the same type B+ as my father had. One time we went together to blood bank to donate for a person that had need of transfusions for upcoming surgery. Since then, I've donated 2+ gallons. My younger sister had O+ with special factors and was financially compensated.

ab+ team cmon!!! like if u ab+!!!

Whst about RH-

I'm A+. For about 50 years I thought it meant A plus, and I was kind of pleased with that.

I would hypothesize that we have evolved different blood-types in response to environmental conditions such as diseases and cancer-causative agents. Survival of the fittest = One blood type that is immune to a serious illness would be more likely to breed and pass on this trait to their children. As humans began to travel, these mutations of blood-type mingled and spread around.

I'm glad you also addressed donating blood as a way to find out. You satisfy your curiosity and possibly save a life at the same time. Win/win!

I found that most people don't know their blood type. It is not even recorded in your medical records no matter how often you've visited your doctor. Ask and you'll see. So, I bought my own blood type kit which is very inexpensive and found out for myself. I also donated blood and it did match my findings. So, I do encourage you to find out your blood type as well. I did my kids too. Now we know.

Wow, I knew my bloodgroup but never thought so deeply about it. Great video✌️

In India our blood group is tested since birth and carry on our IDs so as to not waste time in testing! And did you guys reupload this? Was it on the Verge?

There have been all kinds of studies on blood types and other health issues that they don't want to publish. There is a lot more known than they want us to know.

O- Regular donor, also CMV- which means my blood can be safely given to babies which is great to know ^^

O+ We typed our own blood in 9th Grade biology class.

I love these videos, these videos are highly interesting and useful. The content is clear and sharp. Keep up the good work. You can transform an entire community.

If you are O- you can save everyone on earth, but only another O‐ can save you, while If you AB+ everyone can save you, but you can't save anyone. It is the eternal story of the hero and the princess who can't save herself

Though some studies have shown that there's still a risk in transfusing O(-) blood to people with other types of blood, because there are still things we don't know that can trigger an immune reaction..

Love this new channel. Answering questions I never knew I had until I saw the headline.

That moment when you realise you can take anything because you are AB+😎

I wanted to know my blood type, so I enlisted for 4 years into the army, heck of a way to find out 4 years later...

I found out I was A neg when I had a positive child and needed shots to counteract the sensitivity.

At least here in Europe, it's really rare NOT to know your blood type. Also, it's been a while since the last time we used SMS.

I am also A+! There is a 12.5% chance (more or less accurate) that you, reading this comment, are as well!

I've had my blood taken so many times, yet I still don't know what I am... (Scrolling down the comments, I now feel like an idiot...)

I have A+ blood. Can't remember how I found that out, though. Probably related to one of several surgeries I've had since I was a kid. I used to be a regular blood donor and also did apheresis [where they would draw out the blood from one arm, run it through a machine that separates the plasma and platelets (?), then put the rest back in via the other arm, a process which took about 4 hours as I recall].

I didn’t know mine till I got pregnant when I was 22. Not sure if I was ever told prior to that and just didn’t retain the info because at the time it didn’t seem important but boy do I remember it now. I am a negative (A) and when a negative gets pregnant they have to get RhoGAM shots. The 2nd pregnancy is where things can get dangerous. Due to my 1st child being a positive (O) my body may have made antibodies that could attack any future fetuses that may dare inhabit my uterus. I’m 35 now and still looking forward to pregnancy #2 but it sure won’t be an “oops”.

I am O and in constant blood giver, and always feel a bit weak from time to time, ah what the heck it's only blood, that's my contributions to humanity.

This video was incredibly helpful. My doctor wouldn't include a blood type test with my yearly blood work because "we don't do costly test that aren't needed". 🤔

O Neg. I donated twice in high school to earn a cord for when graduating. 5 years later and the regional blood center is still bothering me every week. Even after saying no 100million times. Can’t catch a break to save my life!

We vampire's don't care.

I'm O+

I am A- and very sickly. I once had to have synthetic blood given to me after bleeding out in surgery because there was not enough of my blood type at the time. I had to receive that synthetic blood for several days. Weird to think about.

AB can only receive O-, but O+ are the true survivor. Not only can we use anyone's blood, but we tend to have higher resistances.

Loved the video. Keep on sharing these

Awesome video!

In my country knowing your blood type is like knowing your birthday

I still remember getting my key chain fob for hitting the one gallon donor mark. Enough A+ to fill a milk jug. I hope it helped someone. I had to stop due to medications I take for Lupus.

In Finland we took kind of similar blood test that you took. First time in my life I got to know my blood type which is B+.

A(+) ma maaaaan!

Blood type research is going to be crucial in curing dread diseases

In Poland its like common knowledge to know your own blood type. I have known im 0 Rh - since I was 4 or 5. And nearly all of my friends know their blood type.

B+. Being typed was part of the initial blood-work when I became pregnant.

Thumbs up if ur O+ 😂

Don't they ask you to know your blood type to get a drivers license? In my country to get your driver's license you need to take a hospital blood typing exam to prove your blood type before they issue the driver's license to you.

I am surprised that there was no mention of the fact that AB is the universal plasma donor....

My blood type is Pudding.

Well Now I have to cancel my trip to Japan then! LOL!

Maybe now it's easy to detect your blood type in an instant if you need an emergency transfusion. I had my blood type tested when I was a kid because my parents wanted to be sure I got the right blood type if I were to get into an accident or so.

If you donate blood the blood bank will send you info about your blood type for. I used to donate to the red cross all the time. That is how I found out that I am B+.

RH Neg; found out when I was living and working in Australia

This channel is awesome!

You can find out your blood type by having the local vampire bite you. Then ask 'em. 👍

In Portugal, at least when I was born, the hospital gave as small card with the blood type. Iphones and other smart phones also have the emergency app that opens with the phone blocked, where people can and should fill with blood type and all sorts of information relating to allergies or meds they're on. :)