Researchers of this study have discovered the oldest blood known to modern science. They have used a mummy, they named Ötzi , whose body was frozen in a glacier for over 5,000 years. Blood was extracted from the wound that was presumed to cause his death. Using both an atomic force microscope and a raman spectroscopy method, red blood cells were positively identified. This in itself was a break through because scientists could not begin to imagine how long blood could survive, let alone what these cells looked like in the Chalcolithic period. According to their results using nanotechnology, they not only identified the blood from the wound, but also characterized it to look like the modern "doughnut shape" we know today. Using Ötzi's blood, scientists hope to estimate how long a trace of blood has been present at a crime scene.
Cool, huh?! What do y'all think about the break through?!
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120502141132.htm
This is very cool. I'm guessing they were unable to find any DNA from the frozen body. I feel like that would have been even better!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why they would think the shape of a red blood cell would be any different in a mummy. They are the same shape in most mammals (dogs, cats, horses, chimpanzees, etc) due to evolutionary processes that took place well before this 5,000 year old mummy. I guess similar studies would be helpful in determining degradation rates or age of DNA for forensic analysis though.
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