World's oldest human blood cells obtained

[futurefreak]

Hey everyone,

I haven't posted in a while so I apologize if this is not the appropriate place to post this (or if it shouldn't be posted at all). I just found it interesting.

SCIENTISTS RECOVER THE WORLD'S OLDEST HUMAN BLOOD CELLS

He was found with an arrow in his shoulder and a stab wound in his hand, but when Ötzi the Iceman was first discovered in 1991,scientists were unable to recover so much as a drop of blood from his otherwise intact body.

For 5,300 years, Ötzi's remains had been preserved by the biting
cold of the Alps, but not even being frozen in a glacier could
prevent the Iceman's blood from decomposing in his vessels. So
German researchers Marek Janko, Robert Stark, and Albert Zink
decided to look for blood residue around his hand and shoulder
wounds, instead.

Using a high-resolution visualization method called atomic force microscopy, the researchers managed to discover the oldest intact red blood cells ever recorded . The researchers also identified traces of fibrin a protein involved in the body's clotting process which adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests Ötzi did not die immediately after sustaining his wounds.

What's really cool about this research is how it stands to benefit
fields like forensics. "Detection of blood components was of major interest because it could give new perspectives on the lives and fates of our ancestors," write the researchers. "Blood can indicate the general health status of an individual and it can be analysed to detect pathological conditions or to provide valuable information in forensic crime scene investigations."



Really neat how we might be able to see what was going on biologically thousands of years ago.

[brillbilly]

May 10, 2012 8:55:27 GMT 10 futurefreak said:

Hey everyone,

I haven't posted in a while so I apologize if this is not the appropriate place to post this (or if it shouldn't be posted at all). I just found it interesting.

SCIENTISTS RECOVER THE WORLD'S OLDEST HUMAN BLOOD CELLS

He was found with an arrow in his shoulder and a stab wound in his hand, but when Ötzi the Iceman was first discovered in 1991,scientists were unable to recover so much as a drop of blood from his otherwise intact body.

For 5,300 years, Ötzi's remains had been preserved by the biting
cold of the Alps, but not even being frozen in a glacier could
prevent the Iceman's blood from decomposing in his vessels. So
German researchers Marek Janko, Robert Stark, and Albert Zink
decided to look for blood residue around his hand and shoulder
wounds, instead.

Using a high-resolution visualization method called atomic force microscopy, the researchers managed to discover the oldest intact red blood cells ever recorded . The researchers also identified traces of fibrin a protein involved in the body's clotting process which adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests Ötzi did not die immediately after sustaining his wounds.

What's really cool about this research is how it stands to benefit
fields like forensics. "Detection of blood components was of major interest because it could give new perspectives on the lives and fates of our ancestors," write the researchers. "Blood can indicate the general health status of an individual and it can be analysed to detect pathological conditions or to provide valuable information in forensic crime scene investigations."



Really neat how we might be able to see what was going on biologically thousands of years ago.

;)hi ya,good post and in the right place!
This guy has many enigmas,His 5,300-year-old mummified body has 15 groups of tattoos on it, some of which are located on what are now seen as contemporary acupuncture points.?

What did they know back then?

[Wes Gear]

Nice post Futurefreak, seems we are still learning from Ötzi. This will give forensics new techniques.