Another Try at Artificial Blood 37
kpogoda writes "There are some Swedish scientists that have successfully produced a powdered form of blood that can be used to treat patients. Although it is not ready for transfusions yet it is a major breakthrough in a much needed arena."
Re:So, can it be used in tranfusions, or not? (Score:5, Insightful)
The article says that they could do it from any mammalian blood, but use human blood for "ethical reasons". PETA members, perhaps? It makes sense that this procedure could use any hemoglobin source, as all mammals are pretty much identical from that standpoint.
Personally, I'd prefer that they take the bazillions of gallons of cows' blood that are produced anyway and use it to save lives. It's not currently wasted, as it's used for a variety of agricultural and industrial uses, but it could save lives more directly by making blood substitutes cheaper.
I guess some people would REALLY prefer not to get animal blood, no matter how vigorously processed, just from the squick factor.
Jehovah's Witnesses (Score:4, Insightful)