Shrimp-Based Bandages Save Lives 65
Roland Piquepaille writes "Unstoppable bleeding is one of the leading causes of death on battlefields. But now, soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have a way to reduce bleeding when they're wounded. In "War Bandages," ScienCentral News writes that these new bandages contain chitosan molecules, extracted from shrimp shells. These positively charged chitosan molecules attract negatively charged red blood cells, stopping hemorrhage in one to five minutes. As said one of the co-founders of the Oregon-based company behind these bandages, "You can have a hole in your heart and 60 seconds later it's sealed." The Food and Drug Administration approved these bandages for human usage, but today they are exclusively sold to the Army. With a $90 price tag for a 4-inch-by-4-inch single bandage, would you buy them anyway? This overview contains more details and references. It also shows you how the red blood cells are attracted by the chitosan molecules."
my favourite Judd Hirsch quote (Score:5, Funny)
"You don't actually think they spend twenty thousand dollars on a hammer, thirty thousand dollars on a toilet seat, do you?"
Re:Let's get a dumb question out of the way... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Boy (Score:2, Funny)
Ah... I'd be glad to, but that wouldn't follow the scientific process, now would it? We'll need to set up a double-blind study. Any volunteers?
Futurama Reference... (Score:4, Funny)