The loss of a pioneer in a key blood treatment
There are self-proclaimed legends and there are those whose actions speak louder than words. An example of the latter was the Australian, James Harrison, with the moniker as the “Man with a Golden Arm”, Harrison helped save the lives of over 2.4 million babies before sadly passing away at the age of 88.
Over the course of six decades, Harrison became known as one of the world’s most significant blood donors — providing a precious life-saving antibody in his blood, Anti-D. Although it was never fully confirmed how this antibody ended up in his system, reports have said it may be to do with a major blood transfusion Harrison had at the age of 14.
Later, it was discovered that Harrison’s blood was rich in the antibody and could go towards a drug that can protect newborns against Rhesus disease, also known as haemolytic disease of the foetus and newborn (HDFN).
James Harrison donating his blood rich in Anti-D (Australian Red Cross Lifeblood)
It’s a very harsh condition that, as a result of an incompatibility between a baby and their mother’s red blood cells, the mother’s immune system misinterprets the child as a threat. By sending antibodies to attack the baby, a mother’s bodily defenses can lead to a variety of damages including brain damage, heart failure, and even the loss of their life.
From the age of 18 in 1954, for every two weeks up until the age of 81, Harrison had made over 1,100 blood donations. Those regular donations even earned him the world record for the most plasma donated in 2005, which he kept up until 2022 when a US-based man overtook him.
With them, Harrison was an instrumental pioneer in the development of anti-D treatments. Where one in two babies diagnosed with Rhesus disease would die, it was the countless number of anti-D doses — 3 million of which included Harrison’s — that would help ensure many Australian newborns would live long and happy lives.
James Harrison as he retired at age 81 (Australian Red Cross Lifeblood)
After peacefully dying in his sleep at Peninsula Village Nursing Home on 17 February, Harrison has no shortage of those who are grateful for his contribution in the fight against HDFN. One of those is Tracey Mellowship, who is not only Harrison’s daughter, but herself and her father’s two grandchildren are recipients of the anti-D immunisations as well.
Mellowship said: “He was also very proud to have saved so many lives, without any cost or pain. It made him happy to hear about the many families like ours, who existed because of his kindness.”
“He always said it does not hurt, and the life you save could be your own.”
Although there are less than 200 donors of anti-D in Australia, Red Cross Lifeblood has explained that their massive numbers of donations help save over 45,000 mothers and babies each year.
In this man’s case, it was his kindness in doing this through most of his life that leaves “remarkable legacy, and he has put the challenge out to the Australian community to beat it”, as said in a statement by a member of the Lifeblood organistation, and is a testament as to why Harrison earned the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1999 — one of the highest honours anyone in the country can receive.
When all’s said and done, the story of James Harrison is a reminder that, despite all of the terrible things in the world, the enormous generosity of just one person can make the biggest difference.
Featured Image Credit: Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
James Harrison donating his blood rich in Anti-D (Australian Red Cross Lifeblood)
It’s a very harsh condition that, as a result of an incompatibility between a baby and their mother’s red blood cells, the mother’s immune system misinterprets the child as a threat. By sending antibodies to attack the baby, a mother’s bodily defenses can lead to a variety of damages including brain damage, heart failure, and even the loss of their life.
From the age of 18 in 1954, for every two weeks up until the age of 81, Harrison had made over 1,100 blood donations. Those regular donations even earned him the world record for the most plasma donated in 2005, which he kept up until 2022 when a US-based man overtook him.
With them, Harrison was an instrumental pioneer in the development of anti-D treatments. Where one in two babies diagnosed with Rhesus disease would die, it was the countless number of anti-D doses — 3 million of which included Harrison’s — that would help ensure many Australian newborns would live long and happy lives.
James Harrison as he retired at age 81 (Australian Red Cross Lifeblood)
After peacefully dying in his sleep at Peninsula Village Nursing Home on 17 February, Harrison has no shortage of those who are grateful for his contribution in the fight against HDFN. One of those is Tracey Mellowship, who is not only Harrison’s daughter, but herself and her father’s two grandchildren are recipients of the anti-D immunisations as well.
Mellowship said: “He was also very proud to have saved so many lives, without any cost or pain. It made him happy to hear about the many families like ours, who existed because of his kindness.”
“He always said it does not hurt, and the life you save could be your own.”
Although there are less than 200 donors of anti-D in Australia, Red Cross Lifeblood has explained that their massive numbers of donations help save over 45,000 mothers and babies each year.
In this man’s case, it was his kindness in doing this through most of his life that leaves “remarkable legacy, and he has put the challenge out to the Australian community to beat it”, as said in a statement by a member of the Lifeblood organistation, and is a testament as to why Harrison earned the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1999 — one of the highest honours anyone in the country can receive.
When all’s said and done, the story of James Harrison is a reminder that, despite all of the terrible things in the world, the enormous generosity of just one person can make the biggest difference.
Featured Image Credit: Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
Man with the ‘most valuable blood on Earth’ saved 2,400,000 babies ‘by accident’
His ‘special blood’ was necessary in order to create a life-saving treatment
One man ‘accidentally’ discovered that his blood held life-saving properties, and it eventually led to a treatment that prevented the death of over 2,400,000 babies in half a century.
Blood is obviously one of the most vital components of the human body, and having reserves for various surgeries and medical procedures helps keep millions of people alive every single year.
Some have even experimented with ‘biohacking‘ techniques that use blood transfusions to ‘reverse’ the aging process, but one Australian man’s blood has proven to be the ‘most valuable’ in the entire world due to it’s life saving properties.
As detailed by Lifeblood, James Harrison underwent significant chest surgery at just 14 years old in 1951, in which blood sourced from donations was used and effectively saved his life.
After the surgery was successful, James made it his life mission to donate as soon as he possibly could, and continued regular donations after reaching the age of 18 despite an initial fear of needles.
What he didn’t know, however, was that his unique blood would be a vital ingredient in a treatment that would save the lives of over 2.4 million unborn children.
Harrison has been responsible for saving the lives of over 2 million babies due to his countless donations (Simon Alekna/Fairfax Media via Getty Images)
This is due to the reaction that occurs when Rh(D) negative blood comes in contact with a Rh(D) positive counterpart, as harmful antibodies are produced in order to fight off the ‘invading’ blood.
While this is largely avoided in any scenarios where blood transfusions are used, it does involuntarily occur when an Rh(D) negative woman becomes pregnant with an Rh(D) positive baby.
It isn’t typically an issue with a first child as the body is capable of circumventing the issue, but if a second child also happens to be Rh(D) negative then the baby could be at risk of Haemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN), which is commonly fatal.
Where James Harrison comes into the situation is that his blood holds a previous antibody that can be used to prevent this attack from happening, and it was only discovered through the fact that he’d already given so much blood.
These antibodies were then converted into a medication called ‘Anti-D’, and this has been administered to over 2,000,000 Australian women, saving their child from a life-threatening disease.
YouTuber Doctor Mike also revealed that Anti-D was actually used by Harrison’s own daughter for the birth of her second child, meaning that his donation efforts and unique blood directly saved the life of his grandchild.
Harrison’s record-breaking blood donation efforts have earned him the title of ‘man with the golden arm’ (David Gray/Reuters/Landov)
While James has now retired from blood donations, he does hold the world record with 1,173 total donations across 60 years. This works out at around one donation for every two and a half weeks, which has provided an invaluable resource to Australian mothers over the last half century.
Many have expressed their gratitude to James and other individuals who donate blood, with one YouTube comment detailing: “As a person with sickle cell disease, I have a special place in my heart for blood donors. Thank you to everyone who donates. You are literally changing and saving lives.”
While many blood donors might not quite have the same widescale impact as someone like James, it is still a contribution that could be vital to even one persons life, and there’s a high chance that we’ll all need the blood of another at some point in our lives.
Featured Image Credit: Doctor Mike / YouTube / Jochen Sands / Getty
Supercomputer makes worrying prediction for how long humans will survive on Earth
Humanity will likely come to an end in 250 million years
A supercomputer has made a worrying prediction for how long humans will survive.
The computer has predicted when humans will no longer be able to survive on Earth, thanks to a new study.
The research was conducted at the University of Bristol in the UK where experts used a simulation to work out what the future might look like on our planet.
The world as we know it will come to an end (DrPixel/Getty Images)
Although, we shouldn’t panic just yet, we still have millions of years left on Earth, meaning we’ll all be long gone before this becomes a problem.
According to results from the supercomputer, global warming will increase to extreme levels, forcing the continents to rejoin together, creating a new supercontinent known as Pangea Ultima.
In the era of Pangea Ultima, the Earth will be very hot and dry and it’s likely that there will be frequent volcanic eruptions.
The heat will result in the mass extinction of many species which will include humans and mammals.
And the simulation predicts that this will happen in around 250 million years from now.
Dr Alexander Farnsworth, who is the lead author of the study and a senior research associate at the University of Bristol, said: “The newly-emerged supercontinent would effectively create a triple whammy, comprising the continentality effect, hotter sun and more CO2 in the atmosphere, of increasing heat for much of the planet.
“The result is a mostly hostile environment devoid of food and water sources for mammals.
The Earth will have just one supercontinent (MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images)
“Widespread temperatures of between 40 to 50 degrees celsius (104 to 122 degrees fahrenheit), and even greater daily extremes, compounded by high humidity levels, would ultimately seal our fate. Humans and many other species would expire due to their inability to shed this heat through sweat, cooling their bodies.”
Dr Eunice Lo, a research fellow in Climate Change and Health at the University of Bristol, added: “It is critical not to lose focus on our current Climate Crisis, which stems from human emissions of greenhouse gases. Although we foresee an uninhabitable planet in 250 million years, we have already witnessed extreme heat that adversely impacts human health.
“This underscores the urgency of achieving net-zero emissions as soon as possible.”
It certainly looks like climate change is taking a toll on our planet after 2024 became the hottest year ever on record.
Scientists fear that if we don’t get control of the increasing global warming levels, then we might start to experience the effects of extreme weather much sooner than the simulation has predicted.
Scientists reveal the exact ages where the most dramatic age-related changes take place
It turns out that aging isn’t a gradual process, according to scientists
Examining a new grey hair in the mirror leaves many of us in a panic of how quickly the aging process will kick in.
But fear not, scientists have now put us out of our misery by revealing the exact ages where people see the most dramatic age-related changes take place.
A new study was published on Wednesday, August 14, which details the “molecular changes underlying aging”.
The new study reveals when the aging process starts (Peter Finch/Getty Images)
The study is called Nonlinear Dynamics of Multi-omics Profiles During Human Aging and the authors studied a group of 108 people aged between 25 to 75 to source their findings.
All of the people involved live somewhere in California and their aging was tracked for “1.7 years, with a maximum follow-up duration of 6.8 years”.
In order to get more insight, the scientists had a look at the molecules in the participants’ blood, poop and skin using things like mouth and nose swabs.
In the study, molecules shifted more during certain ages (zhangshuang/Getty Images)
Around 135,000 different molecules (like proteins) and microbes (like bacteria, viruses and fungi) were looked at, and the shock came when most of them didn’t shift in a gradual way, as expected.
The molecules and microbes shifted more during two age groups and it was determined that the ages of 44 and 60 are the most likely time periods where age-related changes start to take place.
This includes the possible build up of health issues, such as cardiovascular disease or musculoskeletal problems.
Speaking to the Guardian, Professor Michael Snyder, a geneticist and director of the Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford University and senior author of the study, said: “We’re not just changing gradually over time. There are some really dramatic changes.
Scientists have found the exact ages where we see the most changes (RUNSTUDIO/Getty Images)
“It turns out the mid-40s is a time of dramatic change, as is the early 60s – and that’s true no matter what class of molecules you look at.
“I’m a big believer that we should try to adjust our lifestyles while we’re still healthy.”
The mid-40s revelation was not expected as it was initially thought that this was the result of perimenopausal changes in women but similar shifts in aging were also noticed in men.
Dr Xiaotao Shen, a former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford medical school and first author of the study, added: “This suggests that while menopause or perimenopause may contribute to the changes observed in women in their mid-40s, there are likely other, more significant factors influencing these changes in both men and women.”
Featured Image Credit: Dimitri Otis/Westend61/Getty Images
People mind blown after seeing what ‘the most crowded island on Earth’ looks like on Google Earth
The tiny island is the size of a football field but is home to over 800 people
People are mind blown after seeing what ‘the most crowded island on Earth’ looks like on Google Earth.
Located just a two hour boat ride away from Colombia, Santa Cruz del Islote is thought of as one of the most densely populated islands on Earth.
Over 800 people live on the tiny island, with many of the houses being home to multiple people, and many sharing one room with up to 10 other residents.
The island itself is just bigger than a football field with only four streets and no cars or motorbikes.
On the island, there is one school, one church, one clinic, one hotel, one restaurant and three markets.
One Reddit user posted an image of the crowded island onto the social media platform, writing: “I think I just found the most detailed place in the world on Google Earth, Santa Cruz del Islote.”
People were shocked at just how densely populated the island is, with many taking to the comment section to share their reactions to the photo.
One user wrote: “That’s crazy good. You can see individual cells on the solar panels on the roofs so it’s 15cm resolution or better.
“It’s believed that 10cm is about as good as you can get with currently known spy technology.”
Another said: “No cars, everyone has a family boat.”
The island houses over 800 residents (Kike Calvo/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A third person asked: “Where does the poop go?”
This prompted a reply from someone who said: “The fish eat the poop along with anyone that owes money to the cartel..”.
A fifth person added: “I really wanted to say something nasty about this place, but after further research, turns out it sounds kind of nice. No crime, everyone cooks together and kids can run freely with no worry of danger. AND there are no mosquitoes, and that really makes me jealous, now I want to live on Santa Cruz del Islote. Wishing everyone there all the best.”
According to the locals, the average life expectancy on the island is 85-90 years. But there’s no cemetery on the island, so bodies are taken to the mainland and buried there.
Tourists flock to the island day in and day out, and a conservation aquarium has been built there.
Juve Nal, who has lived on Santa Cruz his whole life, told CNN in 2018: “We get annoyed because the media always say the island is more crowded than it is.”
He added: “There is no crime here. We have no police and we do not need them either.”
