Comments on: Why chimpanzees can donate blood in movies http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/10/why-chimpanzees-can-donate-blood-in-movies/ Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:43:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Brian Schmidt http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/10/why-chimpanzees-can-donate-blood-in-movies/#comment-47961 Brian Schmidt Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:49:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/?p=18872#comment-47961 From a selfish gene perspective, I wonder if balancing selection could be considered a truce in the conflict between alleles, or even a symbiotic relationship resulting in a greater number of expressions over time than might otherwise be the case. Not that I have any idea what I'm talking about.... From a selfish gene perspective, I wonder if balancing selection could be considered a truce in the conflict between alleles, or even a symbiotic relationship resulting in a greater number of expressions over time than might otherwise be the case.

Not that I have any idea what I’m talking about….

]]> By: Roger Bigod http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/10/why-chimpanzees-can-donate-blood-in-movies/#comment-47960 Roger Bigod Tue, 23 Oct 2012 19:52:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/?p=18872#comment-47960 There's a rare hemolytic disease of the newborn, similar to the situation with Rh blood group, involving maternal antibodies to A or B. Rare, but enough to remove A and B genes from the population over time. This suggests that there's some selection in favor of A and B. There’s a rare hemolytic disease of the newborn, similar to the situation with Rh blood group, involving maternal antibodies to A or B. Rare, but enough to remove A and B genes from the population over time. This suggests that there’s some selection in favor of A and B.

]]> By: Razib Khan http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/10/why-chimpanzees-can-donate-blood-in-movies/#comment-47959 Razib Khan Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:26:30 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/?p=18872#comment-47959 #4, danke! #4, danke!

]]> By: J Pickrell http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/10/why-chimpanzees-can-donate-blood-in-movies/#comment-47958 J Pickrell Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:24:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/?p=18872#comment-47958 FYI, non-paywalled preprint here: http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.4613 FYI, non-paywalled preprint here:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.4613

]]> By: Chad http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/10/why-chimpanzees-can-donate-blood-in-movies/#comment-47957 Chad Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:52:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/?p=18872#comment-47957 Pure speculation, but there are species of malaria that infect non-human primates. Pure speculation, but there are species of malaria that infect non-human primates.

]]> By: Maju http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/10/why-chimpanzees-can-donate-blood-in-movies/#comment-47956 Maju Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:59:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/?p=18872#comment-47956 "... what sort of specific pathogen would haunt our branch of the tree of life for tens of millions of years?" http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-people-have-differ A combo of the plague and smallpox. A offers best resistance to the plague, B to smallpox, zero ("O") is best in absence of such pathogens (specially A seems prone to cancers and blood clots). While the plague is most common in Eurasia historically (specially in Central Asia, where it seems to be endemic), there have also been outbreaks recently reported in D.R. Congo (2005), what clearly indicates that the pressure was there in Africa as well. I wonder if the Ebola can be related with some blood groups matters (Duffy factor is with malaria, for example but there are dozens of blood group peculiars, only one being the ABO mechanism). I do find most interesting in any case that it seems confirmed that A and B have been inherited from our great ape ancestors: it clearly emphasizes how important they have been for survival once and again. “… what sort of specific pathogen would haunt our branch of the tree of life for tens of millions of years?”

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-people-have-differ

A combo of the plague and smallpox. A offers best resistance to the plague, B to smallpox, zero (“O”) is best in absence of such pathogens (specially A seems prone to cancers and blood clots).

While the plague is most common in Eurasia historically (specially in Central Asia, where it seems to be endemic), there have also been outbreaks recently reported in D.R. Congo (2005), what clearly indicates that the pressure was there in Africa as well.

I wonder if the Ebola can be related with some blood groups matters (Duffy factor is with malaria, for example but there are dozens of blood group peculiars, only one being the ABO mechanism).

I do find most interesting in any case that it seems confirmed that A and B have been inherited from our great ape ancestors: it clearly emphasizes how important they have been for survival once and again.

]]> By: oafus http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/10/why-chimpanzees-can-donate-blood-in-movies/#comment-47955 oafus Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:59:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/?p=18872#comment-47955 What about O- blood? What about O- blood?

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