Types Of BLOOD GROUPS | Why Are There Different Blood Groups? | Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

Hello, Blood Bank. Could you send me a type B positive blood sample ASAP, please? No, not AB positive. It's B positive. Yes, thank you. What's the difference? Oh, that's a crucial question, little kitty. Hey friends, when you hear the word blood, what are the things that pop up in your mind? Maybe a hospital, the color red, or a vampire chasing its prey. Well, no matter what you think of blood, it is something that your body needs to survive. So, in today's episode, let us explore the different types of blood and know why do blood types matter. Zoom in! Blood, despite its similar appearance, you'll be surprised to know that not everybody has the same kind of blood. Yes, there are actually eight different types of blood humans possess. And it is determined by a type of complex protein situated at the outer layer of the cell membrane called antigens. These antigens join forces with the white blood cells to protect you from viruses and bacteria and stop them from causing any infection. Not only that, but these antigens also serves as identity tags so that your immune system does not think of them as foreign substances and attack them. But the crucial question is how do these antigens cause differences in our blood types? You see, there are two main kinds of antigens that blood can have, that is, A and B. And your blood group depends on the absence, presence and combination of these two main kinds of antigens in your blood cells. For example, if your cells have both A and B antigens, your blood type will be AB. And if you have only type A antigens, you will have type A group. Whereas, if you have type B blood, it means you have only B antigens. And in case you don't have any antigens present in your cells, then you are a type O person. I know what you are thinking, then what about these positive and negative signs besides our blood groups? Well, it depends on an additional antigen system called the RH factor. Yes, if we have RH antigens present in our cells, then we are RH positive. And if it is absent, then our blood type is determined as RH negative. But another vital question is, why do blood types matter? Well, for blood transfusions, matching the receiver's blood type is a matter of life and death. If someone with type A blood group is given type B blood or vice versa, their immune system will think of it as a threat and start attacking it, causing the transfused blood to clot. But, things are a little different for people with type AB or type O blood. If you have both A and B antigens on the surface of your cells, then someone with AB blood can get a transfusion from someone with A, B, AB or O blood. But, if you have type O blood, your red blood cells have neither A nor B antigens. So, a person with O blood can only get transfusion with O blood. Did you know, in 1909, Austrian scientist Karl Landsteiner became the first person to correctly identify the four main blood groups. Also, in comparison to humans, dogs have 13 types of blood groups. Hope you learnt something new in today's episode. Until next time, it's me, Dr. Binocs, Zooming out! Ah! Never mind!