lungs

Scientists Convert Donor Lungs to Universal Blood Type in a Medical First

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Patients can wait a long time for potentially life-saving lung transplants, since the need to find close matches complicates the process. One of the characteristics that need to be matched is patient and donor blood type.   Now new research shows that the blood type of some donated lungs could be altered before transplant, which … Read more

Long-Term Cannabis Smoking Appears to Alter Lung Function, But Not Like Tobacco

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A long-term study tracking just over a thousand participants has found regular cannabis smoking can change the function of your lungs as you age. Unlike smoking a cigarette, however, cannabis seems to impact a person’s breathing in a slightly different way.    Over adulthood, tobacco smoking is associated with a progressive decline in how much air … Read more

We May Finally Know Why Whales Don’t Drown When They Gulp Down Krill

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Baleen whales are heavy drinkers. In just ten seconds, these giant mammals can down over five hundred bathtubs of ocean water, filtering out roughly 10 kilograms of krill in a single swig.   All they have to do is open their mouths and lunge forward at roughly 10 kilometers an hour (6 miles per hour). The … Read more

Brutal Viking Ritual Called ‘Blood Eagle’ Was Anatomically Possible, Study Shows

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Famed for their swift longboats and bloody incursions, Vikings have long been associated with brutal, over-the-top violence. Between the eighth and 11th centuries, these groups left their Nordic homelands to make their fortunes by trading and raiding across Europe.   Particularly infamous is the so-called “blood eagle”, a gory ritual these warriors are said to … Read more