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WDC2023-007 NMLC Release (16)

Seal Rescued in Marshfield Released Back Into The Wild

For Immediate Release, May 31, 2023 PLYMOUTH, MA - A young male grey seal that...

Norway ups whale kill numbers and removes whale welfare protections

The whaling season in Norway has begun on the back of disturbing announcements from the...
Image taken from an unmanned hexacopter at >100ft during a research collaboration between NOAA/SWFSC, SR3 and the Coastal Ocean Research Institute. Research authorized by NMFS permit #19091.

Southern Resident orca petition to list them under Oregon Endangered Species Act advanced

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to advance a petition seeking to protect...
Hysazu Photography

WDC and Conservation Partners Continue to Seek Oregon Endangered Species Protection for Southern Resident Orcas

On Friday, April 21st, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will determine whether the petition...

Whales could help solve synthetic human blood mystery

A study recently published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, details how whales could provide the answer to the chronic lack of spare human blood stored in banks across the world.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 100 million blood donations are made each year but that is still not enough. One solution would be to create synthetic blood, but this option has remained a distant one. However, thanks to new research on deep-diving whales, scientists think they may be a step nearer to making lab-made haemoglobin – the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen to other parts of the body.

I seems that the deep diving abilities of whales, and the fact that they are capable of storing far more oxygen than humans, could eventually point the way to the creation of synthetic blood for human use.

Whales hold secret to creation of synthetic human blood