The smurfs are invading science.
OK, that's not true, but the colour blue has come to my attention a handful of times in the last few weeks, mostly in connection with genetics. Not that any of the things I learned about will come as a surprise to those who are well versed in the more obscure genetic variations humans can have, but they were a surprise to me.
For those rare unlucky souls who suffer Crigler-Najjar syndrome, being subjected to strong blue lights for half a day, every day, seems to cancel out the yellowing of skin & eyes, and more importantly the clogging of brain and other tissues with excess bilirubin (a metabolite of haemoglobin I think). Crigler-Najjar's a recessive trait, and is most often seen amongst some of the Amish & Mennonite families in Pennsylvania (USA), why it came up in the news today I don't know* ...
But it reminded me of a conversation with a friend who is a fan of smurfs, and occasionally paints himself blue for special events. We had been discussing the vicissitudes of body paint and clothing, and he mentioned the "blue bloods" of Apalachia (USA), anticipating that my jackdaw's mind would already have spotted and stored this colourful fact. It took us a bit of conversation around the topic before we worked out the condition is methaemoglobinaemia, a variation in haemoglobin molecules. In this condition, the haemoglobin is less efficient at carrying blood, hence the blue appearance I suppose.
Interesting that both of these things have something to do with haem ... more on that tomorrow maybe.
* Note the human impact article in USA Today of 19th May to see where the Herald article originated.
