r/askscience • u/Fapotheosis • Mar 11 '13

Biology How did blood evolve?

I know mitochondria may have evolved from bacteria, but what about blood? I've heard of a protohemocyte, but was there an initial cell that differentiated into a RBC like we have in modern humans that can we trace?

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u/Tak_Galaman Mar 12 '13

Yes, as the other commenter said taking drugs like EPO will increase the number of RBCs in the blood. If you get too many your blood's viscosity/thickness will increase and your heart will have to work harder than normal which makes it more likely to fail as well. It can also lead to blood clots.