N
The Daily Insight

Which scientists discovered the 4 human blood types

Author

John Parsons

Updated on May 11, 2026

Karl Landsteiner discovered the four blood groups.

Who discovered there are different blood types?

It was not until the year 1900, when Karl Landsteiner at the University of Vienna, discovered why some blood transfusions were successful while others could be deadly. Landsteiner discovered the ABO blood group system by mixing the red cells and serum of each of his staff.

What's the golden blood type?

The golden blood type or Rh null blood group contains no Rh antigens (proteins) on the red blood cell (RBC). This is the rarest blood group in the world, with less than 50 individuals having this blood group.

What are the 4 blood types recognized in science?

Everyone’s heard of the A, B, AB and O blood types. When you get a blood transfusion, doctors have to make sure a donor’s blood type is compatible with the recipient’s blood, otherwise the recipient can die. The ABO blood group, as the blood types are collectively known, are ancient.

Who is the father of blood groups?

Karl Landsteiner. Father of blood grouping and immunochemistry.

What's the rarest blood type?

In the U.S., the blood type AB, Rh negative is considered the rarest, while O positive is most common.

Are there only 4 blood types?

The blood types we usually hear about are A, B, AB, and O, with a positive or negative attached. These types indicate what kind of antigens, or proteins, are on the surface of your red blood cells. Type A has an antigen we call A, type B has antigen B, type AB has both, and type O has neither.

Can siblings have different blood types?

Yes, two siblings from the same parents can have different blood groups from their parents. This is because the four ABO blood groups, A, B, AB and O, arise from a child inheriting any one of each blood group gene forms (or alleles) A, B or O from each biological parent.

What is the youngest blood type?

Type B is thought to have originated some 3.5 million years ago, from a genetic mutation that modified one of the sugars that sit on the surface of red blood cells.

What is the newest blood type?

Researchers at the University of Vermont have made a discovery that could save the lives of thousands of people. They’ve identified two new blood types called Langereis and Junior. They revealed their findings in the February issue of Nature Genetics.

Article first time published on

How do I find out my blood type without a test?

Without drawing blood A person may be able to use a saliva sample to test for their blood type, as some people produce the characteristic antigens in their saliva. According to 2018 research , if a person does secrete these antigens in their saliva, a sample of dried saliva can reliably indicate their blood type.

Are blood types hereditary?

Blood Inheritance Just like eye or hair color, our blood type is inherited from our parents. Each biological parent donates one of two ABO genes to their child. The A and B genes are dominant and the O gene is recessive. For example, if an O gene is paired with an A gene, the blood type will be A.

Where did the O blood type originate?

The O blood type (usually resulting from the absence of both A and B alleles) is very common around the world. About 63% of humans share it. Type O is particularly high in frequency among the indigenous populations of Central and South America, where it approaches 100%.

Who invented blood?

Charles Richard DrewBornJune 3, 1904 Washington, D.C., U.S.DiedApril 1, 1950 (aged 45) Burlington, North Carolina, U.S.Alma materAmherst College, McGill University Columbia UniversityKnown forBlood banking, blood transfusions

What are the 3 rarest blood types?

  • O positive: 35%
  • O negative: 13%
  • A positive: 30%
  • A negative: 8%
  • B positive: 8%
  • B negative: 2%
  • AB positive: 2%
  • AB negative: 1%

Why is O positive special?

Type O positive blood is critical in trauma care. Those with O positive blood can only receive transfusions from O positive or O negative blood types. Type O positive blood is one of the first to run out during a shortage due to its high demand.

Is O positive a rare blood type?

O positive is the most common blood type as around 35% of our blood donors have it. The second most common blood type is A positive (30%), while AB negative (1%) is the rarest.

Which blood group is best for health?

Of the eight main blood types, people with type O have the lowest risk for heart disease. People with types AB and B are at the greatest risk, which could be a result of higher rates of inflammation for these blood types. A heart-healthy lifestyle is particularly important for people with types AB and B blood.

Which is the best blood group?

Type O negative red blood cells are considered the safest to give to anyone in a life-threatening emergency or when there’s a limited supply of the exact matching blood type. That’s because type O negative blood cells don’t have antibodies to A, B or Rh antigens.

What is the most common blood type in China?

In most areas of China, the distribution characteristics of ABO blood groups were O > A > B > AB. Similar results were seen in the studies conducted in South-West Nigeria. However, in other regions, such as Pakistan, B blood groups was the most common, while in Istanbul, the A blood groups was the most common.

What blood types live the longest?

Life Span. Chances are higher you’ll live longer if you have type O blood. Experts think your lowered risk of disease in your heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease) may be one reason for this.

What blood type were Neanderthals?

Only one Neanderthal’s blood had been typed in the past, and was found to be type O under the ABO system used to classify the blood of modern humans. Since all chimpanzees are type A, and all gorillas are type B, it was assumed that all Neanderthals were type O.

Do dogs have blood types?

Those seven blood types found in dogs are DEA 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, DEA 4, DEA 3 and 5, and DEA 7. DEA (Dog Erythrocyte Antigen) is essentially dog red blood cell protein. The most commonly found blood type is DEA 1.1 which means that those dogs may only safely donate to other dogs who have DEA 1.1.

Do brothers have same blood type?

Each biological parent donates one of their two ABO alleles to their child. … Identical twins will always have the same blood type because they were created from the same fertilized egg (fraternal twins can have different blood types — again, providing the parents do — because they are created by two fertilized eggs).

Do brother and sister have the same DNA?

Because of recombination, siblings only share about 50 percent of the same DNA, on average, Dennis says. So while biological siblings have the same family tree, their genetic code might be different in at least one of the areas looked at in a given test.

Are you more related to mother or father?

Genetically, you actually carry more of your mother’s genes than your father’s. That’s because of little organelles that live within your cells, the mitochondria, which you only receive from your mother.

Can you have 2 blood types?

Interesting facts. Human and animal chimeras can have two different blood types at the same time. It may be similar amounts of each blood type. For example, in one case, a female chimera had blood that was 61 percent type O and 39 percent type A.

What is the fifth blood type?

hh, or the Bombay blood group, is a rare blood type. This blood phenotype was first discovered in Bombay by Dr. Y. M. Bhende in 1952.

Can you be two blood types?

For example, AB blood has both the A and B antigens, so a person with this type of blood can receive either type A or B blood. Everyone can receive type O blood because it doesn’t contain any antigens.

What blood types should not have babies together?

When a mother-to-be and father-to-be are not both positive or negative for Rh factor, it’s called Rh incompatibility. For example: If a woman who is Rh negative and a man who is Rh positive conceive a baby, the fetus may have Rh-positive blood, inherited from the father.

Does the hospital know my blood type?

Unless you’ve recently had a baby or a surgery, your doctor cannot tell you your blood type. … My doctor’s triage nurse told me that they did not have my blood type on record and I would need to call the hospital’s medical records. So I did.