Transfusion solution?

ONLY ONE of the eight human blood types is a universal donor—an inconvenient reality for blood banks providing life-saving transfusions. New research on a method to make all blood types universal donors could one day mitigate blood donation shortages the Red Cross says have reached a 20-year high.

A study published in Nature Microbiology April 29 described the discovery of enzymes capable of removing A and B antigens from blood. In the ABO blood group system, the presence of A and B antigens—as well as Rh factor—limits the types of blood a patient can receive. Anyone can receive O negative blood because it lacks the antigens and proteins that could cause an immune reaction, making it vital for emergency situations.

The study doesn’t represent the first enzymatic conversion of blood types, but it’s the most efficient and effective. The researchers correctly hypothesized that enzymes that break down sugars in the human digestive system could also break down similar sugars found on A and B antigens. Lead author Maher Abou Hachem said his team is close to producing a universal blood donor from the B group but needs additional testing to produce one from the more complex A group.

Plastic eaters

Scientists at the University of California San Diego have developed biodegradable plastic by harnessing the power of beneficial bacteria. In a study published April 30 in Nature Communications, the researchers filled thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a plastic commonly found in products like footwear and memory foam, with Bacillus subtilis spores and found the bacteria eventually broke the ­plastic down.

The bacteria’s spores develop in response to unfavorable growth ­conditions and remain dormant until placed in favorable ones. The researchers demonstrated that the spores are not reactivated until the plastic is disposed of in a soil-rich environment: Placed in compost, the spores fed on the TPU, reducing its mass by 93 percent in five months. The composition of the remaining residue is yet to be studied, but the scientists predict it’s harmless. Tests for toughness and elasticity revealed the spores also strengthened the TPU. —H.F.

Social media sabbatical

If you haven’t bought into the social media detox trend, an April 30 study in Body Image might convince you otherwise. In the study of 66 female freshmen at York University, half the participants refrained from all social media, while the other half continued regular social media use. After one week, the abstainers scored significantly better on questionnaires rating body image satisfaction and self-esteem than did the young women in the other group. —H.F.