2006-07-26 16:34:16 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Iron in the blood. It "rusts" making the blood red.
P.S. All you people saying blood is blue are nuts! Blood is ALWAYS red. It looks blue in your veins because it doesn't reflect light through the skin clearly, and looks dark. Go back to anatomy class.
2006-07-26 16:38:19 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First thing: Blood is *never* blue. Blood is described as dark red (venous) or bright red (arterial). Our veins look blue because we are looking at them *through* our skin. The blood inside them is dark red and it doesn't reflect light very well. The blood you see when you get hurt is usually venous blood. Arterial blood comes out in spurts. It spurts every time the heart beats. I hope you never see that.
Your *blood* does not ever *look* blue. The blue things you see under your skin are veins. Veins are really whitish in color but because the blood is dark and the skin difuses the light, the veins *look* blue.
And why blood is red is because our blood is made up of four parts -- red cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma. The red blood cells contain a protein chemical called hemoglobin that's bright red. So it's the hemoglobin in blood that makes it red! The red blood cells move oxygen and carbon dioxide around your body. White cells protect you from infection. Platelets control bleeding by forming clots, so when you scrape your knee, it only bleeds a little and then forms a scab (don't pick at it!). Plasma is the liquid part of blood, and it contains important proteins and minerals.
2006-07-26 23:48:42 · answer #2 · answered by williampetersen7 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Blood is red because of oxygenated iron in the red blood cells
Smile and Take Care
2006-07-26 23:37:17 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The blood is red due to the hemoglobin which is one of the blood component that give the red color for the blood
2006-07-27 06:52:22 · answer #4 · answered by ibrahim 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The protein hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood, changes shape when it binds oxygen. When it changes shape, it absorbs different wavelengths of light, making it change color. When blood is exposed to air, much more of the hemoglobin
absorbs oxygen than had in the vein the blood came from (in the veins, the hemoglobin has already given up most of its oxygen to the body). Therefore, the blood turns red.
2006-07-27 03:38:44 · answer #5 · answered by cookie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Red blood cells are red because of the iron in haemoglobin.
2006-07-26 23:38:25 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The oxygen and the iron make it red. When the oxygen goes into the tissues, carbon dioxide takes its place and makes the blood appear darker, almost blue.
2006-07-27 01:57:47 · answer #7 · answered by sun34529 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Blood contains haemoglobin, these molecules contain haem portions which contain iron in high proportions. When this iron is oxidised at presence of Oxygen, it turns red. Think of what happens when a piece of iron is rusted, it turns reddish. This is the same thing
2006-07-26 23:43:19 · answer #8 · answered by Danushka B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because of the iron in the red blood cells
2006-07-26 23:37:43 · answer #9 · answered by confetticupcakes 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because of the red blood cells
2006-07-27 07:41:10 · answer #10 · answered by Cirno 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋