How Humans Got Different Blood Types (It's Older Than Us)

Why don't all humans share the same blood? Your blood type isn't just a hospital label. It's a survivor's badge, and the A and B versions are at least 20 million years old, older than our species itself. In this video, we trace how blood types work and why they exist. You'll see how a simple 1900 experiment by Karl Landsteiner revealed the A, B and O groups, and why your blood type is really a pattern of tiny sugars on your cells. We explore how malaria and cholera may have pushed blood types in opposite directions, why almost everyone in many Native American groups is type O, and how a stomach germ seems to have adapted to its hosts. Finally, we uncover the darker story behind the plus or minus on your card, including what ancient DNA suggests about Neanderthals. ⏱️ Chapters 0:00 Why your blood type matters 0:33 The "just a label" myth 1:07 The 1900 experiment that changed medicine 2:03 What a blood type really is 3:04 Malaria and type O 3:52 Cholera and the Ganges Delta 4:20 Why South America is almost all type O 4:46 The stomach germ that adapted 5:20 The dark story behind + and − 6:00 What Neanderthal DNA revealed 6:32 What scientists still debate 6:57 Why no blood type ever won 7:33 Older than our species 8:04 Your survivor's badge 🩸 What's your blood type, and did you know it before today? Tell us in the comments! 👍 If you enjoyed this, like and subscribe for more stories about ancient humans and how our bodies evolved. #BloodTypes #HumanEvolution #Science #AncientHumans #Neanderthals Hashtags YouTube shows the first three above your title, so the order matters: #BloodTypes #HumanEvolution #Science