whtthfff t1_ird8xsr wrote on October 7, 2022 at 3:54 AM

Reply to comment by Seicair in What happens when a bruise heals? by DwagonFyre

Wow, never knew this. Do we know why mammals use iron? Like is it somehow better for what mammals do, or is/was there just a lot of it available?

Seicair t1_irddgod wrote on October 7, 2022 at 4:42 AM

I don’t know the evolutionary reasons behind it. All vertebrates with the exception of one Antarctic icefish use hemoglobin or heme to transport oxygen, but a lot of invertebrates use hemocyanin (copper based, blue blood), and there are multiple different iron containing compounds that are in use among invertebrates.

Seicair t1_irdtblb wrote on October 7, 2022 at 8:26 AM

I found this article that you might find interesting.

https://www.quantamagazine.org/icefish-study-adds-another-color-to-the-story-of-blood-20190422/