It’s time to start talking about some of the terrible things you can do to your own body, like blood doping. We’ll start by explaining the structure and function of your erythrocytes, and of hemoglobin, which they use to carry oxygen. We’ll follow the formation and life cycle of a red blood cell, including how its levels are regulated by EPO and its signaling molecules. We’ll wrap up by looking at how blood doping works and how it is truly a recipe for disaster.
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Chapters:
Introduction: Blood is Powerful Stuff 00:00
Form and Function of Erythrocytes (Red Blood Cells) 1:34
Hemoglobin 2:30
Formation of a Red Blood Cell: Hematopoiesis 4:11
How Erythropoietin (EPO) Regulates Blood Oxygen Levels 5:43
How Red Blood Cells Die 6:54
Don’t Dope Your Blood! 7:53
Review 9:00
Credits 9:35
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