• Question: why do we have different coloured blood cells??

    Asked by rachelbowesxx to Amy, Drew, Julia, Kimberley, Sara on 21 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Kimberley Bryon

      Kimberley Bryon answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Red blood cells get their colour from haemoglobin which is what oxygen binds to and allows it to be carried to different parts of the body. White blood cells are cells of the immune system.

    • Photo: Amy MacQueen

      Amy MacQueen answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Hi rachel,

      As Kimberley said red blood cells carry all the oxygen around our body and to do this they require an iron containing protein called haemoglobin (this is why if you cut yourself and suck the wound it tastes a bit like metal – ask Robert Pattinson he knows all about it!). White blood cells don’t have this protein as their main job is to fight invaders so they do not have a red colour. So the cells are different colours because they do different jobs!! 🙂

    • Photo: Julia Griffen

      Julia Griffen answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Well our blood is red as Kim says due to the haemoglobin in red blood cells.. its red because it contains iron! The other components of the blood are not as vibrant.. the fluid the plamsa is mainly water so is pretty clear and colourless, not sure what colour all the other parts are platelets, white cells (not sure if they are white in colour or if thats just thier name? but they are definaltey not red!)

      INteresting question… it’s made me think!

    • Photo: Sara Imari Walker

      Sara Imari Walker answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      Hi Rachel! Nice question. I like it because I am learning things from Kimberley, Amy, and Julia here. So exciting!!

Comments