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The Discovery FilesProtective Seal
Scientists have discovered that seal blood has the ability to minimize the effects of an inflammatory response during dangerous deep-sea dives. The inflammatory effects of a bacterial toxin -- lipopolysaccharide -- are 50 to 500 times greater in humans than seals, and tests on mice immune cells suggest that the special properties of seal blood could protect the lungs of human deep divers.
Credit: National Science Foundation/Karson Productions
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