Re: If you cut yourself in space, is the blood red or blue?

Hi Heidi -

The color of blood depends on whether it is exposed to oxygen, not whether it in a weightless environment. Thus, if you cut yourself in space, say in the shuttle cavity, the blood would be red as the atmophere in the shuttle's interior has oxygen in it. The oxygen binds to a protein in your blood cells called hemoglobin and turns it bright red. Hemoglobin without oxygen is actually not blue, but a deeper color of red. Cutting yourself in the vacuum of space (where there's no oxygen!) should produce the deeper shade of red.

Hope this helps..

Lynn Bry, MadSci Admin