Temple physicist discovers new way to thin blood

If a person's blood becomes too thick it can damage blood vessels and increase the risk of heart attacks. But Temple physicist Rongjia Tao has discovered that he can thin human blood by subjecting it to a magnetic field. Because red blood cells contain iron, Tao has been able to reduce blood viscosity by 20-30 percent by subjecting it to a magnetic field of 1.3 Tesla (about the same as an MRI) for about one minute. "By selecting a suitable magnetic field strength and pulse duration, we will be able to control the size of the aggregated red-cell chains, hence to control the blood's viscosity," said Tao.

CNET, Investor's Business Daily, Daily Mail (UK) | June 8, 2011