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Saturday January 01, 2005

Omni - where are they now (September 1990)?

There is now an Omni category if you want to see similar posts from me for other issues of Omni.
As per usual, this month I've taken my two followups from short pieces in the Continuum column.

Blood Bath: hypothesises about the potential contamination problems that could occur when you go to a hospital for a major blood transfusion. To overcome this, Joseph Walder, a University of Iowa biochemist has created a blood substitute, by extracting purified hemoglobin from donated blood.

In the past, purified hemoglobin was an unsuitable blood substitute because it hoarded its oxygen, causing a host of medical problems. Walder sidesteps that problem by modifying the chemical structure of hemoglobin so that it freely passes its oxygen to the body.

Walder goes on to say that the substitute should have a shelf life of about a year (regular blood stays "fresh" for about a month in comparison). Furthermore the process eliminates the fine chemical distinctions between different blood types, making it possible to use the treated blood for anyone, no matter what their blood type is. The blood substitute is now undergoing trials at Baxter Healthcare Corporation in Illinois (i.e. in September 1990).
This sounds too good to be true. Apparently it is. It looks like it is still undergoing clinical trials at Baxter Healthcare, only it's now in Australia. It seems that according to a 1996 report, they have developed a blood substitute called HemAssist and have moved manufacturing to Switzerland. Trouble is that it's still not a complete success. Looks like Baxter are one of several companies still in the running to try to produce a viable blood substitute.
We Love You Tomorrow: Ted Turner, the broadcast mogul, is looking for unpublished fiction stories from 50,000 to 100,000 words long that convey how to ensure the survival and prosperity of all life on Earth. The first prize-winner of this Turner Tomorrow Award will receive $500,000, while four runners-up will collect $50,000 each.
Looks like Ted was true to his word, and the awards were presented in 1991, although I only count three runners-up. Did you notice Jane Fonda getting in on the action.
The overall winner was Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn. Natural Enemies by Sara Cameron, a thriller about elephants in Kenya, was one of the three additional prizewinners that included Necessary Risks by Janet Keller and The Bully Pulpit by Andrew Goldblatt.