Iron, Hemoglobin, and Nucleosynthesis

An interesting article in National Geographic on iron deficiency just arrived in my inbox. Over 2 billion people suffer from it and the serious problems associated with anemia. Maternal mortality, cardiovascular, and psychological problems are all associated with iron deficiency. Hemoglobin is a large molecule with tertiary and quaternary structure that resembles a cross. Its oxygen binding curve is responsible for the affinity of the molecule for molecular oxygen in the body. The sigmoidal curve changes with pH, temperature, CO2 concentration, and 2,3-BPG. Students of physiology are aware of the rightward and leftward changes in the affinity curve from these factors.

It is interesting to think that the atoms in the body are remnants of stellar processes. Cobalamin, B12, the cobalt, comes from supernova. I would like to imagine that we are remnants of stellar fusion and supernova. The evolutionary processes in the biological world come from progenitors in stellar fusion. The iron in hemoglobin comes from fusion.