Where does Rh negative blood come from?

Rh- blood is the result of a gene deletion.

The gene in question is the D antigen from the Rhesus Blood Group System

There are many blood group systems and the 2 most important ones are the ABO Blood Group System and the Rhesus Blood Group System

There are more than 50 antigens that are known of in the Rhesus Blood Group System and the D antigen is the most important one as its impact on pregnancies is the most significant

Being Rh- means being D negative, meaning: you test negative for the presence of the D antigen.

If the D antigen is missing, you are Rh- negative

If all antigens are missing, you are Rh null, which is extremely rare.

Less than 50 individuals known of world-wide are Rh null, though the actual number of those who are Rh null, yet are unaware of it, might be significantly higher.

According to a 1950s paper from A.E. Mourant, a scientist expressed his thoughts, that Rh negative blood first originated around 50,000 years ago in the area now Southwest France

He believed that the first Rh negatives were “Neanderthaloid-like”.

We now know, that the Neanderthal specimens examined were partial D.

Some refer to it as “rhesus minus incomplete”.

In other words:

The D antigen is partially deleted, but not completely.

That might make Neanderthals the evolutionary steppingstone to Rh negative blood today.

Continue here:

Where does Rh negative blood come from? – Part 2