Google doodle's Nobel Prize winner Karl Landsteiner's 148th birthday

Google is celebrating the 148th birthday of Karl Landsteiner. The immunologist and pathologist, Landsteiner received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the major blood types in 1900.

Born on June 14, 1868 in Vienna, Austria, Landsteiner went on to become a noted biologist and physician.

In 1901, Landsteiner discovered the existence of blood types A, B, AB and O, and that people of the same or compatible types can receive transfusions from one another. The first successful blood transfusion occurred in 1907 as a direct result of his work, which led to advances in medicine, therapies, and surgery.

Landsteiner is also credited with laying the groundwork, together with fellow scientist Erwin Popper, that led to the discovery of the polio virus. This was the first step towards developing a treatment for the disease which affected millions of children worldwide.