Horseshoe crabs' blue blood saves lives—now the species needs saving
The lifesaving secret hidden inside a horseshoe crab's blue blood
Horseshoe crabs, whose blue blood is used to test medicines for contamination, are in decline along the East Coast. Massachusetts has implemented protections, including a ban on harvesting during spawning season, and Eli Lilly has developed a lab-made alternative that performs as well as crab blood. The company plans to eliminate its use of crab blood entirely, offering hope for the species' recovery.
When there is a suitable alternative that has been proven, that is scientifically valid, there really is no excuse to use a wild animal to do this test.
- wuschel
The horseshoe crab story comes up on HN now and then. Typical media game, the crabs crawled out their appointed time slot in the media publishing calendar.
Here is a full disclaimer (from the trenches of startup land): I co-founded and ran a biotech startup that tried to disintermediate that particular supply chain. We even flew to SF to speak to some of the YC chaps, and talked to a strategic buyer. Our technology R&D failed to deliver, unfortunately. And the market is fairly small. But I learned a great deal re that particular business, and a lot of more general lessons. All in all, a crazy run with so many crazy stories, I need to write them down one day.
Horseshoe crabs are truly fascinating animals in respect to their physique, lineage and behaviour. But these things one can read up on Wikipedia.
We had quite a bunch of them in our lab (and living room). They were supposed to be voracious predators to all things they can eat, but ours developed a rather expensive habit in captivity by only eating the most expensive of goods from the local fish market. They would not eat anything else.
- tzs
If you follow the whole process from the point of view of the horseshoe crab it is disturbingly similar to the stories many people who claim to be alien abduction victims tell.
- y-curious
Few things look more cruel and dystopic than the rooms where they harvest the blood of horseshoe crabs
- tecoholic
There is an episode in Elementary that involves the Horseshoe, its extraction and conservation. It is just a regular episode, but the visual presentation of the extraction was fascinating. I hope they are real. :)
- larodi
Most horseshoe related posts on HN come complete with abysmal amount of ads in the articles. Wonder why…