Quote:
Originally Posted by LubeMaster77
Blood that uses a hemocyanin carrier isn’t uncommon, actually. Many arthropods and gastropods use hemocyanin. Where the horsehoe crab’s blood distinguishes itself is in its ability to detect bacterial toxins. Horseshoe crab blood clots quite quickly and visibly when in the presence of bacterial endotoxins. This ability has made horeshoe crab blood an invaluable tool in ensuring that medical drugs and equipment are sterile and bacteria free. This blue blood is the basis of an entire industry. That strange looking helmet bulldozing through the sand at the fish store is a medical marvel.
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i forwarded this horseshoe crab info to friends. One sent me back this
"If you read that last paragraph, Back in the 60s my girlfriend Valerie and I, she was my scuba buddy, we would collect them on the weekends, I had a house up in the Hampstons, and we would put them in my bathtub for her to take to work at New York University. She was on the research team for finding a cure for Hemophiliacs, and that's how her team came up with the cure, she worked under a Dr. Johnson. As soon as you cut one of those open, they immediately clot. Just a tidbit for you,"