Smithsonian Magazine on MSN

Horseshoe Crab Blood Has Long Helped Us Make Safe Medicines. Now, Alternatives That Spare the Ancient Creatures Might Be Breaking Through

Each May, hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs climb onto beaches along the eastern coast of the United States. An ...
WHYY

‘Blue-blood’ horseshoe crabs suffer from commercial bloodletting. One Penn student says he has an answer

Aravind Krishnan, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student, is working to find an alternative to horseshoe crab blood, which is used to test for pathogens in vaccines and on medical devices.
The Press of Atlantic City

Lowly horseshoe crabs save human lives

Horseshoe crabs evolved in the toxic brew of their ocean environment. When a crab is wounded, its blood coagulates and forms a barrier to keep out nasty bacteria. Unlike human blood, crab blood reacts ...
KTVZ

Horseshoe crab blood is saving human lives

NAPLES, Florida (WBBH) — Horseshoe crabs have been around for millions of years, but did you know they also save human lives? “Their blood contains a factor which is highly, highly sensitive to ...
Center for Biological Diversity

Scorecard Highlights Pharma Companies Ending Use of Horseshoe Crab Blood

BALTIMORE— A new scorecard ranks the top pharmaceutical companies by their transition away from horseshoe crab blood used in drug safety testing. Horseshoe crab blood is used to detect toxins in a ...
Southeast Missourian

Blue blood from horseshoe crabs is needed for medicine, but a declining bird relies on crabs to eat

PORTLAND, Maine -- The horseshoe crab has been scuttling in the ocean and tidal pools for more than 400 million years, playing a vital role in the East Coast ecosystem along with being a prized item ...