This is a familiar site in NJ in the spring. These are horseshoe crabs involved in important work. They could be saving your life.
One quart of horseshoe crab blood can sell for $15,000 to $60,000. The pharmaceutical industry uses the blood to test for impurities in drugs and medical devices--everything from injectable medication to stents. So far, there is nothing else as reliable as the blue blood of these prehistoric creatures. It's highly accurate.
It was when I was writing The Keeper's Secret that I went off on a tangent and discovered the worth of horseshoe crabs. The book is set in the Delaware Bay area, which has the highest population of horseshoe crabs. One of the characters in the story is a scientist conducting horseshoe crab research. I knew a bit about horseshoe crabs because I saw plenty of them in Raritan Bay when I was growing up there. But I did not have a clue about their amazing blood.
There's very little in my book about the value of horseshoe crabs. I got sidetracked while I was writing. That sort of thing happens to me all the time. It isn't always easy to stay focused on the story at hand. It's a problem. Especially when I discover something truly incredible--and this thing about horseshoe crab blood is rather awe-inspiring.
So although I wasted some of my writing time in unnecessary research, I gained a new respect for the lowly horseshoe crabs. I was reminded of it when I saw an article in the Asbury Park Press, "Rutgers lab churning out baby horseshoe crabs."
I suggest you read it, too. You can find it here:
http://www.app.com/story/news/local/new-jersey/2014/09/27/rutgers-lab-churning-baby-horseshoe-crabs/16329981/
Those crabs may look grotesque, but they have been invaluable to advances in medicine. However, science keeps marching on. There may be hopeful news for horseshoe crabs.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/05/blood-in-the-water/559229/?utm_source=twb
At any rate, horseshoe crabs are an important part of our ecosystem. We should take care of them.
One quart of horseshoe crab blood can sell for $15,000 to $60,000. The pharmaceutical industry uses the blood to test for impurities in drugs and medical devices--everything from injectable medication to stents. So far, there is nothing else as reliable as the blue blood of these prehistoric creatures. It's highly accurate.
It was when I was writing The Keeper's Secret that I went off on a tangent and discovered the worth of horseshoe crabs. The book is set in the Delaware Bay area, which has the highest population of horseshoe crabs. One of the characters in the story is a scientist conducting horseshoe crab research. I knew a bit about horseshoe crabs because I saw plenty of them in Raritan Bay when I was growing up there. But I did not have a clue about their amazing blood.
There's very little in my book about the value of horseshoe crabs. I got sidetracked while I was writing. That sort of thing happens to me all the time. It isn't always easy to stay focused on the story at hand. It's a problem. Especially when I discover something truly incredible--and this thing about horseshoe crab blood is rather awe-inspiring.
So although I wasted some of my writing time in unnecessary research, I gained a new respect for the lowly horseshoe crabs. I was reminded of it when I saw an article in the Asbury Park Press, "Rutgers lab churning out baby horseshoe crabs."
I suggest you read it, too. You can find it here:
http://www.app.com/story/news/local/new-jersey/2014/09/27/rutgers-lab-churning-baby-horseshoe-crabs/16329981/
Those crabs may look grotesque, but they have been invaluable to advances in medicine. However, science keeps marching on. There may be hopeful news for horseshoe crabs.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/05/blood-in-the-water/559229/?utm_source=twb
Though the FDA is still staying to the tried and true method.
At any rate, horseshoe crabs are an important part of our ecosystem. We should take care of them.
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