#horseshoecrab — Public Fediverse posts

The lifesaving secret hidden inside a horseshoe crab's blue blood

https://whdh.com/news/the-lifesaving-secret-hidden-inside-a-horseshoe-crabs-blue-blood-and-the-race-to-protect-the-species/

Comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49266921

#HackerNews #lifesavingsecret #horseshoecrab #blueblood #conservation #biomedicalresearch

@RadicalAnthro r. Horseshoe crabs are extraordinary. That quote is indeed in the article but the author should know better. Surely any story should mention biomedical industry methods, & that exploitation is unnecessary given the availability of substitutes?
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/horseshoe-crab-blood-has-long-helped-us-make-safe-medicines-now-alternatives-that-spare-the-ancient-creatures-might-be-breaking-through-180987553/

#HorseshoeCrab

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🌲🌰 #Smithsonian curators offer five ways to see the #USA through #nature instead of state lines.

Pine cones reveal the country’s #biomes, ammonite #fossils from #SouthDakota prove an ancient sea once covered the #GreatPlains, #shorebirds time #migration with #horseshoecrab #eggs, and the American #shad’s journey has shaped #Pamunkey culture for 12,000 years.

👉 https://theconversation.com/where-nature-draws-the-map-here-are-5-ways-to-look-at-the-us-without-state-boundaries-284640

#ecology #geology #migration #pine #ammonites #salamanders #chesapeakebay #appalachianmountains #delawarebay #naturalhistory #wildlife #history #science #nature #maps

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🌲🌰 #Smithsonian curators offer five ways to see the #USA through #nature instead of state lines.

Pine cones reveal the country’s #biomes, ammonite #fossils from #SouthDakota prove an ancient sea once covered the #GreatPlains, #shorebirds time #migration with #horseshoecrab #eggs, and the American #shad’s journey has shaped #Pamunkey culture for 12,000 years.

👉 https://theconversation.com/where-nature-draws-the-map-here-are-5-ways-to-look-at-the-us-without-state-boundaries-284640

#ecology #geology #migration #pine #ammonites #salamanders #chesapeakebay #appalachianmountains #delawarebay #naturalhistory #wildlife #history #science #nature #maps

Another exciting preprint by @nextstrain, with one of the coolest animals out there, the horseshoe crab! #EvoDevo #HorseshoeCrab #Arthropods
https://bsky.app/profile/nextstrain.bsky.social/post/3mfwrrjxbmk2f

#HorseshoeCrab follow-up: So little progress since I last checked maybe ten years ago... 🙁

Background: #HorseshoeCrabs (HSCs) are ancient (450 million years or more). They have a very early version of #ImmuneSystem that depends on something called "Limulus amebocyte lysate" or LAL to detect bacterial toxins and "clump" together to neutralize those bacteria/toxins.

This is scientifically very interesting in terms of evolution, etc....

https://daily.jstor.org/the-horseshoe-crab-same-as-it-ever-was/

Some bright scientist figured out that LAL could be used to detect contamination of vaccines and related medical stuff. Since that discovery HSCs have been commercially "milked" (actually more like a blood donation) to produce LAL for the pharmaceutical industry. [Before that they killed thousands of rabbits for this purpose. LAL was an improvement, and necessary, but read on for why it is no longer acceptable!]

Abstract: "Horseshoe crabs have been integral to the safe production of #vaccines and injectable medications for the past 40 years. The bleeding of live horseshoe crabs, a process that leaves thousands dead annually, is an 👉 ecologically unsustainable practice👈 for all four species of horseshoe crab and the shorebirds that rely on their eggs as a primary food source during spring migration. Populations of both horseshoe crabs and shorebirds are in decline. This study confirms the efficacy of recombinant Factor C (rFC), a synthetic alternative that eliminates the need for animal products in #endotoxin detection. Furthermore, our findings confirm that the biomedical industry can achieve a 90% reduction in the use of reagents derived from horseshoe crabs by using the synthetic alternative for the testing of water and other common materials used in the manufacturing process. This represents an extraordinary opportunity for the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries to significantly contribute to the conservation of horseshoe crabs and the birds that depend on them."

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2006607

Bottom Line: There is an approved alternative to LAL called recombinant Factor C (rFC) out there, but Pharma mostly still relies on milking HSCs. 👎

Now in 2026: "A lawsuit is filed to protect ancient horseshoe crabs"...

This is basically an #OverFishing story with a rather odd and spiny subject. Even if they aren't warm and fuzzy we need to stand up for these magnificent creatures, and the ecological webs that depend on them!

https://www.wusf.org/environment/2026-01-06/lawsuit-filed-protect-ancient-horseshoe-crabs

#NewYork to Phase In Protections for #HorseshoeCrabs
Gov. #KathyHochul signed #legislation that will ultimately ban the catch and biomedical use of the crabs.
Although supporters of the #HorseshoeCrab Protection Act had urged an immediate ban, Gov. Kathy Hochul obtained the agreement of legislative leaders to reduce the catch by increments, leading to a total prohibition in 2029.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/science/horseshoe-crab-protections-new-york.html
https://archive.ph/CIPi2

#Everglades Trip -- Consider the #HorseshoeCrab... 🙂

#HorseshoeCrabs (Limulus polyphemus) evolved some 250 million years ago and they have no close living relatives. They are true #LivingFossils and generally fascinating.

First, they are not crabs—but remotely related to spiders.

They have nine eyes, two underneath near the legs.

They have twelve legs, including specializations for pushing, feeding, and mating (males).

They breathe and excrete using book gills just behind their legs.

And here's the best part: 👉 They chew with their knees!👈

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_crab#General_body_plan

https://richard.mdpaths.com/travel/everglades/everglades_2026/index.html

#Everglades #HorseshoeCrab #NaturePhotography

Meet The Animal That Hasn’t Changed In 300 Million Years — A Biologist Explains

#HorseshoeCrab #Ocean #Biology
#Science

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scotttravers/2026/01/07/meet-the-animal-that-hasnt-changed-in-300-million-years---a-biologist-explains/

@solidsanek
WoW. First time hearing about such a creature. 🔥 And also learnt that humans are the potential cause of their declining population 😔. Coz we harvest their blood. I wish scientists synthesize alternative formulas soon.

Source I watched for the info:
Ted-Ed video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgEbcQxFUu8
#horseshoecrab #wonders

#Hochul Urged to Ban #HorseshoeCrab #Fishing
Supporters of the legislation argue it would protect a declining horseshoe crab population, while opponents warn it will harm the #commercialfishing industry.
Reducing pressures on the crabs would help their ecological role, which includes providing food for migrating shore birds such as the red knot, a dwindling species that the federal government classified as threatened more than a decade ago.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/science/horseshoe-crabs-protections-hochul-ny.html
https://archive.ph/D9AnI

Day 7 #artAdventCalendar my #linocut horseshoe crab (Tachypeus gigas) in grey, blue-bronze and dark brown on 8” x 8” cream-coloured Japanese paper with bark inclusions. They get their name from their horseshoe like shape but they are not crabs; they are chelicerates, more closely related to arachnids and they are “living fossils” which have changed very little since they first appeared in the Triassic. The textured sandy 🧵

#printmaking #sciart #invertebrates #horseshoeCrab #washi #mastoArt

#HorseshoeCrab Blood Has Long Helped Us Make Safe #Medicines. Now, Alternatives That Spare the Ancient Creatures Might Be Breaking Through
An enzyme in the blue blood has been key to testing #vaccines since the 1980s, raising concerns for the crabs’ population. But regulatory approval and new data are signaling the tide may be turning https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/horseshoe-crab-blood-has-long-helped-us-make-safe-medicines-now-alternatives-that-spare-the-ancient-creatures-might-be-breaking-through-180987553/

https://www.wacoca.com/videos/3021164/travel-thirsty/ Travel Thirsty: GIANT CRABS Around The World! Seafood #AlaskanKingCrab #AlienCrab #CoconutCrab #crab #crabs #giant #GiantCrab #GiantCrabs #HairyCrab #HorseshoeCrab #KingCrab #MudCrab #RaninaRanina #seafod #seafood #SnowCrab #SpannerCrab #SpiderCrab #StreetFood #TasmanianCrab #TasmanianKingCrab #Thirsty #travel #TravelThirsty #TravelThirsty #Vlog #Vlogger #world #YouTube #YouTuber

"I had a sense of obligation to these creatures that likely gave their lives for testing the device implanted in my heart."

Kristin Idaszak for The American Scholar: https://theamericanscholar.org/blood-blue-sky/

#Longreads #Essay #ClimateCrisis #ChronicIllness #Heart #HorseshoeCrab #Animals #Grief #Medicine #Playwriting

"Most people come to horseshoe crabs through their interest in birds, not the other way around. The crabs’ tiny blue eggs are key to the migration patterns of birds like red knots who feast on the translucent orbs." —Grace Byron for The Paris Review

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2025/08/21/horseshoe-crab-diary/

#HorseshoeCrab

These guys are my favorites. And a few years ago, when the GOP admin (Christie) won a law suit over the residents to shove sand on the beach, they chose to do it after the Mamas had come up to lay eggs. They decimated a whole generation. Saved this little guy from the gulls today.
#HorseshoeCrab #Beach #sea #ProtectWildlife #Dogs Everyday is #EarthDay
You're welcome!

Horseshoe Crab 🦀 A Living Fossil! | 1 Minute Animals.

Discover the horseshoe crab, an ancient creature that has roamed the Earth for millions of years. You won't believe the bizarre appearance of this unique animal, with its hard shell and spiky legs. Learn about its fascinating history and why it's crucial for medical research.

#HorseshoeCrab #LivingFossil #MarineLife #OceanLife #Crab

For the @printersolstice #printerSolstice2425 prompt copper, I made a #linocut horseshoe crab (Tachypeus gigas) in grey, blue-bronze and dark brown on 8" x 8" cream-coloured Japanese paper with bark inclusions. They get their name from their horseshoe like shape but they are not crabs; they are chelicerates, more closely related to arachnids and they are "living fossils" which have changed very little since 🧵

#printmaking #sciart #invertebrates #horseshoeCrab #washi #oceanLife #MastoArt

there's a mysterious
marine chelicerate
that's got nine eyes
but don't lose any sleep
those nine eyes
can't form images
of you or me or anything
in the deep blue sea

there's a mysterious
marine chelicerate
that's got spikes
on five pairs of thighs
but don't lose any sleep
all those spikes
just break up food
so it can eat

it's not closely related to crabs
it's not closely related to horses
and not even related to shoes

#poetry
#xiphosuran
#horseShoeCrab
#arthropods

OMG, I love everything about this door knocker! I love the riff on its New England/RI setting, I love the brass texture next to the wooden door, I love the warm brown next to the vibrant yellow.

Anyone see the Darth Vader-like face?

#Architecture #darthvader #horseshoecrab #door #doors #doorphotography #dooroftheweek #doorway #ForbiddenDoor #doorbell #darth #starwarsart #starwars #knockers #knockknock #whosthere #rhodeisland #PROVIDENCE #ProvidenceRI #capecod