Horseshoe Crab

by Evelyn Maguire From mid-May to mid-June, some of the oldest (and strangest) Delaware Bay residents overtake the beaches in fantastic numbers. No, I’m not talking about New York tourists, but rather the enigmatic horseshoe crabs — mysterious invertebrates that visit Cape May and surrounding areas each year to spawn…

Because there is no Plan-et B… This article discusses biotech’s ability to solve issues pertaining to the uses of endangered animals in production of therapies. This article shines a light on non-animal derived reagents being used in biotech to test for gram-negative endotoxins in vaccines. Biotech does many amazing things…

Because there is no Plan-et B… This article discusses biotech’s ability to solve issues pertaining to the uses of endangered animals in production of therapies. This article shines a light on non-animal derived reagents being used in biotech to test for gram-negative endotoxins in vaccines. Biotech does many amazing things…

Not many species have survived through all the catastrophic Mass Extinctions, but the horseshoe crab did! It has outlived dinosaurs; it has been around for more than 450 Million Years, which is the reason why it is dubbed as The Living Fossil. The horseshoe crab is actually not a crab…

In an everchanging coastal habitat, horseshoe crab eggs prove critical to the survival of species like the rufa red knot — The shore glows white in the light of a full moon. The night slowly shrugs off the warmth of another beautiful day in May. As the surf crashes on the beach, you spot a prehistoric creature crawling from beneath the foam. But wait, there’s a second, this one slightly smaller…

I have a clock that produces bird songs on the hour, and the bird for 7:00 is the robin. I just love that song. It sends me home to my childhood in New Jersey. …

I’m a mosquito, you’re a mosquito, I hate mosquitos — I have mosquito blood. It runs in the family. Matrilineal. They cover me and leave welts that swell the size of softballs. It can be convenient for others. On one hike through alpine meadows in the Rockies, I was a bug lamp. My friends were free from the buzzing while…

Pyrogenicity is a concern with drugs and devices that are made to be injected or implanted and is caused by a bacterial or fungus-based contaminant or other fever-inducing contaminants. The rabbit pyrogen test that has been the standard for determining pyrogenicity for decades inflicts pain and suffering on thousands of…

Survived the previous five mass extinctions, however, horseshoe crabs are now tremendously threatened by anthropogenic activities and induced climate change. Also, Covid-19 vaccine development will rely on blood taken from horseshoe crabs. Recognising its ecological importance and significance in advancing medical development, there is a pressing need for Hong…