Comment on Blueberry milkshakes
CluckN@lemmy.world 7 months agoIt’s an anticoagulant and can detect the smallest traces of endotoxins in medicine. I’m sure I’m missing some details but there are some great medical journals that detail the process and help explain why it’s $60,000 a gallon.
It is not an anticoagulant, quite the opposite actually. The blood (limulus amoebocyte lysate) will coagulate at the slightest hint of gram-negative bacteria and their endotoxins.
It’s most likely a defense mechanism against bacterial infections.
It’s widely used in medicine to check for bacterial contamination of injectable pharmaceuticals.
Woah. Are horseshoe crabs like other crustaceans in that they eat pretty much anything including/mostly detritus?
If thats the case, than how would it be beneficial to have blood that coagulates so easily?
Wouldn’t every meal lead to a crab version of a stroke?
Horseshoe crabs are not crusteceans, they are early chelicerates.
They have an open circulatory system, where the blood (heamolymph) freely spills out of the arteries into surrounding tissues, so a small clot probably wouldn’t cause issues. Think of it like a cyst, sometimes if an infection can’t be removed by the immune system, your body will just enclose it in a capsule, so it can’t spread.
Ahhh that makes sense. That’s a pretty cool defense system
Probably so it can detect it as quickly as possible for elimination.
Discoveries like this always makes me wonder, who had the idea to try it and why
wait until you hear about protamines and their medical uses
Where can someone find these horseshoe crabs?
And are they able to be bred in captivity?
Pls respond fast, I’m already driving to home depot to buy the largest above ground pool they have.
On horseshoes, sure why not, and buy two
Most aquariums have a horseshoe crab petting exhibit. Hands on.
If you are a fast enough runner i bet you could take a couple
someguy3@lemmy.world 7 months ago
$15.85 per ml, for a more at scale measurement.
jasondj@ttrpg.network 7 months ago
How close is this stuff to HP’s Cyan?
RestrictedAccount@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I just snorted
NumbersCanBeFun@kbin.social 7 months ago
I’m in the wrong fucking business
IWantToFuckSpez@kbin.social 7 months ago
Is this why the royals are rich? Because they have blue blood.
Aqarius@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I, uh, I may have an economic recovery proposal.