28. Horseshoe Crab Blood

The Economics of Everyday Things

How does the blood of a 450-million-year-old arthropod help prevent lethal infections in humans? And could we exhaust the supply? Zachary Crockett wades in.

• SOURCE:
  • Dina Fine Maron, senior wildlife crime investigative reporter at National Geographic.

• RESOURCES:
  • "When the Horseshoe Crabs Are Gone, We’ll Be in Trouble," by Deborah Cramer (The New York Times, 2023).
  • "Horseshoe Crab Blood Is Vital to Modern Medicine. A New Lab-Made Alternative Could Save the Species," by Kristoffer Whitney, Jolie Crunelle, and The Conversation (Fortune, 2023).
  • "Horseshoe Crab Blood Saves Lives. Can We Protect These Animals From Ourselves?" by Dina Fine Maron (National Geographic, 2022).
  • "For Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs, Love Is a Battlefield," by Dina Fine Maron (National Geographic, 2022).
  • "Horseshoe Crab Blood: The Miracle Vaccine Ingredient That's Saved Millions of Lives," by Katie Pavid (Natural History Museum, 2020).
  • "The Role of Horseshoe Crabs in the Biomedical Industry and Recent Trends Impacting Species Sustainability," by Jordan Krisfalusi-Gannon, Anthony L. Dellinger, et al. (Frontiers in Marine Science, 2018).
  • "Video: Horseshoe Crabs Mate in Annual Beach 'Orgy,'" by Heather Duner MacAdam (National Geographic, 2014).
  • "Crash: A Tale of Two Species," S26.E7 of Nature (2011).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Baby Blue Blood Drive," by Radiolab (2020).