3 ms·
"Horseshoe-crab blood is exquisitely sensitive to toxins from bacteria. It is used to test for contamination during the manufacture of anything that might go in
by throwaway010718 8y ago
"Horseshoe-crab blood is exquisitely sensitive to toxins from bacteria. It is used to test for contamination during the manufacture of anything that might go inside the human body"
This seems like an impossibly random discovery. Did scientists test the blood of various animals until they finally found an optimum with horseshoe crabs ?
- koolba 8y agoI’m no medical boffin but their blood being blue seems like it’s interesting enough to warrant investigation into things like this.
- kemiller 8y agoBlue blood is moderately common among large invertebrates. It’s due to copper being the oxygen binding element.
- GuiA 8y agoPlease read the article entirely before rushing to comment... ”Bang, a pathologist, was interested in the creature’s primitive immune system. He settled on a protocol of injecting bacteria from seawater directly into horseshoe crabs, which cause their blood to clump into “stringy masses.” Bang suspected this clotting had a purpose. It immobilized the bacteria, sealing off the rest of the horseshoe crab’s body from an invading pathogen. Intriguingly, their blood turned to gel even if he boiled the bacteria injection for five or 10 minutes first. This should have killed the bacteria and sterilized the injected solution. Bang realized the blood was sensitive not just to live bacteria but to bacterial toxins that persist even after sterilization.”
- ryanwaggoner 8y agoOr you can just post your comment without reading the long article and some gloomy scold will do the hard work for you :) This reminds me of how the best way to get the correct answer to a question on a technical forum isn't to ask, but to post the wrong answer. Someone will be along shortly to correct you. https://xkcd.com/386/ https://xkcd.com/386/
- shagie 8y agoFor this, I prefer The Codeless Code and The Purple Beggar http://thecodelesscode.com/case/170 http://thecodelesscode.com/case/170
- ryanwaggoner 8y ago“My walk once took me past a beggar whose sign read, You do not DARE throw coins at ME! His body was purple with bruises but his bowl was always full.” Perfect. I could have sworn that this principle was an internet adage like Godwin's law or Poe's law, but I couldn't find one.
- chrisweekly 8y agoI probably spend an hour reading HN comments for every minute I spend reading the posted articles. The signal:noise ratio is remarkable.