Insane Stats

Archive

Why is horseshoe crab blood so valuable to modern medicine?

Past stat · 2026-08-06 UTC

The answer

Their copper-based blood is blue and contains Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL). When LAL meets bacterial endotoxins, it clots, which is how pharmaceutical companies check that vaccines, drugs, and implants are sterile enough for humans.

Correct answer: It clots when it detects bacterial toxins used to test vaccines and implants

Source →

One unbelievable fact. Three guesses.

Privacy