Have you ever really noticed how strange life can be? I'm not talking about the events that occur in our life, I am referring to life forms. Take for example this Horseshoe Crab I saw on the beach on Marco Island, Florida, some years ago. To me it is one of the strangest looking creatures I have ever seen. I believe this one is the Limulus polyphemus which is commonly known as the American or Atlantic horseshoe crab.
They are not really crabs. They are not even a Crustacean although, like Crustaceans, they are in the Phylum Arthropoda. They have two primary eyes and seven secondary eyes -- two of which are on their underside. Their mouth sits in the middle of their legs.
Despite their strangeness, horseshoe crabs are the source of a compound that is important to humans. Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) is derived from their blood and is used for the detection of bacterial endotoxins in medical applications. Prior to 1986, they were the only source of the compound which placed tremendous pressure on the animals due to demand for their blood which was extracted from them after capture. They were then usually released back into the ocean, but a significant percentage of them died or, were unable to reproduce. In 2003 a synthetic substitute for the product was developed and is now commercially available.
A number of times I have mentioned that we have a tendency to celebrate and congregate with those most like ourselves. Sometimes being different is important. The amazing differences in the life forms of various plants and animals provide a diversity from which to draw many things which are important to us. I think if we give those who are different than ourselves a chance, we will find that they also have much to offer. I hope there is diversity in your life and in your work. Those differences may lead to important discoveries that make this world a better place.
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