Far from the medical labs and test tubes, a fisherman in old rubber boots walks across the docks of West Ocean City to inspect his catch.
He peers in a crate of spiny tails and grasping claws, hundreds of a common yet precious creature, among the oldest species on Earth: horseshoe crabs.
Image: Horseshoe crabs, the plentiful, strange and ancient life form crawling beneath the Chesapeake waters, carry within them a highly-prized, copper-based, blue-colored blood that's used worldwide for testing vaccines and medical devices for toxins. (Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS)
