Yes, it's magical. The blue blood of horseshoe crabs has anti-bacterial properties which is beneficial to us. It's actually already present in our vaccines and other medications to prevent contamination from bacteria.
Note how the video states that there is a 10% increase in mortality rate for bled horseshoe crabs. Research has shown that bled horseshoe crabs have an approximate 8-11% increase in mortality rate after being released back into the wild. (Rudloe, 1983) (Walls & Berkson) Putting that into human perspective, the mortality rate is just slightly lower than cancer in humans which is 12%.
In addition, medical hope is not the only thing horseshoe crabs offer us. Many fisherman use horseshoe crabs as fish bait while some countries harvest horseshoe crabs for consumption. The question posed to man now is, "How sustainable is this?"
Literature cited
Rudloe, A. (1983).
The effect of heavy bleeding on mortality of the horseshoe crab, Limulus
polyphemus, in the natural environment. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology,
Pages 167–176.
Walls, E. A.,
& Berkson, J. (n.d.). Effects of blood extraction of horseshoe crabs
(Limulus polyphemus).
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