The horseshoe crab's unique blood has powerful properties valued by the biomedical industry.

The horseshoe crab is at the center of a contentious debate, and one that plays the world over. How do we find the balance between man and nature?

To fight off infection, the horseshoe crab has a compound in its blood -- LAL, or Limulus Amebocyte Lysate -- which immediately binds and clots around fungi, viruses, and bacterial endotoxins.