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A vast expanse of liquid hope, the oceans 
are part of America's newest medical frontier.

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Its underwater organisms are 
teeming with potential cures.

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Sponges are providing real chemicals, real 
pharmaceuticals. About seventy percent

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of the drugs that we use now have their 
origin in some natural product, most of

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them are plant derived. So, can you 
imagine how much more there is when two

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thirds of the world is colored by water? 
The potential is unlimited.

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The latest medical gold rush takes place beneath 
the waves. Marine creatures may hold the

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key to unlocking the secrets of our own 
biology.

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The horseshoe crab and its eyes are 
really quite remarkable they become

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about a million times more sensitive at 
night than they are during the day.

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We've used that information to be able to get 
a better sense of how human eyes work.

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Aplysia fits the niche for a basic 
animal that can be used to study memory

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and learning. The compound that comes 
from a shallow water sponge can help to

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block the spread of cancer. Scientists 
view the saltwater wilderness as a

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treasure chest of promise for human 
medicine. I still feel like I'm a kid in

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a candy store because marine natural 
products are amazing. They have such

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potential to really be new drugs and yet 
we have just scratched the surface.

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The oceans medical mysteries are as deep as 
its trenches. What breakthroughs have its

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sea life revealed? Are there cures that 
lie beneath the waves?