Editing Sea urchin (section)

== Relation to humans ==

=== Injuries ===
{{main|Sea urchin injury}}
[[File:Sea-urchin-injury.jpg|right|thumb|Sea urchin injury on the top side of the foot. This injury resulted in some skin staining from the natural purple-black dye of the urchin.]]

Sea urchin injuries are puncture wounds inflicted by the animal's brittle, fragile spines.<ref name="Andrews">{{cite book |author1=James, William D. |author2=Berger, Timothy G. |title=Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: clinical Dermatology |publisher=Saunders Elsevier |year=2006 |page=431 |isbn=0-7216-2921-0 |display-authors=etal}}</ref>
These are a common source of injury to ocean swimmers, especially along coastal surfaces where coral with stationary sea urchins are present. Their stings vary in severity depending on the species. Their spines can be venomous or cause infection. [[Granuloma]] and staining of the skin from the natural dye inside the sea urchin can also occur. Breathing problems may indicate a serious reaction to toxins in the sea urchin.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gallagher|first=Scott A.|title=Echinoderm Envenomation|url=http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/770053-overview|work=eMedicine|access-date=12 October 2010|archive-date=4 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204174610/http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/770053-overview|url-status=live}}</ref> They inflict a painful wound when they penetrate human skin, but are not themselves dangerous if fully removed promptly; if left in the skin, further problems may occur.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Matthew D. Gargus |author2=David K. Morohashi |title=A sea-urchin spine chilling remedy |journal=[[New England Journal of Medicine]] |year=2012 |volume=30 |issue=19 |pages=1867–1868 |doi=10.1056/NEJMc1209382 |pmid=23134402 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Science ===
Sea urchins are traditional [[model organisms]] in [[developmental biology]]. This use originated in the 1800s, when their embryonic development became easily viewed by microscopy. The transparency of the urchin's eggs enabled them to be used to observe that [[sperm]] cells actually fertilize [[ova]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.exploratorium.edu/imaging-station/research/urchin/story_urchin1.php |title=Insight from the Sea Urchin |work=Microscope Imaging Station |publisher=Exploratorium |access-date=2018-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312223637/https://www.exploratorium.edu/imaging-station/research/urchin/story_urchin1.php |archive-date=2017-03-12}}</ref> They continue to be used for embryonic studies, as [[prenatal development]] continues to seek testing for fatal diseases. Sea urchins are being used in longevity studies for comparison between the young and old of the species, particularly for their ability to regenerate tissue as needed.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bodnar |first1=Andrea G. |last2=Coffman |first2=James A. |date=2016-08-01 |title=Maintenance of somatic tissue regeneration with age in short- and long-lived species of sea urchins |journal=Aging Cell |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=778–787 |doi=10.1111/acel.12487 |issn=1474-9726 |pmc=4933669 |pmid=27095483}}</ref> Scientists at the [[University of St Andrews]] have discovered a genetic sequence, the '2A' region, in sea urchins previously thought to have belonged only to viruses like [[foot-and-mouth disease virus]].<ref>{{Cite journal | title='2A-Like' Signal Sequences Mediating Translational Recoding: A Novel Form of Dual Protein Targeting | pmc=4981915 | pmid=27161495 | doi=10.1111/tra.12411 | volume=17 | issue=8 | year=2016 | pages=923–39 | last1=Roulston | first1=C. | last2=Luke | first2=G.A. | last3=de Felipe | first3=P. | last4=Ruan | first4=L. | last5=Cope | first5=J. | last6=Nicholson | first6=J. | last7=Sukhodub | first7=A. | last8=Tilsner | first8=J. | last9=Ryan | first9=M.D. | journal=Traffic | url=https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/8924/1/Roulston_2016_Traffic_2A_Like_CCBY_FinalPublishedVersion.pdf | access-date=2018-10-24 | archive-date=2024-08-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825043716/https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/8924/1/Roulston_2016_Traffic_2A_Like_CCBY_FinalPublishedVersion.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref> More recently, [[Eric H. Davidson]] and [[Roy John Britten]] argued for the use of urchins as a model organism due to their easy availability, high fecundity, and long lifespan. Beyond [[embryology]], urchins provide an opportunity to research [[cis-regulatory element]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sugp.caltech.edu/SUGP/intro/index.php |title=Sea Urchin Genome Project |website=sugp.caltech.edu |access-date=2016-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220061841/http://sugp.caltech.edu/SUGP/intro/index.php |archive-date=2016-12-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Oceanography has taken an interest in monitoring the health of urchins and their populations as a way to assess overall [[ocean acidification]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2013/pr-urchins-ocean-acidity-040813.html |title=Stanford seeks sea urchin's secret to surviving ocean acidification {{!}} Stanford News Release |website=news.stanford.edu |access-date=2016-12-05 |date=2013-04-08 |archive-date=2016-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220065330/http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2013/pr-urchins-ocean-acidity-040813.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> temperatures, and ecological impacts.

The organism's evolutionary placement and unique embryology with five-fold symmetry were the major arguments in the proposal to seek the sequencing of its [[genome]]. Importantly, urchins act as the closest living relative to chordates and thus are of interest for the light they can shed on the evolution of [[vertebrate]]s.<ref name="ncbi.nlm.nih.gov">{{Cite journal |date=2006-11-10 |title=The Genome of the Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus |journal=Science |volume=314 |issue=5801 |pages=941–952 |doi=10.1126/science.1133609 |pmc=3159423 |pmid=17095691 | last1 = Sodergren | first1 = E | last2 = Weinstock | first2 = GM | last3 = Davidson | first3 = EH |display-authors=etal |bibcode=2006Sci...314..941S }}</ref> The genome of ''[[Strongylocentrotus purpuratus]]'' was completed in 2006 and established homology between sea urchin and vertebrate [[immune system]]-related genes. Sea urchins code for at least 222 [[Toll-like receptor]] genes and over 200 genes related to the [[Nod-like-receptor]] family found in vertebrates.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rast |first1=JP |last2=Smith |first2=LC |last3=Loza-Coll |first3=M |last4=Hibino |first4=T |last5=Litman |first5=GW |title=Genomic Insights into the Immune System of the Sea Urchin |journal=Science |volume=314 |issue=5801 |pages=952–6 |year=2006 |pmid=17095692 |doi=10.1126/science.1134301|bibcode = 2006Sci...314..952R |pmc=3707132 }}</ref> This increases its usefulness as a valuable model organism for studying the [[evolution]] of [[innate immunity]]. The sequencing also revealed that while some genes were thought to be limited to vertebrates, there were also innovations that have previously never been seen outside the chordate classification, such as immune transcription factors [[PU.1]] and [[SPIB]].<ref name="ncbi.nlm.nih.gov" />

=== As food ===
[[File:Fresh Sea Urchin (2678940158).jpg|thumb|Sea urchin cut open, revealing the roe inside]]

The [[gonad]]s of both male and female sea urchins, sometimes euphemized as sea urchin "[[roe]]" or "corals",<ref>Laura Rogers-Bennett, "The Ecology of ''Strongylocentrotus franciscanus'' and ''Strongylocentrotus purpuratus''{{-"}} in John M. Lawrence, ''Edible sea urchins: biology and ecology'', p. 410</ref> are culinary delicacies in many parts of the world, especially Japan.<ref name="Davidson, Oxford Companion"/><ref>John M. Lawrence, "Sea Urchin Roe Cuisine" in John M. Lawrence, ''Edible sea urchins: biology and ecology''</ref><ref>"[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/rise-sea-urchin-180951859/?all The Rise of the Sea Urchin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304181028/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/rise-sea-urchin-180951859/?all |date=2017-03-04 }}", [[Franz Lidz]] July 2014, ''Smithsonian''</ref> In Japan, sea urchin is known as {{nihongo|''uni''|うに}}, and its gonads (the only meaty, edible parts of the animal) can retail for as much as ¥40,000 ($360) per kilogram;<ref name="smh">{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Macey |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/11/08/1099781322260.html |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |title=The little urchins that can command a princely price |date=November 9, 2004 |access-date=May 6, 2009 |archive-date=September 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917103252/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/11/08/1099781322260.html |url-status=live }}</ref> they are served raw as [[sashimi]] or in [[sushi]], with [[soy sauce]] and [[wasabi]]. Japan imports large quantities from the United States, [[South Korea]], and other producers. Japan consumes 50,000 tons annually, amounting to over 80% of global production.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zatylny |first1=Jane |title=Searchin' for Urchin: A Culinary Quest |url=https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/searchin-for-urchin-a-culinary-quest/ |access-date=10 September 2018 |work=[[Hakai Magazine]] |date=6 September 2018 |archive-date=11 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911002422/https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/searchin-for-urchin-a-culinary-quest/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Japanese demand for sea urchins has raised concerns about overfishing.<ref>"Sea Urchin Fishery and Overfishing", ''TED Case Studies'' '''296''', American University [http://www.american.edu/TED/urchin.htm full text] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628151427/http://www1.american.edu/TED/urchin.HTM |date=2009-06-28 }}</ref>

Sea urchins are commonly eaten stuffed with rice in the traditional ''[[oko-oko]]'' dish among the [[Sama-Bajau people]] of the [[Philippines]].<ref name="kso 1">{{cite web |title=Making Oko'-Oko', A Sama Sea Urchin Delicacy |url=https://sinama.org/2013/06/making-oko-oko-a-sama-sea-urchin-delicacy/ |website=Kauman Sama Online |date=27 June 2013 |access-date=3 June 2023 |archive-date=3 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603025132/https://sinama.org/2013/06/making-oko-oko-a-sama-sea-urchin-delicacy/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They were once foraged by coastal Malay communities of [[Singapore]] who call them {{lang|zsm|jani}}.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-17/issue-3/oct-dec-2021/|title=The Role of Foraging in Malay Cuisine|last=Khir Johari|date=Oct–Dec 2021|magazine=BiblioAsia|volume=17|issue=3|pages=20–23|publisher=National Library Board, Singapore|access-date=2023-02-01|archive-date=2023-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106234414/https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-17/issue-3/oct-dec-2021/|url-status=live}}</ref> In New Zealand, ''[[Evechinus chloroticus]]'', known as {{lang|mi|kina}} in [[Māori language|Māori]], is a delicacy, traditionally eaten raw. Though New Zealand fishermen would like to export them to Japan, their quality is too variable.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |first=Maggy |last=Wassilieff |date=March 2, 2009 |title=sea urchins |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/starfish-sea-urchins-and-other-echinoderms/2 |encyclopedia=[[Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]] |access-date=October 8, 2010 |archive-date=October 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025163949/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/starfish-sea-urchins-and-other-echinoderms/2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In [[Mediterranean cuisine]]s, ''[[Paracentrotus lividus]]'' is often eaten raw, or with lemon,<ref>for Puglia, Italy: Touring Club Italiano, ''Guida all'Italia gastronomica'', 1984, p. 314; for Alexandria, Egypt: [[Claudia Roden]], ''A Book of Middle Eastern Food'', p. 183</ref> and known as {{lang|it|ricci}} on Italian menus where it is sometimes used in pasta sauces. It can also flavour [[omelette]]s, [[scrambled eggs]], [[fish soup]],<ref>[[Alan Davidson (food writer)|Alan Davidson]], ''Mediterranean Seafood'', p. 270</ref> [[mayonnaise]], [[béchamel sauce]] for tartlets,<ref>[[Larousse Gastronomique]]{{Page needed|date=November 2010}}</ref> the {{lang|fr|boullie}} for a [[soufflé]],<ref>[[Curnonsky]], ''Cuisine et vins de France'', nouvelle édition, 1974, p. 248</ref> or [[Hollandaise sauce]] to make a fish sauce.<ref>Davidson, Alan (2014) ''[[Oxford Companion to Food]]''. [[Oxford University Press]], 3rd edition. p. 280</ref> In the region of [[Marseille]], sea urchin are commonly eaten in dedicated food festival called ''oursinade''.<ref>Every year, 'oursinades' (sea urchin festivals) are held in and around Marseille to promote this 'sea hedgehog https://www.marseille-tourisme.com/en/discover-marseille/gastronomy-in-marseille/culinary-specialities-of-marseille/the-oursinades-in-marseille/</ref>

On the Pacific Coast of North America, ''[[Strongylocentrotus franciscanus]]'' was praised by [[Euell Gibbons]]; ''[[Strongylocentrotus purpuratus]]'' is also eaten.<ref name="Davidson, Oxford Companion"/> [[Native Americans in California]] are also known to eat sea urchins.<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=Marine and Freshwater Products Handbook|author1=Martin, R.E.|author2=Carter, E.P.|author3=Flick, G.J.|author4=Davis, L.M.|date=2000|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-56676-889-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OFKLk3S0fzgC|page=268|access-date=2014-12-03|archive-date=2024-08-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825043715/https://books.google.com/books?id=OFKLk3S0fzgC|url-status=live}}</ref> The coast of Southern California is known as a source of high quality {{translit|ja|uni}}, with divers picking sea urchin from kelp beds in depths as deep as 24 m/80&nbsp;ft.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://www.bonappetit.com/people/article/california-sea-urchin-divers-interviewed-by-francis-lam|title=California Sea Urchin Divers, Interviewed by Francis Lam|last=Lam|first=Francis|date=2014-03-14|work=Bon Appetit|access-date=2017-03-26|language=en|archive-date=2017-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326231148/http://www.bonappetit.com/people/article/california-sea-urchin-divers-interviewed-by-francis-lam|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2013, the state was limiting the practice to 300 sea urchin diver licenses.<ref name=":0" /> Though the edible ''[[Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis]]'' is found in the North Atlantic, it is not widely eaten. However, sea urchins (called {{lang|ems|uutuk}} in [[Alutiiq language|Alutiiq]]) are commonly eaten by the [[Alaska Native]] population around [[Kodiak Island]]. It is commonly exported, mostly to [[Japan]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Dena |last=Kleiman |title=Scorned at Home, Maine Sea Urchin Is a Star in Japan |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 3, 1990 |page=C1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/03/garden/scorned-at-home-maine-sea-urchin-is-a-star-in-japan.html |access-date=February 12, 2017 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001653/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/03/garden/scorned-at-home-maine-sea-urchin-is-a-star-in-japan.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In the West Indies, [[Slate pencil urchin (Atlantic)|slate pencil urchins]] are eaten.<ref name="Davidson, Oxford Companion">Davidson, Alan (2014) ''[[Oxford Companion to Food]]''. [[Oxford University Press]], 3rd edition. pp. 730–731.</ref>

In [[Chilean cuisine]], it is served raw with lemon, onions, and olive oil.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
Unidon Murakami.jpg|Japanese {{translit|ja|[[donburi|uni-don]]}}, or rice bowl with sea urchin roe 
Sushi uni.jpg|Japanese {{translit|ja|[[nigirizushi]]}} with sea urchin roe
Sushi Saito IMG 1773 (23720371141).jpg|Sea urchin roe ({{translit|ja|uni}}) [[sashimi]]
Fried rice with sea urchin 1.jpg|Fried rice with sea urchin ({{lang|zh|海胆}}, {{translit|zh|hǎidǎn}}) served in China
</gallery>

=== Aquaria ===
[[File:Fossil sea urchin (FindID 551527).jpg|thumb|A fossil sea urchin found on a Middle Saxon site in [[Lincolnshire]], thought to have been used as an [[amulet]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Amulet {{!}} LIN-B37563|url=https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/551527|website=Portable Antiquities Scheme|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-date=15 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315070608/https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/551527|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

Some species of sea urchins, such as the slate pencil urchin (''[[Eucidaris tribuloides]]''), are commonly sold in aquarium stores. Some species are effective at controlling [[filamentous algae]], and they make good additions to an [[invertebrate]] tank.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tullock|first=John H.|title=Your First Marine Aquarium: Everything about Setting Up a Marine Aquarium, Including Conditioning, Maintenance, Selecting Fish and Invertebrates, and More|url=https://archive.org/details/yourfirstmarinea0000tull |url-access=registration|year=2008 |publisher=Barron's Educational Series |isbn=978-0-7641-3675-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/yourfirstmarinea0000tull/page/63 63]}}</ref>

=== Folklore ===
A folk tradition in Denmark and southern England imagined [[Fossil echinoids|sea urchin fossils]] to be thunderbolts, able to ward off harm by lightning or by witchcraft, as an [[apotropaic magic|apotropaic symbol]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=McNamara |first1=Ken |title=Prehistoric fossil collectors |url=https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Geoscientist/Archive/June-2012/Prehistoric-fossil-collectors |publisher=The Geological Society |access-date=14 March 2018 |date=2012 |archive-date=17 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217090444/https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Geoscientist/Archive/June-2012/Prehistoric-fossil-collectors |url-status=live }}</ref> Another version supposed they were petrified eggs of snakes, able to protect against heart and liver disease, poisons, and injury in battle, and accordingly they were carried as [[amulet]]s. These were, according to the legend, created by magic from foam made by the snakes at midsummer.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Marren, Peter |author2=Mabey, Richard |author1-link=Peter Marren |author2-link=Richard Mabey |title=Bugs Britannica |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ah62bUZLDOwC |year=2010 |publisher=Chatto & Windus |isbn=978-0-7011-8180-2 |pages=469–470 |access-date=2018-03-22 |archive-date=2023-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728001019/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ah62bUZLDOwC |url-status=live }}</ref>