I didn't discover it. I just found out this very interesting article written by Bryan Nelson, Mother Nature Network, and it was too interesting to skip. The jellyfish below may be the only immortal animal of the planet due to a strange recreation ability it possesses.
(Photo: Peter Schuchert)
--- "The turritopsis nutricula species of jellyfish may be the only animal in the world to have truly discovered the fountain of youth.
Since it is capable of cycling from a mature adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again, there may be no natural limit to its life span. Scientists say the hydrozoan jellyfish is the only known animal that can repeatedly turn back the hands of time and revert to its polyp state (its first stage of life).
The key lies in a process called transdifferentiation, where one type of cell is transformed into another type of cell. Some animals can undergo limited transdifferentiation and regenerate organs, such as salamanders, which can regrow limbs. Turritopsi nutricula, on the other hand, can regenerate its entire body over and over again. Researchers are studying the jellyfish to discover how it is able to reverse its aging process.
Because they are able to bypass death, the number of individuals is spiking. They're now found in oceans around the globe rather than just in their native Caribbean waters. "We are looking at a worldwide silent invasion," says Dr. Maria Miglietta of the Smithsonian Tropical Marine Institute." ---
So long with the aliens. Now we have the jellyfish. From now on I'll live with this horror. I needed one horror more in my life. Or should I start searching for a communication code with them? Or, even better, leave the jellyfish alone and worry about the scientists who try to find the secret of immortality and apply it to our bloody human specie? I think, in the end, I am going to protest for the innocent and unsuspected jellyfish, all the poor jellyfish that will be sacrificed in the name of our vanity.
(Photo: Peter Schuchert)
--- "The turritopsis nutricula species of jellyfish may be the only animal in the world to have truly discovered the fountain of youth.
Since it is capable of cycling from a mature adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again, there may be no natural limit to its life span. Scientists say the hydrozoan jellyfish is the only known animal that can repeatedly turn back the hands of time and revert to its polyp state (its first stage of life).
The key lies in a process called transdifferentiation, where one type of cell is transformed into another type of cell. Some animals can undergo limited transdifferentiation and regenerate organs, such as salamanders, which can regrow limbs. Turritopsi nutricula, on the other hand, can regenerate its entire body over and over again. Researchers are studying the jellyfish to discover how it is able to reverse its aging process.
Because they are able to bypass death, the number of individuals is spiking. They're now found in oceans around the globe rather than just in their native Caribbean waters. "We are looking at a worldwide silent invasion," says Dr. Maria Miglietta of the Smithsonian Tropical Marine Institute." ---
So long with the aliens. Now we have the jellyfish. From now on I'll live with this horror. I needed one horror more in my life. Or should I start searching for a communication code with them? Or, even better, leave the jellyfish alone and worry about the scientists who try to find the secret of immortality and apply it to our bloody human specie? I think, in the end, I am going to protest for the innocent and unsuspected jellyfish, all the poor jellyfish that will be sacrificed in the name of our vanity.
No comments:
Post a Comment