As if living forever wasn’t impressive enough, these jellyfish have an extraordinary power: They can actually reverse aging like Biff from Back to the Future! What could be behind their amazing powers?
As is typical with jellyfish, this species begins life as a free-floating larva known as a planula. When conditions allow, it grows into a polyp and later gives birth to medusae.
The Immortal Jellyfish
Scientists are exploring ways to reverse aging, but one species of jellyfish seems ahead of them in this endeavor. Dubbed an immortal jellyfish, it defies death and reverses aging through transdifferentiation – likened to butterflies metamorphosing into caterpillars before returning back into adult form as described by Maria Pia Miglietta of Texas A&M University Galveston’s Marine Biology department.
The immortal jellyfish, smaller than your pinky finger nail, inhabits oceans worldwide and is commonly known as box jellyfish or sea harp. It has an exceptional hitchhiking ability and can ride long distances on cargo ship ballasts; in one rare instance it was even documented in an Antarctic lake!
Jellyfish normally follow an egg-to-planula lifecycle. After hatching from their eggs, planula larvae swim off in search of something solid to attach themselves onto. When this process has completed itself, polyps emerge, which then transform into medusae that reproduce both clonally or sexually with sperm and eggs. However, unlike their typical counterparts, immortal jellyfish have the power to defy death and return back into polyp stage–similar to someone going back into infancy if needed – something humans cannot.
Stressed or injured adult immortal jellyfish have the ability to delay aging by retracting its tentacles and transitioning back to polyp stage, according to London Natural History Museum research. They then produce new medusae that continue their cycle despite death and aging.
Researchers have long studied T. dohrnii jellyfish, but never fully understood its ability to defy death until recently. After comparing its genomes with another close genetic cousin without this ability, researchers identified mutations allowing T. dohrnii to control cell division and prevent ends of its chromosomes from breaking apart, creating twice as many genes to repair and protect its DNA – providing immortality to this creature.
T. dohrnii
Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish species is one of a select few that has proven able to defy death and become known as an “immortal jellyfish.” By reversing biological processes related to aging and regeneration, such as transdifferentiation – similar to human cells’ capacity for metamorphosis into any cell type in their bodies – Turritopsis dohrnii’s DNA has been decoded, providing scientists with insights as to how humans may slowing their own processes related to slowing down their own biological processes of aging.
Turritopsis dohrnii begins life as a planula larva that drifts freely in the ocean currents. Once it finds a suitable spot on the seafloor, this planula multiplies to form a sedentary colony of polyps which eventually form free-swimming jellyfish called medusae that prey upon other species. But an immortal jellyfish like T. dohrnii can bypass this stage altogether: when exposed to stress or environmental change it melts down into blob-like cysts which eventually reform into polyps regressing back towards old age death allowing an immortal species such as T. dohrnii to avoid death through old age death altogether.
Researchers conducting a study published in PNAS sequenced the genome of T. dohrnii to explore its unique ability. Compared with its close genetic cousin Turritopsis rubra which lacks this capability, researchers discovered that T. dohrnii contains double copies of genes which protect and repair DNA as well as providing for telomere protection, keeping ends of chromosomes from degrading over time.
Researching immortal jellyfish may be fascinating, but its practical applications are highly unlikely. Jellyfish are highly fragile organisms and any immortal ones would likely fall prey to sharks or other predators. Furthermore, no immortal creature could outlive death for long as other jellyfish would eventually kill it or even consume its medusae before eventually succumbing to death themselves. Still, such research could provide vital clues for treating muscular diseases and genetic conditions found elsewhere.
T. nutricula
Researchers have recently made an exciting discovery regarding jellyfish that defy death – they can actually reverse their aging process! This breakthrough marks a first for cnidarians (jellyfish, coral and sponges), offering insights into human aging processes. Turritopsis dohrnii can revert back to an earlier stage in its lifecycle to rejuvenate itself in ways similar to turning back time by turning back time like turning 40 years into five. They accomplish this using transdifferentiation; cells reprogrammed through unique cell reprogramming processes called transdifferentiation reprogramming technology.
Normal jellyfish development begins as a fertilized egg that quickly transforms into larval form called planula, swimming free until latching onto a hard surface such as rock or shell and becoming attached for adhesion and development into polyp – an sedentary colony which clones itself to reproduce new generations of jellyfish that in turn form free-swimming umbrella-shaped medusae; this cycle repeats itself endlessly, eventually leading to death from old age.
Scientists are studying why T. dohrnii can avoid this stage, which usually spells biological death for other cnidarians. To do so, they sequenced its genome and compared it with T. rubra which doesn’t possess this trait; T. dohrnii has two copies of genes which protect and repair DNA as well as mutations which prevent cell division while protecting telomeres (ends of chromosomes that protect DNA) from degrading further than its close relative.
T. dohrnii can transform from its polyp phase back into its cyst-like state when faced with life-threatening situations like starvation or physical damage, reverting to polyp colonies as quickly as within days and changing back into medusae for reproduction, thus becoming immortal and scientists believe this may explain its immortality. Researchers hope to identify molecular mechanisms governing its incredible reversal so as to harness them for medical applications like treating muscular disease, genetic disorders and memory aids.
T. taylori
Jellyfish are gelatinous marine animals characterized by umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles, living symbiotically with single-celled dinoflagellates to consume organic carbon and inorganic nitrogen from their environment. Jellyfish serve as an important source of organic nutrients in marine ecosystems – however, their presence also presents ecological problems through release of toxic chemicals into the environment, harm to those stung, as well as blockages to power and desalination plants.
Jellfish belong to the phylum Cnidaria and follow a straightforward lifecycle: eggs and sperm produce planula larvae that drift through the water before maturing into medusas – jellyfish-like structures able to sting prey before dying off and returning back into polyp phase for reproduction asexually or sexually; in certain conditions this cycle can even be reversed and they can prevent death through rejuvenation.
Sometimes a polyp can revert back into its medusa form after having its old one destroyed by predators or simply natural aging; this process is known as transdifferentiation; Turritopsis dohrnii’s immortal jellyfish can also reverse back into polyp mode after experiencing trauma like being stung by sharks, thus returning it back into polyp form again.
While immortal jellyfishes may defy biological ageing, other species of jellyfish do not fare so well. Most are susceptible to predation by predators, and even those that can regenerate themselves often succumb due to starvation or crushing from predators. Furthermore, large populations of jellyfish can block waterways, damage fishing gear and clog cooling systems at power plants and saltwater desalination facilities; they have even been linked with harmful algal blooms which reduce nutrients available for other organisms in coastal habitats and reduce nutrients available for other organisms in coastal habitats and reduce nutrients available to other organisms.
