Scientists are fascinated with this species’ remarkable ability to evade death. Dubbed the Benjamin Button jelly, it can quickly transition into polyp mode and restart past life cycles without harming itself in any way.
Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish begins life as free-swimming planula larvae which settle down to form polyp colonies; each polyp is genetically identical to its parent.
They Reverse the Aging Process
Jellyfish may lack brains, blood and hearts; but they possess an elementary nervous system which enables them to detect touch, light and other stimuli. Their movements consist of either pulsing their bells with circular muscles, or drifting along ocean currents; eating is accomplished through ingestion of water that passes into their digestive cavity doubled up with their mouth/anus system.
Jellyfish appear to age differently than most animals: stress can make their cells return to a more primitive state and reverse aging processes. Furthermore, jellyfish have even been observed converting one cell type into another such as turning muscle cells into skin cells.
Scientists are exploring what happens inside jellyfish bodies when they undergo ontogeny reversal, also known as ontogeny switching. Their hopes are that better understanding this phenomenon will lead to new medicines and ways to slow the aging process. Meanwhile, researchers are using mucus extracted from sea wasp jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum) for biofilters that trap microplastic before it enters lakes, rivers, or oceans; additionally they use its protein collagen collagen from jellyfish jellyfishes to promote memory retention and delay age related signs.
They Reverse the Development of Tentacles
Jellyfish are stunning marine creatures. Without brains, blood or even bones to rely on for sensing their environment, these unique aquatic creatures rely solely on an elementary nervous system and simple digestive cavity for sensing what lies ahead. Their tentacles sting when touched by humans due to nematocysts filled tentacles which contain toxic nematocysts which can inflict painful or fatal injuries upon contact; rubber skin-diving suits should be used when diving close by these deadly sea creatures.
Jellyfish reproduce sexually, discharging both swimming sperm and eggs into the water column or brood pouches on their oral arms. When fertilized, these eggs and sperm produce larvae which either drift freely in the water column or attach themselves firmly to something firm, eventually growing into flower-like polyps over time.
Turritopsis dohrnii (or sea lettuce), however, responds differently when exposed to stress: its population shifts back from adult medusae back into polyps and starts growing again, almost like reseting its biological clock. Bavestrello and Sommer observed this happening in their rearing jars when stress caused medusae to transform into polyps and then drop to the bottom of their respective jars before starting their growth again.
They Reverse the Development of Cells
Jellyfish are gelatinous marine animals without bones, gills or backbones that belong to the Cnidaria phylum along with sea anemones and corals. Some jellyfish (such as Chironex fleckeri) can produce life-threatening stings and should therefore be avoided at all costs.
Scientists studying the Atlantic comb jellyfish (Mnemiopsis dohrnii, or immortal jellyfish), were amazed to find its cells were capable of resetting their biological clocks when subjected to stress such as starving them or altering water temperatures or salinities. Researchers observed one type of cell that appeared more primitive.
Cell reversion allowed Mnemiopsis dohrnii jellyfish to escape stressors, avoid damage and restore its youthful vitality. Researchers were able to analyze its genetic makeup; Mnemiopsis dohrnii had several copies and variants of genes responsible for DNA repair proteins and maintaining telomere length which naturally shorten with age in most organisms and contribute to aging processes.
Scientists hope that by mimicking the immortal jellyfish’s rejuvenating abilities, it could be possible to reverse aging and diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by resetting our own cells’ biological clocks – although this remains just a theory and more research will need to be conducted before this can become reality.
They Reverse the Development of Organs
Jellyfish are incredible aquatic organisms that pulsate along ocean currents and drift along beaches. Boasting tentacles equipped with barbs to sting their prey, these graceful animals propulsion themselves with circular muscles or expel water via bell-like bodies. Box jellyfish such as Chironex fleckeri, Carukia barnesi and Chiropsella bronzie have 24 eyes spread evenly across their bells allowing for 360-degree vision.
But jellyfish possess even greater powers of regeneration and transformation than most. They have the unique ability to return back to a larval stage of development and activate genetic programs from that stage multiple times throughout their lives, potentially even within months of each other.
As such, jellyfish have the capacity to regenerate and repair themselves to overcome damage, prolong their lives and become the oldest living animals on Earth. Mnemiopsis leidyi species in particular have demonstrated this capability through transdifferentiation – the process by which cells reprogramme themselves back to an earlier developmental state.
Scientists were able to pinpoint the genes behind T. dohrnii jellyfish’s incredible biological immortality by studying its DNA. Pascual-Torner and her team traveled to the Mediterranean Sea to collect T. dohrnii polyps, which later metamorphosed into medusae, then compared its genome against that of Turritopsis rubra non-immortal jellyfish to understand what genetic changes within T. dohrnii are responsible for its biological immortality.
They Reverse the Development of Muscles
The immortal jellyfish defies death by returning to its earlier stage. While not entirely immune from predators or environmental changes, however, this creature remains vulnerable and could still be eaten or destroyed by them.
Turritopsis dohrnii’s life cycle can be restarted through electrical stimulation of its primary motor function; Lea Goentoro of Caltech Assistant Professor of Biology and Michael Abrams of Graduate Student Michael Abrams have conducted extensive studies of this mechanism in order to gain greater insight. As in humans, jellyfish pulsating muscles propel it through water like human heart muscles do – for this research project they used rat heart tissue models which contract when electrically stimulated in liquid environments to replicate muscle movement for greater accuracy.
Scientists discovered that when T. dohrnii cells were exposed to starvation or changes in water temperature or salinity, muscle tissue would shift from its medusa-like state into polyp-like one resembling state – known as transdifferentiation. They tracked this change by tracking gene expression: cyst cells expressed lower levels of genes that normally control cell differentiation, organ development patterning and maintenance and DNA repair and telomere maintenance – likely what allowed cells to return back into earlier life cycle stages known as transdifferentiation.
They Reverse the Development of Bones
As opposed to most animals, jellyfish don’t possess a rigid skeleton made up of bones; instead they possess an organic substance composed of 95 percent water that gives them movement by either squirting fluid from their bells or drifting with ocean currents. Jellyfish also have a simple digestive system; food enters their mouths through four to eight tentacles before reaching four brainless nerve nets for detection of light, smells or stimuli.
When reproduction takes place in jellyfish species, males release sperm into the water while the female lays eggs within her gut lining. Once fertilized eggs hatch out into polyps, which develop into flower-like structures known as polyps and may even reach maturity over years; older polyps can regress back into medusa stage where they may return as new polyps or even adult jellyfish phases and this process continues – giving rise to their nickname as Benjamin Button jellyfish.
Researchers studying the immortal jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii have discovered that these aquatic creatures can reactivate genetic programs specific to earlier life stages. Furthermore, polyps of T. dohrnii expressed more copies and variants of genes involved with DNA repair and telomere maintenance; suggesting these processes help prevent genome instability as well as slow the aging process.
They Reverse the Development of Skin
A jellyfish’s bell-shaped body contains stinging cells that stun and paralyze prey before devouring it. Its mouth features tentacles to drag it through the water. Ocean dwellers float along currents or can use squirting their mouths to propel themselves.
Jellyfish stings can range from mild discomfort to life-threatening injuries or even death for humans, with thousands of swimmers being struck each year by its poisonous tentacles. Jellyfish swarms can clog fishing nets and cause chaos by entangling ships or overrunning beaches; additionally they pollute freshwater sources including cooling systems at power and desalination plants that draw water directly from the sea, pollute freshwater sources contaminate freshwater sources as well as polluting freshfishery products while polluting freshwater sources such as cooling systems at power or desalination plants that draw water directly from the sea.
Researchers reported in 2021 that they had discovered Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish to have the ability to restart its lifecycle, effectively making it immortal. When faced with stress, polyps could drop down onto the seabed and restart their lives from scratch – challenging one of biology’s core assumptions that life must progress inevitably from birth to death. This discovery presented scientists with an unexpected challenge; one which challenged one of life’s fundamental assumptions that all events occur chronologically from birth through life to death.
