---
title: "Reverse Aging Jellyfish"
url: https://alsuprun.com/blog/reverse-aging/reverse-aging-jellyfish/
author: "Editorial"
date: 2026-09-14T23:24:19+00:00
categories: ["reverse aging"]
tags: []
---

# Reverse Aging Jellyfish

Marine scientists were bemused when Giorgio Bavestrello and Christian Sommer reported that Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish could escape death by returning to its juvenile polyp stage, an event known as ontogeny reversal that defied conventional dogma that life flows forward from fertilisation to death.

 

## How They Do It

 Once a mature jellyfish reaches sexual maturity, it spawns eggs and sperm that subsequently fertilize, producing planulae larvae which settle onto surfaces such as ocean floors and ship hulls to form colonies of polyps. When these colonies reach reproductive maturity they release more planulae which then form colonies of medusae that eventually grow large enough to reproduce and spawn more planulae, repeating this cycle again and again. When one of these adult medusae becomes physically damaged or stressed out it reverts back to polyp stage in order to evade death by activating genetic programs from earlier life stages; when an adult medusa becomes stressed or damaged it will reverts back to polyp stage in order to evade death by activating its genetic programs from earlier life stages through genetic programming activated through early life stages reactivated genetic programs from earlier life stages that will then resume again and repeats this cycle again until death occurs unless prevented.

 This unorthodox life cycle has earned this immortal jellyfish the moniker ‘Benjamin Button jelly’; however, scientists still are unaware of how it works. A team led by marine zoologist Stefano Piraino at University of Salento set out to discover more by collecting samples from Mediterranean waters and comparing T. dohrnii genome with another jellyfish species called Turritopsis rubra that doesn’t display biological immortality.

 [![Rejuvenate your whole body & balance your health without medications - now remotely!](https://alsuprun.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/BioresonanceTopAd.png)](https://www.bioresonance.rent) Researchers used genome-wide transcription analysis to find that T. dohrnii cysts expressed more variants and copies of genes encoding DNA repair proteins, suggesting improved replication capabilities. They also observed that genes involved in maintaining telomeres, protective caps at chromosome ends that shorten with each cell division to cause aging and senescence, were highly active within T. dohrnii cysts; suggesting they have evolved compensatory strategies against loss during polyp reversion.

 Stresses to medusae such as starvation, physical damage and changing water temperatures or salinities cause them to revert back into polyp state, turning back biochemical timers on individual cells like an anti-virus software reset button for computers. When these situations arise, researchers believe this reversion process works like a reset button on computers – changing biochemical clocks back and starting over from square one.

 

## Why They Do It

 Researchers were stunned when they witnessed a jellyfish doing what seemed impossible: reverse its own life cycle. Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish species is the only known one capable of doing this and has gained the moniker “Benjamin Button.” By doing this backwards reversal of development, it allows it to avoid both ageing and death – becoming biologically immortal.

 [![](https://alsuprun.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/ForeverYoungYouWannaBe.png)](https://alsuprun.com/services.html#Contact) Discovered quite by accident, marine zoologists Giorgio Bavestrello and Christian Sommer were rearing T. dohrnii polyps in a jar when they observed that when under stress they shrunk into balls of tissue called cysts. When the scientists rechecked them later, they were amazed to discover that those cysts had returned as medusae without producing gametes for reproduction.

 Over two years, the team investigated what caused this strange behavior. By comparing T. dohrnii polyp genomes with those of their close relatives and discovering that polyps expressed less of the genes associated with cell differentiation and organ formation whereas medusae expressed significantly more; suggesting higher developmental potential in medusae.

 Pascual-Torner and her colleagues wanted to gain a better understanding of this difference between T. dohrnii polyps and medusas by isolating cells from both stages and analyzing their gene expression profiles. Their researchers discovered that polyps had more genes associated with DNA repair and telomere maintenance compared with medusae, suggesting they might maintain genome integrity after switching life cycles to become medusas again. They were able to pinpoint several specific genes which appear to play roles in T. dohrnii’s immortality that may also exist elsewhere in other organisms.

 

## What You Can Do About It

 Scientists have spent decades studying ‘immortal jellyfish,’ or Benjamin Button jellies, which have the ability to defy mortality by returning to their baby polyp stage and thus delaying death – earning them their unique name of Benjamin Button jellies. By understanding their mysterious lifecycle, scientists hope their understanding could lead to new treatments for human aging and diseases like cancer.

 Marine biologist Maria Pascual-Torner and her colleagues have conducted an in-depth genomic sequence analysis on T. dohrnii to uncover its molecular mechanisms behind its remarkable immortality. Through comparison with closely related but non-immortal Turritopsis rubra jellyfish species, their researchers discovered that T. dohrnii has more copies and variants of genes involved with cellular regeneration, cell reprogramming, and DNA repair processes compared with Turritopsis rubra species.

 These genes become active when T. dohrnii is under stress, leading researchers to speculate that they play an essential role in its ability to reverse development and transdifferentiate. Furthermore, heat shock proteins – known to promote human longevity – appear more active. Data also suggests upregulation of genes involved with controlling telomeres – the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with age and contribute to senescence – further suggesting T. dohrnii cysts have more active heat shock proteins.

 [![](https://alsuprun.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/RadionicMerch.png)](https://alsuprun.com/merch.html)

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