The world's only immortal animal

[Raiden]

It can manipulate its biology

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.

This is the Fountain of Youth.

 

[darkseid26]

cool

 

[TNC9852002]

They say after a 100 million years, jellyfish will be one of the few surviving species of animal...

 

[KevanG]

It's not immortal. It can be killed like everything else

 

[matrix_ghost]

It's not immortal. It can be killed like everything else

Should've used Predator's quote here.

"If it bleeds we can kill it "t:

 

[KevanG]

I was thinking of a line from the Anita Blake series before it went all porno. The line was something along the lines of "You're not immortal, you just live a long time. You die just like anything else."

 

[Danalys]

old news.

being not susceptible to ageing has it's advantages even if you could still be killed, since an animal can avoid things that would kill it through other means, or just chance or luck.

 

[Mike_D202]

We're not gonna be able to do anything with it, just like the lizards that can re-grow limbs.

Unless this is the first sign of a zombie infection via science, then I'm in

 

[SuperFerret]

Aren't jellyfish just floating colonies of thousands of much smaller animals?

 

[Carcharodon]

Aren't jellyfish just floating colonies of thousands of much smaller animals?

Not the scyphozoans and hydrozoans (typical jellies). Siphonophores (like the Portuguese Man-O-War) are colonial organisms that closely resemble scyphozoan and hydrozoan jellies.

 

[SuperFerret]

Does that change how they taste when spread on an English Muffin?

 

[The Battousai]

We're not gonna be able to do anything with it, just like the lizards that can re-grow limbs.

Actually...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100315161913.htm

 

[SuperFerret]

Somehow I think that's just going to encourage the stupid.

 

[Lighthouse]

It can manipulate its biology



This is the Fountain of Youth.

Anyone see the Star Trek episode "Mark of Gideon"?

 

[xwolverine2]

i thought this was about Cher

 

[Mystirious]

It's not immortal. It can be killed like everything else

Immortal means that you will live forever (Barring "accidents")

Invincible/indestructible means that nothing can kill you.

And this jelllyfish clearly needs to be studied. So that scientists can use genetics to cross it's genes with ours and create a race of horrible jellyfish people who will rule over the earth

 

[katie_girl09]

Why would anyone wanna live forever anyway?

 

[Mystirious]

Why would anyone wanna live forever anyway?

I can't see the appeal personally. I think if I was immortal I would probably kill myself