Immortality exists: Sea jellyfish prove it

For people, immortality is just a concept that is talked about in science, movies or books. But time is something that cannot be escaped. Man is mortal, and every stage of life is marked by it. However, there is a creature living in the ocean that defies all the laws of aging and is considered to be a biologically immortal animal that can reverse the aging process. But does it really prove that immortality really exists?

The underwater world is full of mysteries, plants and known and unknown animals that often reach incredibly old ages. A great example is the Greenland shark, which can live up to 500 years, or sea sponges that are several thousand years old. But there are also jellyfish that can potentially live forever.

The secret of the “immortal jellyfish”

Jellyfish are considered common sea creatures that people and other animals fear. However, these transparent and gracefully undulating beauties have unique biological characteristics that make them a very special underwater inhabitant. There is a species of immortal jellyfish(Turritopsis dohrnii) that grows to only 4.5 millimetres and, most importantly, can fight against time. When injured or starved, it can rebuild itself repeatedly to a younger stage. That would mean she really could live forever.

Discovery and life cycle

The ancestors of this species of jellyfish, or jellyfish in general, appeared on Earth long before the extinction of the dinosaurs, more than 66 million years ago. However, its discovery occurred sometime in 1883. Its ability to fight against time was then not described until the 1980s. While observing it, scientists noticed that when exposed to hunger, temperature changes or injury, it changed back to the polyp stage.

How to cheat death

The recoveryprocess for this tiny immortal jellyfish is not that complicated. Once faced with stress or threat, instead of dying, it shrinks into itself. It absorbs the tentacles, loses the ability to swim and turns into a tiny ball. Within 24 to 36 hours, it then develops a new polyp. This process, called transdifferentiation, is very rare in nature. During research, scientists have observed that they have transformed many times over the years into their original form. Some studies speak of ten reversions in two years.

The limitations of “immortality”

Although they can constantly renew themselves in this way, their immortality is not 100%. They face many threats during their lifetime. From being killed by predators to various diseases or physical damage. However, they can be a great resource for research, although it is unlikely that they will be able to find a way to create similar conditions for humans. However, if genes that help jellyfish “reset” themselves are discovered, biomedicine could find a way to regenerate tissues or slow aging in mammals.