Jellyfish
trick to avoid death
(credit
to science organization, Australia)
Many
researches have been done to delay or reverse of human being aging,
but we have no clues until now.
Yes,
we might “reduce” negatives effect of old such as deterioration
of health. Some methods have been successful to:
-
improve cognitive ability
-
improve physical performance
How
about with other multi cellular creatures? Can they defies death?
Scientists
know one tiny creature called as immortal jellyfish which is swimming
in the ocean can live forever biologically.
Immortal
jellyfish (Turritopsis
dohrnii)
size is so small just about 4.5 mm in length and width. Hence, barely
visible.
The
creatures swim in almost in all oceans,
both tropical and temperate seas, but they are abundant in tropical
regions.
Immortal
jellyfish in the ocean (credit to Krissy
Howard)
Their
life cycle is following (please see at the first Figure):
-
Female medusae produce eggs, and males release sperms. Fertilized
eggs develop to be Planula larvae.
-
Planula attached to hard substance, then develop to Polyp stage
-
Polyp produces “buds,” then develop to Ephyra, a small jellyfish
-
Medusa is adult stage of jellyfish to reproduce eggs and sperms,
then, back to early life cycle.
The
question then: How jellyfish live everlasting?
Above
life cycle is in the normal state. If medusa faces extreme conditions
(starvation or injury), instead of dead, it reverts to be young phase
by broken apart as tiny cells.
Then
develop to be polyp, and so on. This process to escape death is
called as biologically immortal.