Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Coozer Prophesy: Invading jellyfish are immortal!

I've posted many times in the past about how jellyfish will take over our oceans, ecosystems, and, finally, OUR MINDS. Being up against hordes of jellyfish was bad enough, but now scientists have found out that some jellyfish can LIVE FOREVER. Humanity is doomed. From the Daily Mirror:

A tiny sea creature capable of rejuvenating itself over and over again may hold the secret to eternal life.

The jellyfish-like Turritopsis Nutricula reverts back to a juvenile form once it mates after becoming sexually mature.

So for this creature it's sex, not piety that is the key to living for ever.

Turritopsis is technically known as a 'hydrozoan' and is the only animal that is capable of reverting completely to its younger self.

It does this through the cell development process of transdifferentiation.

Theoretically, this cycle can repeat indefinitely, rendering the animal potentially immortal.

While most members of the jellyfish family usually die after propagating, turritopsis has developed the unique ability to return to a polyp state.

Having stumbled upon the font of eternal youth, this 0.2ins creature is now the focus of many intricate studies by marine biologists and geneticists.

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