There is a jellyfish in the world that can live forever
The small jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii, in case of danger, is able to return to "childhood" and start its life cycle anew. The Guardian tells how it manages to cheat death.
Humanity has long dreamed of eternal life, but today the search for immortality has gone far beyond myths and science fiction. Wealthy tech entrepreneurs fund experiments on rejuvenation of the body, freezing the body after death, and even hope to one day continue existence in digital form with the help of artificial intelligence.
However, what people are currently unsuccessfully trying to achieve with technology already exists in nature. We are talking about the tiny jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii, which has learned to "cheat" death in its own way.
Most jellyfish go through a typical life cycle. First, a larva forms a polyp — a small, sessile form attached to a surface. From it emerge young jellyfish, which grow, reach adulthood, and reproduce. Eventually, the adult jellyfish ages and dies.
However, Turritopsis dohrnii is capable of avoiding such a fate. Under unfavorable conditions, this jellyfish triggers an unusual survival mechanism. High temperature, hunger, physical damage, or chemical substances in the water can provoke it.
Instead of dying, the jellyfish returns to an early stage of its development. This process is called cellular transdifferentiation. At first, it may seem that the animal is dying: it sinks to the bottom and shrinks into a small lump. However, after 24-48 hours, a new polyp with the same genome begins to form from it.
Researchers compare this process to a situation where a butterfly could turn back into a caterpillar. From the new polyp, an adult jellyfish then develops again. If necessary, Turritopsis dohrnii is capable of repeating this cycle again and again. This is why it is often called the "immortal jellyfish".
It itself is very small — only a few millimeters. It can be found in various parts of the world: in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as off the coasts of Japan, Panama, and Brazil.
In laboratory conditions, this small jellyfish is theoretically capable of living forever. However, this does not mean that it is completely immune to death. In the wild, the jellyfish's life can end much more prosaically — for example, if it is eaten by a predator.
Eight species of the genus Turritopsis are recognized worldwide, but so far, only Turritopsis dohrnii has been found to have such an unusual ability to return to a young stage of development.
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