yewknee.com

Jun. 17th

The World's Only Immortal Animal

Immortal Jellyfish
The turritopsis nutricula species of Jellyfish has been discovered to be the first, and possibly only, immortal creature. Once the creature reaches its adult form (pictured) it can, apparently, use transdifferentiation to transform its cells backwards to the polyp stage of its life and begin the whole cycle again. There's not much more to say beyond that - consider myself officially in awe.

Comments

  • It's entirely unlike this: Immortal Dog
    Michael on Thursday, June 17th, 2010 @ 12:44pm
  • The only way to kill it is with ice beam and five missiles.
    Oyster on Thursday, June 17th, 2010 @ 6:44pm
  • Now that's pretty neat.
    Trey Piepmeier on Thursday, June 17th, 2010 @ 9:51pm
  • That is really neat. Where do they typically live?
    Lyndit on Friday, June 18th, 2010 @ 9:53am
  • From the linked article: "They're now found in oceans around the globe rather than just in their native Caribbean waters."
    Michael on Friday, June 18th, 2010 @ 10:14am
  • They will probably replace zombies in movies
    Sam on Friday, June 18th, 2010 @ 11:08am
  • I always have been absolutely enthralled with the make-up of jellyfish. They just seemed so surreally real in such an alien way- like nothing touches them. But I guess this'd explain THAT. I'd be peaceful too if I didn't sweat wear, tear and taxes.
    KatereynaKilla on Friday, June 18th, 2010 @ 3:20pm
  • Wow! Amazing!!!!!
    babe on Friday, June 18th, 2010 @ 4:36pm
  • Oyster!!! Ice beam and five missiles, so perfect!
    vicariance on Friday, June 18th, 2010 @ 5:13pm
  • I wonder how long it'll take them to find out which gene sequence we can change in ourselves to at least stop aging.
    Randy on Friday, June 18th, 2010 @ 6:32pm
  • where do new ones come from?
    hercules on Friday, June 18th, 2010 @ 8:37pm
  • Well new ones come from mating. They don't age, no one said they don't die. They can be killed or eaten.
    LauRoman on Friday, June 18th, 2010 @ 11:53pm
  • I'm sure there's already some mad scientists working out how humans could artificially recreate this transdifferentation. If someone can do it they'll become the richest person on Earth without a doubt.
    Ritchie on Saturday, June 19th, 2010 @ 7:33am
  • Resident Evil here we go..
    Eduardo Cedillo on Saturday, June 19th, 2010 @ 11:43pm
  • There is a lot to be said beyond that. I want to know more about this so called transdifferentiation, are you kidding me?
    Hey.. on Sunday, June 20th, 2010 @ 6:15am
  • I thought crocodiles also didn't age, they only get bigger.
    asdds on Sunday, June 20th, 2010 @ 6:24am
  • Reversing lifecycle doesn't mean you don't age. The telomeres of your DNA will still degrade and cause your cells to eventually disintegrate. In other words not immortal but still a neat trick.
    nope on Sunday, June 20th, 2010 @ 11:45pm
  • The comment above mine is exactly what I was thinking... telomeres. A more useful trick would be in better repairing of damage to DNA, especially in telomeres.
    Phil on Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 @ 11:23am
  • Might a well call it Dr. Jellyfish.....now if only it had a tardis.
    Adam Wamer on Friday, July 16th, 2010 @ 9:02pm

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