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Contributor: Jay Gregorio. Lesson ID: 13223
You read that right — some jellyfish are immortal! There is a vast amount of species living on the earth, each with a fascinating biological nature. Discover this one's journey to life everlasting!
These mind-boggling questions may not make sense as you read this. But as you complete this lesson, you will see how similar these scenarios are to what happens to a living thing considered immortal, or something that lives forever!
Immortality is a fictional term used to describe our fantasy with eternal life. The idea of living forever often plays out on television and in movies. Historically, the search for immortality can be seen in Ponce de Leon's search for the Fountain of Youth.
Scientists study regenerative medicine and how cells can be engineered to create immortality.
"Eureka!" as they say. Marine biologists found tiny creatures living deep down in the Mediterranean Sea and the waters of Japan that can live forever.
Explore the world of this tiny, transparent jellyfish and its death-defying journey to immortality!
The Immortal Jellyfish
Unfortunately, the average lifespan of humans on earth is only 79 years. We live and die — that's the reality of human life. But there is a way to live forever! The bad news is, you have to be a tiny floating blob of jelly to do so!
Turritopsis dohrnii is a species of jellyfish that has the unofficial name immortal jellyfish. Its discovery dates back to 1988 when a marine biology student collected them from the northwest coast of Genoa, Italy.
Unintentionally, they were left soaking in a bowl of seawater for two days. When they were observed again, their original form had significantly changed! The jellyfish appeared as though they were gone, but each had just changed into a polyp!
Take a look at the life cycle of this jellyfish to have a better understanding of how they transform from one stage to another.
The Life Cycle of a Jellyfish
When adult male jellyfish release sperm, it fertilizes adult female eggs. These fertilized eggs become tiny free-swimming larvae called planula, the larval stage. The planula swim around before sinking deep down to the ocean floor, where they attach and form into colonies called polyps.
After a few days, tiny jellyfish about 1mm wide bud off from the tips of the polyp and float through the ocean. After two to four weeks, these grow to about 5 mm wide and become sexually mature male or female jellyfish called Medusa . Then the cycle starts over.
This cycle has an interesting deviation, however, for the Turritopsis jellyfish. Once this jellyfish reaches its mature stage (Medusa), it can revert into the polyp stage!
They achieve this through a process called transdifferentiation. This is the ability of a mature cell to transform into another type of mature cell. There is no limit to how many times they can make these changes, which makes them immortal!
Check out this Turritopsis Life Cycle diagram to see the reverse cycle.
It is important to note that this ability does not mean Turritopsis jellyfish cannot die. They can. For example, many are eaten by other sea creatures.
Watch the following video to learn more about these amazing creatures.
Taking It Further!
Medusa is generally described as a winged, human female with living venomous snakes in place of her hair. Jellyfish resemble a bell with tentacles around the edge or hanging off the bottom.
The shape of this bell is called a Medusa because it looks like the Medusa in Greek mythology, which states she offended the goddess Athena who then changed her hair into snakes and made her face so hideous it turned people into stone.
Other cool things make jellyfish interesting. Look at the list below and check out the Additional Resources in the right-hand sidebar if you want to learn more!
Jellyfish don't have brains. They respond to their environment using a net of susceptible nerves. Their skin is so thin that it can readily accept oxygen through itself.
Some jellyfish have teeth. The beroid comb jellyfish have hundreds of rows of teeth made of tiny hairs that can pierce, tear, and pull their prey into their stomachs.
Jellyfish have gone to space. Jellyfish traveled on Columbia's space shuttle into outer space. They multiplied in space, but these new jellyfish could not figure out how to deal with gravity when they returned to the earth.
As you can see, jellyfish present scientists with much to study. However, the Turritopsis' transdifferentiation ability is the most exciting.
Researchers worldwide are trying to discover what happens to jellyfish cells when they undergo this transformation. Scientists believe this species can use a controlled pathway to hit the cell rewind button. Their goal is to discover what those pathways are.
The idea that old cells can renew themselves and return to the stage where they can be young again is fascinating in the medical field. Scientists have used stem cells for many years to provide hope and answer questions about cancer, Parkinson's, and other diseases. Turritopsis cells provide a whole new level of research.
Head over to the Got It? section and see how much you remember!
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