The good news is that you can be immortal. The bad news is that you have to become a floating blob of jelly to do so. Scientists have discovered a jellyfish which can live forever Turritopsis Dohrnii is now officially known as the only immortal creature. The secret to eternal life, as it turns out, is not just living a really, really long time. Its all about maturity, or rather, the lack of it. The immortal jellyfish (as it is better known popularly) propagate and then, faced with the normal career path of dying, they opt instead to revert to a sexually immature stage. It turns out that once the adult form of the 4.5 mm-wide species Turritopsis Dohrnii have reproduced, they dont die but transform themselves back into their juvenile polyp state. Their tentacles retract, their bodies shrink, and they sink to the ocean floor and start the cycle all over again. Among laboratory samples, all the adult Turritopsis observed regularly undergo this change. And not just once: they can do it over and over again. Thus, the only known way they can die is if they get consumed by another fish or if a disease strikes the jelly. However, there are still many mysteries surrounding the turritopsis Dohrnii. While the process of reverting from its adult-phase to a polyp was observed several times, it hasnt been observed yet in nature, only in laboratory environments.
How old is the oldest immortal jellyfish?
You might want to know how old the oldest immortal jellyfish is, but unfortunately there is no answer to this. No turritopsis Dohrnii has been observed in a laboratory for an extended period of time, and there is no other way to establish the age of an individual.
How do they remain immortal?
The process that lets the turritopsis remain immortal is called transdifferentiation and it involves one cell converting from one type to another. Thus, when the jellyfish reaches maturity, its cells can convert and it becomes a polyp again.
Wont they populate the whole earth if they are immortal?
They are only biologically immortal, they still can be eaten by
predators (and they certainly are eaten). But nonetheless, they are seen in new territories where they havent been seen before, as they are easily transported worldwide by cargo ships.
What is their habitat?
The immortal jellyfish prefers warmer waters, although it has been spotted in colder areas as well. They originate from the Caribbean Sea (nutricula) and the Mediterranean (Dohrnii).
What do they feed on?
Their diet consists of plankton, fish eggs and small mollusks.
Are there immortal jellyfishes on sale?
No... not yet ! Adult
The process of reformation is called
immature stage
transdifferentiatin
Keeping them in Laboratories:
Keeping turritopsis Dohrnii in captivity is quite difficult. Currently only one scientist, Shin Kubota from kyoto University, has managed to sustain a group of these jellyfish for a prolonged period of time. The plankton must be inspected daily to ensure that they have properly digested the Artemia cysts they are being fed. Kubota reported that during a two-year period, his colony rebirthed itself 11 times!!! Kubota regularly appears in Japanese media to talk about his immortal jellyfish and has recorded several songs about them.