We all know that the natural cycle of life includes death. However, who never wanted a loved one or pet to live forever? Know that, although it seems unlikely, there is a species of animal considered biologically immortal.
First of all we must remember that immortality can be defined in a simplified way as the eternal life. For us humans, this concept cannot be applied to physical life, as our bodies undergo the process of deterioration over time and aging as the years go by. This process affects all our cells, tissues and organs, consequently leading us to death.
However, there is a species of jellyfish that does not suffer from the action of time and challenges the natural cycle of life. THE turritopsis dohrnii has the incredible ability to stay alive and rejuvenate when it reaches maturity, being considered by scientists as immortal.
This important discovery was published in 1996 in an article calledReversing the Life Cycle: Medusae Transforming into Polyps and Cell Transdifferentiation in Turritopsis nutricula(Cnidaria, Hydrozoa), in the magazine The Biological Bulletin. The discovery was, without a doubt, extremely curious and unprecedented.
According to the authors, this jellyfish, when young, is sessile and is found in the form called a polyp. Upon reaching adulthood, it changes into the form of jellyfish, which is characterized by its ability to swim and a typical umbrella shape. After reaching adulthood, the turritopsis dohrnii manages to return to the young stage, that is, the polyp.
We can see that, instead of being programmed to die, the jellyfish of this species is programmed to be young again. This ability ensures that this species is always alive, as it never ages. However, we must emphasize that it is not only the ability to rejuvenate that guarantees the survival of a species, for, if this beautiful jellyfish suffers a fatal blow or is ingested by another animal, it will obey the cycle of life and will die.
Another point that deserves to be highlighted is the reproduction capacity of this species, which is increased by global warming and pollution. With that, we can conclude that the number of individuals can grow in the next years and, due to their immortality, these jellyfish can become a “pest” in the oceans.
