Scientists discover only immortal animal on earth

[medeak]

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/guest_bloggers/26/the-world-s-only-immortal-animal.html


The turritopsis nutricula species of jellyfish may be the only animal in the world to have truly discovered the fountain of youth.

Since it is capable of cycling from a mature adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again, there may be no natural limit to its life span. Scientists say the hydrozoan jellyfish is the only known animal that can repeatedly turn back the hands of time and revert to its polyp state (its first stage of life).

The key lies in a process called transdifferentiation, where one type of cell is transformed into another type of cell. Some animals can undergo limited transdifferentiation and regenerate organs, such as salamanders, which can regrow limbs. Turritopsi nutricula, on the other hand, can regenerate its entire body over and over again. Researchers are studying the jellyfish to discover how it is able to reverse its aging process

[dalaigh lllama]

1. Looks like the Flying Spaghetti Monster

hmmm

[Maru Kitteh]

2. Yes. I would like to return towards my nymph stage as well.

Thankyouverymuch.

[kestrel91316]

3. Hmmmmm. Shades of the novel "The Swarm"..........

[WinkyDink]

4. Do viruses die? Or lie in wait for new hosts?

[Skidmore]

5. Poor creature. Will now be doomed to extinction as hordes of

Western people fearful of wrinkles and aging try to turn it into face cream or injections. Better than botox.

[mzteris]

6. does it retain what it's "learned"

as a mature adult when it becomes an immature polyp again?

[izquierdista]

8. No

It has to keep pulling out the family album to see what it looked like as an old geezer.

[medeak]

7. son tells me he read of this 2 yrs ago? n/t

[pinboy3niner]

9. DU loads a little slowly during maintenance... nt

[MrScorpio]

10. I, too, welcome our new transdifferentiating overlords n/t

[intheflow]

11. I hope it's not indigenous and exclusive to the Gulf of Mexico. n/t

[intheflow]

12. I hope it's not indigenous and exclusive to the Gulf of Mexico. n/t

[boston bean]

13. The Curious Case of Turritopsis Nutricula.

Cool!

[TransitJohn]

14. Time for the human genome splicing trials.

Let's get this done!

[Quantess]

15. Interesting.

[canetoad]

16. Bloody hell

It even comes with it's own cosmetic brand name - Nutricula! You can't buy shit like this.

[BR_Parkway]

17. And we think there's an over-population problem now? Geeze if they

manage to clone it before killing it off with testing.

[AnArmyVeteran]

18. I believe there are cures in nature for every disease. That's why BPs of the world MUST be stopped.

While corporate thugs are plundering our world they are destroying thousands of animal and plant species, each with its own unique genetic makeup that could lead to the elimination of diseases, cancers and other maladies. But corporations couldn't care less about human beings. They couldn't care less about wildlife. All they care about is money and power.

If we don't stop them not only will our county be destroyed, but the world as well.

[Soylent Brice]

19. that's pretty cool.

thanks for sharing.

[MilesColtrane]

20. The good news is you can live forever.

The bad news is you have to live forever as a gelatinous mass without a differentiated digestive, central nervous, respiratory, or circulatory system.