The jellyfish you see in the picture is known as Turritopsis dohrnii. First discovered in 1883, it dwells in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and Japan. With a diameter of only 4.5mm, or 0.18", it has completed a task highly desired by us humans. What's so special about this jellyfish is that it is the only known animal to revert back to its sexually immature state after it has reached sexual maturity.
The jellyfish does this through transdifferentiation of its cells when sick or injured, allowing them to reach the state it was in when it was a baby, making it effectively immortal. In humans, this means that an elderly person reverts all the way back to become an zygote and this process can continue indefinitely. However, there haven't been any million year-old jellyfish found mainly because most adult jellyfish are eaten by predators.
Although some of you may be skeptical of this due to the primitiveness of jellyfish, they are actually more genetically similar to us than to other primitive animals such as worms and flies. This makes it an exciting field to be in because of the ultimate prize at the end and a marine biologist in Japan has done just that.
Known in Japan as Mr Immortal Jellyfish Man, Shin Kubota has dedicated his life to studying this tiny jellyfish. He even writes karaoke songs about them and appears on television to sing his songs. Despite his fame, his true passion is still studying the jellyfish and keeps them in his lab even though it may be extremely difficult. These creatures are very delicate and usually die in captivity but due to his perseverance, they are living comfortably in his lab.
So will you be the one who finds the secret to immortality? And do you even think it is possible to be immortal? If so, what would be the effects on us, physically, psychologically and spiritually? These are serious areas to think about before releasing this secret... So comment your answers down below and share it if you liked this post.
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