Italian biologists working at a zoology station in Naples studied one of the most mysterious creatures, which can live forever. According to the magazine The Biologist, this enigmatic creature is the jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii, which researchers indicate has existed for about 66 million years, meaning they were swimming in the oceans before the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Researchers discovered that this type of jellyfish can practically age in reverse, and when it gets injured or ages, it actually reverts to its polyp stage. To do this, it retracts its tentacles and transforms into a mass of undifferentiated cells at the bottom of the sea, before starting to grow again from scratch.
Biologists were able to replicate this cycle in the lab, and it became clear that the jellyfish can revert to its juvenile stage about ten times a year. Researchers have identified over 1000 genes associated with aging and DNA restoration. Scientists continue to study these unique creatures, as they may shed light on mechanisms of eternal life.
