Which living being can live forever?

Share: In the warm seas of the Mediterranean lives a jellyfish with an extraordinarily rare ability – it can rewind its life cycle. The so-called 'immortal' jellyfish, or Turritopsis dohrnii, can somehow reprogramme the identity of its own cells, returning it to an earlier stage of life.

bbcearth.com - The animal that lives forever | BBC Earth

What are the five rules of filing?

There are 5 methods of filing: Filing by Subject/Category. Filing in Alphabetical order. Filing by Numbers/Numerical order. Filing by...

Last updated Oct 6, 2018

Is it normal to have diarrhea during a juice cleanse?

Juice fast enthusiasts say diarrhea is normal and expected on a juice fast diet because juice is a natural laxative. Diarrhea, although...

Last updated Nov 2, 2022

Promotion

In other words, it can age in reverse and morph from an adult back into a baby. In the science fiction television series Doctor Who, the programme’s hero periodically transforms into a completely new version of himself. Like Turritopsis dohrnii, the Doctor sometimes does this when he has been badly wounded or would otherwise die. For the jellyfish, its ability to become a younger version of itself is a spectacular survival mechanism that plays out when it gets old or sick or faces danger. Once the reversal process has been initiated, the jellyfish’s bell and tentacles deteriorate and it turns back into a polyp – a plant-like structure that attaches itself to a surface underwater. It does this partly through a process known as cellular transdifferentiation – when cells change from one type directly into another, producing an entirely new body plan. And it can do it again and again. A team of researchers recently sequenced a small part of the jellyfish’s DNA. Professor Stefano Piraino at the University of Salento in Italy was involved in the work and is now coordinating a project called PHENIX to better understand the communication between cells in Turritopsis dohrnii. He says the secret of ‘life reversal’ might only be found after the creature’s full genome has been unravelled. Professor Piraino also notes that the death of the jellyfish has been observed in the lab – perhaps disappointingly, it’s not truly ‘immortal’ after all. Still, the adaptation remains remarkable and two other jellyfish have recently been discovered to have it, including Aurelia sp.1, native to the East China Sea.

A new lease on life

If humans could somehow tap into the transdifferentiation process, could we regenerate? To some extent we already do – scars, bruises and healing after sunburn are all signs of our skin regenerating. We can regrow the tips of our fingers and toes, too. It was once a popular idea that we become a new person every seven to 10 years as, in that time, all the cells in our body will have died and been replaced. While this myth has been busted, it is true that our cells are continually dying and being replaced. But as a Time Lord, the Doctor goes through a far more complete transformation process. However, regeneration like his does happen in other animals, though it’s usually limited to just portions of the body. Take salamanders, for instance. “They are considered the champions of regeneration,” says Dr Maximina Yun at University College London.

Why don t farmers want solar panels?

They cite reasons ranging from aesthetics that would harm property values to fears about health and safety, and loss of arable land, farm culture,...

Last updated Sep 20, 2021

What is the most common human trafficking?

sex trafficking The 3 most common types of human trafficking are sex trafficking, forced labor, and debt bondage. Forced labor, also known as...

Last updated Apr 20, 2019

Promotion

Who is your closest blood relative?

List of who your nearest relative is Husband, wife or civil partner (including cohabitee for more than 6 months). Son or daughter. Father or mother (an unmarried father must have parental responsibility in order to be nearest relative) Brother or sister. Grandparent. Grandchild. Uncle or aunt. Nephew or niece.

mind.org.uk - What is a nearest relative? - Mind

What is a nearest relative?

Nearest relative is a special term used in the Mental Health Act 1983. It gives one member of your family rights and responsibilities if you are:

detained in hospital under sections 2, 3, 4 or 37

under a community treatment order or

under a guardianship.

Your nearest relative is not the same as your next of kin. The next of kin doesn't have any rights under the Mental Health Act. Nearest relative is an important safeguard for people who are affected by the Mental Health Act. The nearest relative is another way of making sure that your rights are protected when you are unwell and it is normally someone that you trust.

Does rolling clothes save space?

Rolling your clothes in your suitcase will generally save space. This is because it squeezes air from between folds and means the most of available...

Last updated Oct 30, 2019