Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your literary preferences), I"m not talking sparkly vampires. The immortals I"m referring to are a species of jelly fish called Turritopsis nutricula. These fascinating little guys have the ability to revert back to their polyp (jouvenile) state after reaching sexual maturity. The process is called transdifferentiation, in which a non-stem cell morphs into another type of cell and, in this case, rejuvenates itself. This process can be repeated indefinitely therefore making the Turritopsis biologically immortal. It"s likely that we could learn from this jelly fish, it would be interesting to see what we could achieve and the doors it could open with self repairing cells on our side.
Learn more about these amazing creatures at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/immortals-exist/
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Monday, December 9, 2013
Immortals exist!
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