The Immortal Jellyfish

It has been known for some time that some species are able to regenerate entire limbs if they lose them. However, one species of jellyfish, turritopsis nutricula, goes much further; it uses the same cell re-purposing technique to turn itself back into a polyp (its immature form), thereby re-starting its life-cycle. Apparently the jellyfish use this cunning technique when they need to travel in hostile environments, such as when hitching a ride on cargo ships. This has led some people to speculate that a similar process might be used to allow human beings to travel to the stars.

3 thoughts on “The Immortal Jellyfish

  1. I haven’t followed the final link, but your synopsis reminds me of the “turn our bodies into liquid/gas so we can survive the travel” technique in Piers Anthony’s “Macroscope”.

    (Followed the link… Nope, nothing more substantial than your summary there)

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