CHICAGO, Aug 31(ABC): Scientists in Spain have unlocked the genetic code of the immortal jellyfish — a creature capable of repeatedly reverting into a juvenile state — in hopes of unearthing the secret to their unique longevity, and finding new clues to human ageing.
In their study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Maria Pascual-Torner, Victor Quesada and colleagues at the University of Oviedo mapped the genetic sequence of Turritopsis dohrnii, the only known species of jellyfish able to repeatedly revert back into a larval stage after sexual reproduction.
Like other types of jellyfish, the T. dohrnii goes through a two-part life cycle, living on the sea floor during an asexual phase, where its chief role is to stay alive during times of food scarcity. When conditions are right, jellyfish reproduce sexually.