Can people acquire immortality? Scientists look to jellyfish for solutions
The genetic makeup of eternal jellyfish, which frequently reverts to a younger condition, has been traced by scientists.
Immortality, anti-aging, and long life are some of the ideas that people continue to experiment with. But if there is a secret to immortality, it has yet to be discovered, and no answers exist. The eternal jellyfish, a creature capable of constantly regressing into a younger stage, has now become the focus of scientists looking for explanations.
Turritopsis dohrnii is an immortal jellyfish whose genome has been deciphered by Spanish researchers who have also identified several genomic factors that contribute to its life, even to the extent of evading death.
The scientists, led by Dr. Carlos López-Otn of the University of Oviedo, mapped the genetic makeup of the unusual jellyfish in an effort to learn more about human ageing and to discover the mechanism behind their extraordinary longevity. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study has been published.
They sequenced Turritopsis dohrnii and its sibling Turritopsis rubra in an effort to find genes that are amplified or have different variant properties in the two species. A near genetic cousin, Turritopsis rubra, cannot regenerate following sexual reproduction.
They discovered that T. dohrnii has changes in its genome that might improve it at copying and repairing DNA. They also discovered that they appear to be better at keeping the ends of chromosomes known as telomeres. It has been demonstrated that human telomere length decreases with ageing.
According to Maria Pascual-Torner, the first author of the article, “rather than having a single key to rejuvenation and immortality, the various mechanisms found in our work would act synergistically as a whole, thus orchestrating the process to ensure the successful rejuvenation of the immortal jellyfish.”
The T. dohrnii, like other varieties of jellyfish, has a two-part life cycle, spending its asexual phase on the ocean floor where its main objective is to survive during periods of food scarcity. Jellyfish can reproduce sexually if the circumstances are correct. Although many different kinds of jellyfish may slow down time and return to a larval stage, most of them lose this ability once they reach sexual maturity, according to the authors. Unlike T. dohrnii, though.
Asturian University’s Carlos López-Otn, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, stated in the meantime, “This research focuses on understanding the mechanisms and bounds of the fascinating cellular plasticity that enables some organisms to be able to travel through time, rather than on the pursuit of methods to realise the dreams of human immortality that some proclaim. With this understanding, we expect to better understand the myriad aging-related diseases that currently plague us “.