Birth, old age, illness and death are the natural laws of life. The humble lighthouse jellyfish in the ocean is said to be the only creature on Earth that has the potential to "live forever". After the lighthouse jellyfish is sexually mature, under the stimulation of certain conditions, it will differentiate and transfer and return to the young stage. That is, they are able to reverse death, rejuvenate, and regrow, continuing to brush up on the sense of existence. Is this really the case?
The lighthouse jellyfish is a species of creature belonging to the class Hydra, tiny, only about 4-5 mm, bell-shaped, translucent body can see the red digestive system inside its body. It is named after the lighthouse that looks like it. Lighthouse jellyfish mostly live in tropical waters and are carnivores that feed mainly on plankton and small fish.
They were first discovered in the Caribbean. As shipping developed, they also spread to more areas by attaching themselves to the bottom structure of the ship, as the ship sailed farther. It is now also found in the offshore waters of Spain, Italy and Japan.
In 1996, Italian biologists conducted experimental observations on more than 4,000 lighthouse jellyfish in different developmental states. They made the jellyfish experience the environment created by hunger, sudden changes in water temperature, reduced salinity in water, mechanical damage, etc., and observed the physiological changes of jellyfish in different environments.
Experiments have found that none of the more than 4,000 jellyfish have died, and all of them have returned to their childhood, all of which have been transformed from mature jellyfish into juvenile hydra bodies. Scientists also call this transformation process of lighthouse jellyfish a differentiation transfer.
In fact, not all lighthouse jellyfish will use this skill.
The lighthouse jellyfish itself is a species of hermaphroditic reproduction. Under normal circumstances, the life process of the lighthouse jellyfish, like other jellyfish, begins with a fertilized egg, develops into a larva, then sinks to the seabed and transforms into a hydra type (small vertical tube), and then gradually develops into a mature swimming jellyfish, and finally the jellyfish produces eggs and sperm to reproduce, and then it will die.
There are certain conditions for the occurrence of "reverse growth", and when they encounter self- or external mutations such as hunger, injury, and changes in the living environment, the cells in the adult lighthouse jellyfish begin to grow backwards, transforming themselves into a droplet-like capsule. After this sac develops, it becomes a hydra population (the juvenile life form of jellyfish), and this hydra group grows into a group of jellyfish that are almost identical to the previous lighthouse jellyfish DNA.
Theoretically, without external intervention and suitable conditions, the differentiation and transfer process of lighthouse jellyfish can be cycled indefinitely, achieving theoretical "immortality". This can be seen as a lighthouse jellyfish, after encountering certain conditions, choose to abandon gender reproduction and instead carry out an asexual reproduction similar to cloning.
Therefore, lighthouse jellyfish are not really "immortal" in the true sense of the word. Each metamorphosis of the lighthouse jellyfish is not what we think of as "immortality, boundless life", but has become a new beginning, no longer the "immortal body" it once was, but a process similar to "reincarnation".
It should be noted that the infinite "rejuvenation" of the lighthouse jellyfish mentioned here is a theoretical situation.
The lighthouse jellyfish in the real ocean are more tragic, such a small and fragile body, naturally at the bottom of the food chain, easy to be preyed upon by marine life. And with the destruction of the marine environment and pollution and other natural disasters and man-made disasters, lighthouse jellyfish are also difficult to survive. Therefore, the lighthouse jellyfish did not flood either.
Under normal circumstances, when the living environment is suitable, lighthouse jellyfish are more inclined to reproduce sexually. When the living environment and themselves change in an appropriate amount, they will take the form of asexual reproduction to protect themselves. But if the environment is too harsh, the lighthouse jellyfish will be directly cold.
Therefore, even if the lighthouse jellyfish can have the ability to "live forever", it is difficult to have the ability to survive.