Immortality might seem impossible. But a tiny jellyfish overcomes death many times. "Turritopsis dohrnii" lives in the Mediterranean. It's very small. When fully grown, it only stretches 4.5mm. But it has a special gift that has earned it the name the "immortal jellyfish".
Jellyfish are generally born as a larva then turn into a polyp, like a caterpillar turning into a chrysalis or a tadpole becoming a frog. But the immortal jellyfish is different. When it is damaged or injured, it shrinks into miniscule cells that seem to decay. In fact, they don’t rot or decay like other living things that have died. The cells reorganize themselves to regenerate, starting the polyp or pupa phase again. In just 30 days the jellyfish starts life again. Scientists have found that it can do this at least a dozen times. They believe it can be done over and over again, as long as the body is not too damaged and it doesn’t get eaten by other sea creatures.
This “immortal” species is useful in clinical studies of self-regenerating cells in living organisms, which still hold many secrets.
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