A group of Spanish scientists believe they have deciphered the genetic code of the Turritopsis dohrnii, known as the “immortal jellyfish”.
These living beings are the only ones capable of reversing the aging process and never die. When they get old or risk their lives, they only take three days to return to an initial stage of development -the polyp- capable of forming hundreds of clones that will give rise to hundreds of new jellyfish genetically identical to the first.
The life of these jellyfish is thus divided into two phases: if there is a shortage of food, they inhabit the seabed as juveniles and asexually, and only when they have better conditions for survival do they assume their adult form and reproduce. The cycle repeats itself uninterruptedly, preventing death from natural causes.
In a study published this Monday in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 14 researchers from the University of Oviedo sequenced the genome of Turritopsis dohrnii, comparing it with that of Turritopsis rubra, a very similar species that loses its ability to rejuvenate. after sexual reproduction.
Genetic variations in the genome of “immortal jellyfish” allow them to easily copy and repair their DNA and seem to have an easier time keeping telomeres intact, while in humans the length of these structures that form the ends of chromosomes progressively decreases with the age. .
The study allows us to better understand this species, but does not represent advances in the study of human aging. Quoted by The Wall Street Journal, the biologist and principal investigator of the study is clear: “It is a mistake to think that we will have immortality like this jellyfish, because we are not jellyfish.”
Source: TSF
