(BN / 22-03-10)  The jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula could be the only animal in the world that has discovered the source of eternal youth. According to what Bryan Nelson describes in Mother Nature Network, since this jellyfish is able to revert its cycle from adult to immature polyp and again to adult, it could be no natural limit for its life expectancy.

Scientists think that the jellyfish hydrozoa is the only known animal able to retrace repeatedly over time and go back to a status of polyp, its first form of life. The key is a process called transdifferentiation, in which a sort of cell becomes another kind of cell.

Some animals can do limited transdifferentiations and regenerate organs, such as salamanders, which can replace amputees organs. The turritopsis nutricula, on the other hand, can regenerate the entire body again and again. Researchers are studying this jellyfish to find out how it can reverse its ageing process.

As they can avoid death, the number of specimens of turritopsis nutricula is increasing. Nowadays they can be found in oceans of the world beyond their native Caribbean waters. “We face a silent world invasion”, says Dr. Maria Miglietta of the Smithsonian Tropical Marine Institute.