The species Mnemiopsis leidyia strange marine gelatin, reverts to its larval state when exposed to stress factors.
Aging may be an inevitable part of life for humans, but recent discoveries show that certain sea creatures have a remarkable way of bypassing this process.
In a published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences they found that the species Mnemiopsis leidyi has the rare ability to reverse its aging process, effectively transforming itself into a youngest state. This fact places them alongside the Turritopsis dohrniiknown as the “immortal jellyfish”, as one of the few species capable of such remarkable “backward aging”.
The discovery, led by researchers Joan J. Soto-Angel and Pawel Burkhardt, came when an adult jellyfish in Soto-Angel’s lab mysteriously transformed into a larval form.
To investigate, the team exposed adult M. leidyi to various stress conditionssuch as hunger and minor physical injuries. Surprisingly, of the 65 specimens tested, 13 returned entirely to their larval stage, characterized by their rounded bodies, two tentacles and simplified anatomy – typical characteristics of cydipede larvae, explains .
“We found a species that works as a ‘time traveling machine‘, which raises interesting questions about the degree to which this ability is generalized across different forms of life,” said Soto-Angel.
Gelatins, or ctenophores, represent one of the oldest known animal lineages, existing about 700 million years ago. Its ancient origins make it intriguing that reversed aging may have evolved early in the animal kingdom.
Upon observing the transformation, Soto-Angel noticed that the reverted larvae exhibited not only physical changes, but also behavioraladopting the typical eating habits of cydipede larvae. Seven other jellies showed partial reversion, with their bodies adopting some larval characteristics but retaining elements of adulthood, suggesting a complex and adaptive aging mechanism.
The implications of this investigation go beyond simple unusual curiosity; could open doors to a deeper biological understanding of aging and development. “Discovering the molecular mechanisms that lead to this reverse development, especially its impact on the animal’s nervous network, It will be a fascinating next stepBurkhardt said.
