An 'immortal' jellyfish could hold clues for anti-aging in humans.
An 'immortal' jellyfish could provide the secret for anti-aging
A team of experts, led by the University of Oviedo in Spain, have mapped the genetic code of Turritopsis dohrnii, the only known species of jellyfish that is repeatedly able to revert back into a larval stage after sexual reproduction.
The creatures use their "superpower" to avoid predators and are able to revert back to a cyst and begin the road to maturity again.
Scientists are hoping that the marine animal enables them "to better understand the keys and limits of the fascinating cellular plasticity that allows some organisms to be able to travel back in time".
Monty Graham, a jellyfish expert at the Florida Institute of Oceanography who was not involved in the research, does not believe that the study has any immediate value.
He said: "We can't look at it as, hey, we are going to harvest these jellyfish and turn it into a skin cream.
"It's one of those papers that I do think will open up a door to the new line of study that's worth pursuing."