The world's oceans face a silent invasion from a native Caribbean jellyfish by the name of Turritopsis Nutricula. Unlike other jellyfish species, Turry doesn't die after mating. Instead, he reverts back to a juvenile state through cellular transdifferentiation, effectively aging himself backward and potentially rendering himself immortal. In fact, the only known way to kill one is if another immortal jellyfish cuts off its tentacles and absorbs its Quickening. Or, you know, by killing it any of the other ways you'd normally kill a jellyfish. You may be tempted to goad science into utilizing this post-coital age reversal in human beings, but you'd be a fool to do so. For one thing, immortality would mean an already crowded planet would become unlivable. And for another, we'd be finding vans full of freshly schtupped infants parked at every romantic lookout point in America. Think about it. More details here. And for a lovely poem about jellyfish, why not click here?
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Curious Case of Benjamin Jellyfish
