Turritopsis dohrnii: The Fairy Dancing Between Life and Death

All tangible and existing things begin their journey towards annihilation from the day they are born.

Batch after batch of lives are born and die, species are replaced or become extinct, the bright sun on which all things depend for survival will eventually go out, and even the vast universe may be quietly expanding, waiting for an origin of end.

Life is fragile, and it is precisely because of this fragility that life becomes precious and beautiful.

Life is a combination of the nostalgic past, the colorful present, and the unpredictable future, while death is just a plan that is always on the road. Even if the destination is known, no one knows anything about it before it arrives. These mysteries and contradictions make the topic of life and death full of eternal charm, attracting people to explore the secrets of life one after another.

But the Turritopsis immortalus jellyfish, like an unexpected beauty, a messenger between life and death, fluttered into my cognition and has been flying in my dreams ever since.

Turritopsis

It should be one of the most famous jellyfish. The Turritopsis dohrnii, which has the unique characteristic of "differentiation and transfer", frequently appears in the search columns of ordinary people and in the reports of scientific researchers as "immortal creatures".

What exactly is this "eternal life"? Is this "eternal life" really "eternal life"? Can this "eternal life" be achieved in humans?

To solve these puzzles, we need to have a deeper understanding of this exquisite and magical little creature.

As a type of jellyfish, the Turritopsis dohrnii naturally has the common characteristics of jellyfish. Jellyfish are coelenterates, belonging to the phylum Cnidaria, subphylum Medusa. Coelenterates generally have the physiological phenomenon of alternation of generations. Simply put, these beautiful species that float and dance in the water usually undergo two stages of morphological changes in their lifetime. It begins to develop from a small fertilized egg, grows into the first stage of the polyp, and continues to grow by adhering to the rocks on the seabed. At the same time, it can reproduce asexually by budding or splitting at this stage, and then metamorphoses into the second stage of the jellyfish body. It will die soon after sexual maturity, spermatogenesis and ovulation (jellyfish are dioecious organisms).

The polyp (top) and medusae (bottom) of the Turritopsis dohrnii

But the Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish has taken an unusual path and has evolved an additional enviable ability.

When other jellyfish reach the end of death, the Turritopsis dohrnii will "rejuvenate": first the gelatinous umbrella turns outward, the middle gelatinous layer and tentacles are slowly digested and absorbed, then the bottom of the umbrella sinks and adheres to the hard rock, while the sheath is secreted to wrap itself, and it jumps lightly from the tip of the sickle of the god of death, returns to the seabed, turns into a young polyp again, and starts a new life cycle. When they encounter extreme environments such as extreme cold and heat or other life threats, they can also escape the pressure of death in this way.

It is the first and only known animal that can return to the larval stage from the sexually mature stage, which makes people admire the ingenuity of nature and the delicate and ingenious operation of life. This growth characteristic, scientifically known as "differentiation transfer", seems to be closer to the phoenix or immortal bird in folk legends. The mythical bird is reborn from the fire, burning and reborn, dancing on the boundary between life and death, while this small Turritopsis dohrnii quietly flies and blooms in the deep blue ocean, dancing in the cycle of life.

Whenever I think of a group of inconspicuous elves floating quietly in some unknown corner of the ocean on Earth, but working hard to perform the miracle of their own lives, my heart always beats with excitement.

In fact, among the myriad of natural wonders, many are dubbed "immortals", but they usually maintain their youth through slow metabolism or vigorous cell division. Even if they have a lifespan of thousands of years, they may not be able to resist the call of death as time passes. High school biology textbooks introduce us to the knowledge of induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) and somatic cell cloning. After reversing mature cells through artificial intervention, the former can develop into new tissues and organs, and the latter can develop into new individuals. However, these technologies not only require a lot of manpower and material resources and have a very high failure rate, but are essentially still in the simple stage of cell to cell, which is far inferior to the reversal process of the Turritopsis dohrnii from individual to individual.

But perhaps it is this amazing ability that limits its size. Turritopsis dohrnii are usually tiny, about 3 to 8 mm high and 2.5 to 7.5 mm wide. They feed on plankton and other organisms, like little elves traveling through the wonderful underwater world. But even though they contain a lot of toxins, they are still inevitably swallowed by the small fish and shrimps that swim by, and even mixed in with dried shrimp skins so that humans can accidentally taste the taste of "eternal life".

Of course, the magical secret of "immortality" of the Turritopsis dohrnii is actually quite controversial. The only few experimental reports at home and abroad show that the Turritopsis dohrnii will reverse and be reborn as a polyp in adversity and certain life nodes, and theoretically it is not limited by the environment and the number of times, but after all, there is a lack of sufficient data support. Some scholars also believe that the so-called "immortality" is just an exaggerated report spread by the media. Furthermore, the degree of retention of the subject after reversing life is also worth pondering. Is "I" still "I"? This may also become an interesting philosophical proposition. However, the outstanding performance of the Turritopsis dohrnii in regeneration still has great research value and potential. The Turritopsis dohrnii is named "Turritopsis dohrnii" because of its transparent body and people can clearly observe its internal red digestive system. We believe that under further rigorous experiments in the future, the Turritopsis dohrnii will give us more surprises and enlightenment, and become a bright "lighthouse" for organisms when they think about life and death.

So in the end, is it possible for humans to realize the unique characteristics of the Turritopsis dohrnii? Can humans break free from the shackles of life and death by cracking the genes of the Turritopsis dohrnii? There are few studies on this issue at home and abroad, and the answers to these questions may still require our unremitting thinking and searching. But I personally think that perhaps it is the road with a destination that makes it easier to see the starry sky above and the flowers at your feet. We admire the elves dancing between life and death, but we don’t have to force ourselves to put on those wings. I often think that if we live a full and full life, and die openly and lightly, perhaps we are already the miracle dancing in our own lives.

"Every day that we don't dance is a waste of life." Life is like a long boat, a one-time encounter. We live towards death. Perhaps we will never become an elf as graceful as the Turritopsis dohrnii, dancing between life and death, but let it embellish our dreams and illuminate our path. Seeing ourselves, the world, and all living beings, our limited life, perhaps it is because of seeing these mysterious and beautiful things that the spiritual world bursts with the splendor of fireworks.

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