Recently scientists interested jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula.What could attract so much attention of specialists and especially geneticists such simple creatures?And it all in the next opening.A scientist from Italy Fernando Boero (purely for their own personal studies) put jellyfish in an aquarium of this type.Previously, they thoroughly no one did, probably because they are too modest size (5 mm) and completely nondescript appearance.For some reason, the scientist experiments had to be postponed, and he happily forgot his pitomitsy.He remembered when the aquarium has dried up, and the inhabitants seemed to have died.Boero has decided to clean them from the aquarium and fill it with the following experimental but with his usual curiosity decided to study already dried jellyfish.
What was his surprise when it was discovered that they did not die, and become larvae.He again filled the tank with water.After some time the larvae become poluzasohshie polyps, from which later spun off the new jellyfish.So it turned out that inconspicuous Turritopsis nutricula - is immortal jellyfish, which makes the seemingly impossible.It manages its own genes and can "move backwards", ie. E. Returns to the initial stage of development and start to live again.In other words, the immortal jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula can not perish because of the approaching old age.She dies only when its someone ate or ripped apart.
Today, scientists believe that the immortal jellyfish is tiny - it's the only earthly body that can regenerate and rejuvenate yourself.And this cycle will repeat it countless times.Immortal Jellyfish Turritopsis belongs to the genus Hydroids, whose members live in the seas of temperate and tropical zones.To this genus are colonial marine coelenterates, namely the polyps, colonies which consist of several hundred individuals.They - like bushes, and still firmly attached to the substrate.Although there are also single.The single colony intestinal polyp cavity is connected to common through the entire colony of E. cavity.In other words, they are all united by "a common gut" on which the distribution is all trapped food.
immortal jellyfish is dome-shaped umbrella, located on the edge of the corolla tentacles.And the number of tentacles to increase with age: a newly spun off jellyfish they will not be more than 8, and further increase the number to 90 units.Medusa two stages: first - the polyp, the second - just a jellyfish.As the latter, it can be from several hours to several months, and then returns to the first step, endlessly repeating the cycle.
immortal jellyfish native to the Caribbean, but today it is already found in other geographical areas.This was due to the fact that Turritopsis nutricula greatly multiplied.Some believe that such an increase in population could result in a violation of equilibrium in the world's oceans.But Maria Miglietta (Dr. Tropical Research Institute) believes that we should not worry about filling in all the reservoirs of this type of hydroids.In Turritopsis nutricula too many enemies, predators, who are engaged in the extermination of their offspring.Though, probably, it is not enough, since the number of immortal jellyfish each year is increasing.
