Jellyfish species heal wounds themselves, reverse aging

The moon jellyfish has the ability to heal wounds, regrow the broken part, regenerate and reverse the aging process.

In 2011, Jinru He, a graduate student at Xiamen University, China, brought a male moon jellyfish to the sea to raise. The old jellyfish died and 18 months later. Jinru transformed it into a new tank, replaced the new water and waited for the miracle to happen.

Three months after the transfer, polyps, an anemone-like protozoan creature appeared from the decaying jellyfish body, which had never been observed before.

The moonfish jelly (Aurelia aurita) has a transparent body with distinctive features that are four four-leafed gonads on thin backs and tentacles. Although they are distributed throughout the world's oceans, very few jellyfish live in eastern China, where Jinru works. "I cherish the specimens. When they're old, I often keep them in the hope that miracles will happen," Jinru said.

Moon jellyfish possess strange abilities to help them survive effectively.(Photo: Martin Shields).

According to National Geographic, normally, a fertilized jellyfish hatches larvae and large larvae into polyps. Polyps grow buds, release many mature jellyfish. The jellyfish lay eggs and die. This life cycle is like a butterfly's life cycle, in which polyps play a similar role to caterpillars.

When polyps release jellyfish, they sink to the bottom of the tank. But instead of dying, they change into younger polyps.

In some jellyfish, scales form in their mouths if they are too full or injured. Small polyps form outside the scales, then split like clones.

The rebirth in moon jellyfish is a new feature known, however, their transformation ability has long been a subject of research for scientists. In the 1990s, some Italian scientists discovered Turritopsis dorhnii , a small jellyfish by pen, that transformed between two adult jellyfish and polyp shapes. Therefore, they are nicknamed immortal jellyfish.

In-depth research on rejuvenation and regeneration in the moonfish jellyfish may open new hopes for cancer treatment.

"In Turritopsis, reversing development is part of a controlled path," said Stefano Pirano, an immortal jellyfish biologist at the University of Lecce, Italy. "Cancer uses almost the same mechanism, the uncontrolled growth of cells. New cells are formed unintentionally."

New cells in the moon jellyfish form a clear purpose, so studying this jellyfish will help open new directions for cancer control.