Immortal animals appear

While the best minds of humankind are still engrossed in the search for longevity drugs, it seems like an incredibly simple animal has enjoyed immortal life for millions of years.

The website of the University of Nottingham in the UK said that the scientists found that the species of flatworms belongs to the Schmidtea mediterranea group of worms - living beneath the rocks in ponds and lakes with many strange characteristics. If their bodies are cut in half, after a while they will develop into two new bodies. Every part of the flat worms can regenerate, including the head. Therefore, in the case of their heads being cut, the new stem will grow from the head and the new head will grow from the body. In addition, aging does not appear to occur on flat worms.

Dr. Aziz Aboobaker, a member of the research team, said that theoretically, if the body is not cut or damaged, animals such as flatworms Schmidtea mediterranea will only die if they get sick.

"I think they are immortal animals , " Aboobaker commented.

All parts of Schmidtea mediterranea are able to regenerate.

Schmidtea mediterranea has a simple brain, made up of nerve cells, in the head. When the head is cut, stem cells from the body will turn into nerve cells to recreate the new brain.

The University of Nottingham's discovery can lead to many meaningful applications. For example, scientists can study them to find drugs that prolong life and fight old-age diseases.

What plays a key role in the process of biological aging are micro-structures called telomeres. They are located at the end of the chromosomes. Every time a cell divides, the length of the telomeres will decrease a bit. Finally, when short telomeres reach a certain level, the cell will die. Elizabeth Blackburn, a US-Australian and Australian biologist who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2009, likens telomeres to the ends of shoelaces. When the tip of the shoe breaks or splashes, the shoelaces start to fray.

But the telomere length of flat worms does not change over time. Thus their cells not only never die but can divide countless times. So they never get old.

The University of Nottingham research results are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.