Old age! That's where we're at. We've moved from Middle Age to Old Age, or Late Adulthood. Most people who enter this stage of life are very satisfied and are content knowing that death is around the corner. Why?? Because most species on earth have an internal clock that prepares them for the inevitable, at least when it comes naturally. 

 

There is one creature though that is able to turn the hands of time back and actually get younger. Read this little blurb from Science News on a jellyfish that's offering hope for immortality, yes, IMMORTALITY, then answer the questions that follow. 

 

Scientists have been studying with great hope the turritopsis nutricula species of jellyfish. Why? Well, the Turritopsis may be the only animal in the world to have truly discovered the fountain of youth. 

 

Since it is capable of cycling from a mature adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again, there may be no natural limit to its life span. Scientists say the hydrozoan jellyfish is the only known animal that can repeatedly turn back the hands of time and revert to its polyp state (its first stage of life). 

 

The key lies in a process called transdifferentiation, where one type of cell is transformed into another type of cell. Some animals can undergo limited transdifferentiation and regenerate organs, such as salamanders, which can regrow limbs. 

 

Turritopsi nutricula, on the other hand, can regenerate its entire body over and over again. Researchers are studying the jellyfish to discover how it is able to reverse its aging process. 

 

This week's Discussion Board Question:

-What if science was able to extend your life for another 30, 40, 50 plus years, would you do it? Or for that matter, what if you could extend it indefinitely, essentially living forever, would you choose to do it? Why or why not?