Clue to immortality found on ancient tablet sounds like the one scientists are studying now
A strange alien-looking species that has spread through the world’s waters is near immortal. Turritopsis dohrnii, sometimes known as the “immortal jellyfish,” is a type of jellyfish that can survive shaking. The jellyfish will return to its coral-like polyp stage, like a butterfly turning into a caterpillar. The jellyfish then turns back into a jellyfish and avoids dying entirely.
Scientists didn’t recognize how special this little creature is until the 1990s. The Benjamin Button jellyfish is becoming more popular. Eternal Jelly could be the answer to curing cancer or unlocking the secrets of human immortality.
This is not exactly a novel concept. As we will see, the notion goes back thousands of years, to one of the earliest works of writing.
Is there a coral-like key to immortality floating in the seas?
Today’s experts disagree with the belief that jellyfish are the key to immortality. One of the world’s leading specialists, on the other hand, disagrees. Shin Kubota of Kyoto University in Japan is optimistic.
Kubota told a New York Times writer, “The application of Turritopsis to human beings is humanity’s greatest dream.” “Once we figure out how the jellyfish regenerates, we should be able to do amazing things.” In my perspective, humanity will progress and eventually become immortal.”
Kubota is among the few people to have kept a colony of jellyfish captive for more than 15 years. They can survive in extreme conditions, but they are difficult to keep alive and need regular feeding.
Dr. Maria Pia Miglietta of Texas A&M University is another expert who studies jellyfish. “The Holy Grail of regenerative medicine”, she calls what she has discovered about Turritopsis processes.
The powers of transdifferentiation unlocked
Transdifferentiation makes it possible to change the immortal cells of jellyfish. The muscle cells in the jelly can transform into nerve cells, eggs and sperm. Transdifferentiation, on the other hand, is not specific to jellyfish and can be generated in mice.
Human stem cells have similar properties throughout the body, which is why they are called “stem cells.” Scientists may continue to study Turritopsis Dohrnii stem cells and learn to harness their transformative potential.
Can people go back to a younger age in the near future? It is conceivable.
The secret of immortality: an ancient text
Can humans achieve immortality? This sounds like science fiction. However, this concept dates back centuries and was first used in Babylonian mythology thousands of years ago.
Gilgamesh the King of Uruk discovers a secret to immortality within the Epic of Gilgamesh. This epic dates back at least 55,000 years. It sounds very similar to the immortal jellyfish that is slowly spreading around the world through the ballast of ships.
Utnapishtim and Gilgamesh: the search for eternal life
Gilgamesh begins a quest for eternal life in the Epic of Gilgamesh. He meets Utnapishtim, a renowned sage who was the only person to survive a great global flood.
The couple protected human and animal lives on the large yacht they built together. Yes, it sounds identical to the Noah story in the Bible, but it precedes the Biblical story.
In a 2014 review of the Noah film, Time magazine acknowledged the parallels between Gilgamesh and Noah’s Ark from the Bible:
“The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh is considered the oldest written history in the world, dating back over 5,000 years. A story is told about Utnapishtim, the legendary sage who is warned of a coming deluge from the wrathful Gods. He builds a huge round boat out of pitch and tar that transports his family, his crops, and his animals. Utnapishtim, like Noah in Genesis, releases a bird in search of dry land after days of storms. The Deluge in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XI, and a Comparison with the Deluge in the Bible
Utnapishtim is like Noah and lives, but Enlil gives him and his wife immortality. They are therefore the ancestors of a new human species.
At the bottom of the sea, there is a secret.
Is it possible that Utnapishtim, who was blessed with immortality by his gods, could have known the secret of immortality? Gilgamesh discovers the mystery at the bottom of the sea after finally locating the eternal sage.
Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh, first, that only the gods have the power to grant immortality. He later admits to Utnapishtim that there may be a way to revive and return to his younger self. He then tells Gilgamesh about a “plant” that he discovered at the bottom of the ocean. This plant could be the key to a longer and fuller life.
As a result, Gilgamesh sets out to discover the “plant that looks like a thorn”, often known as coral. He eventually he loses it, to a snake.
Gilgamesh acquires the plant by tying stones to his feet and walking on the bottom of the sea. He intends to use the flower to revitalize the Uruk city elders before using it himself. Unfortunately, while bathing, he leaves the plant on the shore of a lake, where it is seized by a snake, which loses its old skin and is thus reborn”.
Is it true that an old legend is true
Is it possible that one of the oldest tales in the world is about the eternal jellyfish? When a jellyfish is injured, it could sink to the bottom of the ocean. It then transforms into an egg-like spot and develops into a polyp.
In fact, there are significant parallels between the Gilgamesh narrative and the actual account of the immortal Medusa.
Science may one day discover the secrets of rejuvenation and, if possible, immortality. Scientists have already discovered a way to turn cells from adult mice into young stem cells.
Scientists have recently discovered that jellyfish could be one of our most distant ancestral ancestors: the root of the Tree of Life.
