Two jellyfish, one being: revolutionary fusion of the sea walls discovered!

Two jellyfish, one being: revolutionary fusion of the sea walls discovered!

An astonishing phenomenon amazed researchers at the University of Exeter: if ribs, especially the type of mnemiopsis Leidyi, get close, they can merge into a new, united organism. In an experiment that questions the limits of biological identity, it was shown that after only a few hours a kind of mixed creature with common nerve and digestive system is created.

This discovery could revolutionize the previous perception of jellyfish and its biology. Originally known as harmful and invasive in West Atlantic, the sea wal nuts have now also spread in other waters. Scientists around Kei Jokura examined this specific property when they discovered an unusually large jellyfish in their laboratory that looked like a hybrid of two animals. Her results were recently published in the "Current Biology" journal.

peculiarities of the fusion

One of the most amazing discoveries was that the newly created jellyfish develop a common nervous system within a very short time. Within the first hour after the merger, the movements of the new individual showed an uncoordinated pattern, but after only two hours the two halves reacted to stimuli synchronously. This means that a stimulus on one side of the body also stimulates the other half - a fascinating example of cooperation behavior at cellular level.

Overall, the attempts to merge in nine out of ten cases were successful. To their surprise, the two jellyfish grew together so quickly that the original dividing line was no longer recognizable within just 24 hours. This suggests fascinating flexibility in the perception of "own" and "foreign", which is traditionally regulated by the body's immune system.

The researchers now endeavor to examine the molecular mechanisms on which this merger is based. The aim is to gain knowledge that could be important for regeneration medicine. However, it remains unclear whether this ability of the jellyfish offers them a survival advantage in the natural environment and whether mergers between injured animals are also observed in the wild.

This discovery raises important questions that the biologist Kei Jokura and his team now want to further research in order to understand the complete potential of this biological rarity. For more information, the details of this interesting research also on www.spektrum.de to read.