Discover how some jellyfish are immortal, how gfp proteins emit light, how jellyfish inject their venom and the world’s deadliest marine animal…
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Although not the most documented of creatures, jellyfish are some of the coolest and oldest living marine animals on this planet. In fact, science proves that they date back to the time of the dinosaurs, some five hundred million years ago! It is still a mystery how they have managed to survive for such extended periods of time, but looking closely into their lives has revealed some of their secrets. Turritopsis dohrnii, a species of jellyfish is practically immortal! All jellyfish start out as polyps, tiny branching tentacles very unlike jellyfishes themselves. These tentacles provide nutrients to the baby jelly inside. Once ready, the separation process between the polyp and the baby jellyfish begins. The tiny, almost microscopic jellyfish breaks out of the polyp and into the ocean. In a few weeks, it is almost fully mature. The turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish though, can reverse it’s life cycle! When the ocean temperatures drop, the jellies let themselves fall down to the ocean bed as though they are dead, but they are not. The jellyfishes body begins to break down until it is just a soupy mash of cells. Then slowly but surely, the jellyfish begins to re-construct itself. The cells become a solid shape, and within a few days, the jellyfish is reborn.
After further studying turritopsis dohrnii’s bodies and ours, scientists found out that humans too have the same regeneration cells, only they are inactive. Further research is being done, and it is possible that in a few years time, humans too will learn the secret of eternal life. But then think about the circle of life…
Although immortality is jellyfishes' coolest power yet, another amazing thing that we have discovered is their secret to bioluminescence. Jellyfish live in depths of up to 3,700 meters deep, where light is scarce. To survive here, bioluminescence is key. Some jellyfish put up some of the most dazzling displays of bioluminescence ever seen. A particular type of jellyfish called aequorea victoria emits a faint green light. Martin Chalfie, a scientist decided to study aequorea victoria to see how it was possible to become bioluminescent. He detected a bioluminescent protein in aequorea victoria and decided to construct it in the lab. But when it glowed, it glowed blue. He was confused, and after studying a bit more, he discovered yet another protein which did not emit light, but when shone under ultraviolet light, it glowed green. Although it remains a mystery as to how ultraviolet light reaches such depths, Martin Chalfie was convinced he had found the protein. It was later given the name gfp protein and scientists believe it could be used to light up human cells, allowing us to see how cancer and other illnesses spread, which could help us prevent such diseases altogether and it could be one of the most pathbreaking discoveries ever, or it could be nothing.
Have you ever wondered how jellyfish inject their venom into their prey? Well, if you have, you’re in luck, because today you are going to learn exactly that! The world’s deadliest jellyfish, (you’ll find out it’s name later) has fifteen tentacles on each corner, each tentacle has about 500,000 cnidocytes which contain tiny harpoons called nematocysts. Even if something makes the slightest contact with it’s tentacles, the cnidocytes are triggered. Millions of tiny nematocysts get shot into the victim’s body, piercing their skin and injecting the venom immediately. All of this happens in one millionth of a second! It is vital to seek medical treatment immediately as you are stung and receive an anti-venom injection. Even though medical help is always near, it takes time for the anti-venom to be administered and take effect. For the anti-venom to take effect, it takes around fifteen minutes, but death can occur within 2-3 minutes. Therefore, deadly stings are not to be taken lightly as only the luckiest of people survive. Now, I’m sure you must be impatiently waiting for the name of the world’s deadliest marine animal. It is found from October until November and April up until May and it is found only along the northern coasts of Australia. The world’s deadliest marine animal is none other than…
The box jellyfish! It is found only in northern Australia and is most common during November up until May. When this jellyfish was discovered, Queensland and other parts of Australia didn’t let anyone swim. Tourists started heavily protesting and soon it was agreed that everyone can swim, but during box jelly season, they could only swim in the specified bathing areas, enclosed with a net to keep box jellies out. I hope you learnt tons of cool facts about jellyfish this January and remember to be careful as dangerous jellies are found absolutely everywhere! See you next time and until then, happy new year! Below, I have attached the link to a documentary you might want to watch this month that helped me learn a lot about these fascinating creatures.
This documentary is streaming exclusively on YouTube. I would also recommend watching the national geographic documentary on jellyfish that will help your knowledge of jellies bloom even more! (Did you get the joke?!!) Below I have also recommended the book jellyfish age backwards by Niklas Brendborg for ages 10+ which reveals very fine details about jellyfish’s secret to eternal life and will help you do your own pathbreaking research about jellyfish. If you find time this month, (Which I hope you will), I have included a quick experiment that helps you light up your own message instead of cells!
INVISIBLE INK
You will need:
A hairdryer (Ask an adult to help you use it if needed)
Half a lemon (You might need some help cutting it)
A sheet of paper
An earbud to write your message
Procedure:
Squeeze your lemon into a small bowl and remove all the seeds.
Dip your earbud into the lemon juice and write your secret message.
Wait for the invisible ink to dry- This might take 5-10 mins.
Reveal your message by using the hairdryer to dry the ink until your message is revealed.
You have officially mastered the trick of using invisible ink!
