Jellyfish start their lives as larva, tiny cigar shaped creatures that spiral through the water, looking for a rock or something handy to attach itself to. Once firmly in place, the larva metamorphoses into a polyp, rather like a tiny sea anemone.

Humans have always been fascinated by the idea of cheating death.

We’ve looked to everything from religion, the planets, cryogenics and even the mythical fountain of youth. While we were searching the heavens, science and all the corners of the Earth, the secret of immortality may have been floating in the ocean this whole time. In the form of a jellyfish.

Jellyfish start their lives as larva, tiny cigar shaped creatures that spiral through the water, looking for a rock or something handy to attach itself to. Once firmly in place, the larva metamorphoses into a polyp, rather like a tiny sea anemone.

Colonies of these polyps are created as the polyp clones itself which means a colony can cover an entire boat dock in a matter of days. Some types of polyp form huge shrub-like bushes. When the conditions are right, these polyps bloom in vast numbers and when they bloom, what buds from the polyp are baby jellyfish.

When we think of a jellyfish, what most of us is picturing is the “Medusa stage”, the second stage of jellyfish life

If the start of jellyfish life wasn’t extraordinary enough, its death is where things get really exciting. When the medusa the immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) dies, it sinks to the ocean floor and begins to decay. Amazingly, its cells then reaggregate, not into a new medusa, but into polyps, and from these polyps emerge new jellyfish. The jellyfish has skipped to an earlier life stage to begin again.

This was a real mind blower for all of us… It’s one of the most amazing discoveries of our time

Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin | DIRECTOR, MARINE STINGER ADVISORY SERVICE

So aside from eternal life, what’s the benefit for the jellyfish itself? Why do it? Well, it means when it becomes weakened either by age or illness, or it faces danger, it can call up its incredible survival mechanism and regenerate.

Once the process begins, the bell of the jellyfish (the generally rounder “parachute” part at the top) and its tentacles begin to deteriorate. It turns back into a polyp, attaches itself to a surface and begins to grow into a jellyfish all over again, and it can do it over and over.

1. Jellyfish start their lives as larva, tiny cigar shaped creatures that spiral through the water
2. The descent took over an hour and just after they left, the tower collapsed
3. She even became a minor celebrity, appearing on Larry King Live, and the CBS Morning Show
4. Roselle helped her owner to the stairwell, through the smoke, noise and debris, and led him down 1,463 steps out of the tower, along with 30 other people
5. A few jelly genes and we could all be like Doctor Who, regenerating whenever we wearied of ourselves

Part of what actually happens to the jellyfish in this process is called cellular transdifferentiation. Its cells change from type to another, producing a completely different body plan.

• Roselle helped her owner to the stairwell, through the smoke, noise and debris, and led him down 1,463 steps out of the tower, along with 30 other people
• The descent took over an hour and just after they left, the tower collapsed
• Jellyfish start their lives as larva, tiny cigar shaped creatures that spiral through the water
• He even became a minor celebrity, appearing on Larry King Live, and the CBS Morning Show
• A few jelly genes and we could all be like Doctor Who, regenerating whenever we wearied of ourselves
• It’s one of the most amazing discoveries of our time

Roselle helped her owner to the stairwell, through the smoke, noise and debris, and led him down 1,463 steps out of the tower, along with 30 other people. The descent took over an hour and just after they left, the tower collapsed.  Roselle then led her owner to the nearby subway station, and home.¹⁹ She even became a minor celebrity, appearing on Larry King Live, and the CBS Morning Show. 

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Although Dr Gershwin says she can’t see any link currently between jellyfish immortality and our own, it doesn’t mean some sort of genetic splicing would not be possible in the future. Who knows? A few jelly genes and we could all be like Doctor Who, regenerating whenever we wearied of ourselves.

Jellyfish start their lives as larva, tiny cigar shaped creatures that spiral through the water, looking for a rock or something handy to attach itself to. Once firmly in place, the larva metamorphoses into a polyp, rather like a tiny sea anemone. Colonies of these polyps are created as the polyp clones itself which means a colony can cover an entire boat dock in a matter of days. Some types of polyp form huge shrub-like bushes. When the conditions are right, these polyps bloom in vast numbers and when they bloom, what buds from the polyp are baby jellyfish.

This was a real mind blower for all of us,” says Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin, a jellyfish researcher based in Tasmania and director of the Marine Stinger Advisory Service. “It’s one of the most amazing discoveries of our time.

If the start of jellyfish life wasn’t extraordinary enough, its death is where things get really exciting. When the medusa the immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) dies, it sinks to the ocean floor and begins to decay. Amazingly, its cells then reaggregate, not into a new medusa, but into polyps, and from these polyps emerge new jellyfish. The jellyfish has skipped to an earlier life stage to begin again.

The playful nature of dolphins is well documented. But what about their protective instincts?  In 2004, Rob Howes went swimming with his daughter and two of her friends, off the coast of North Island, New Zealand. There, they found themselves encircled by four bottlenose dolphins who repeatedly slapped their tails on the surface to prevent any of the group swimming away.

In 1917, a small stray mongrel puppy appeared in the training area of the 102nd infantry, near Yale, USA, where the Yankee Division was preparing for action in World War I.³  Christened Stubby by the soldiers because of his short tail,⁴ the puppy soon integrated himself into the ranks. His comrades taught him to “salute”, he learned bugle calls, and was allowed to join the soldiers on the front line.

After being caught in a gas attack, he recognised the smell the next time it happened and was able to wake and warn the sleeping soldiers.  He also caught a German soldier in the trenches by biting and holding him until relief arrived, and was adept at finding wounded soldiers, too.  By the end of the war, Stubby had served in 17 battles, and was awarded lifetime membership of the American legion, as well as a gold medal for heroism commissioned by the Humane Education Society.

Dr Qing Li has been leading research on forest bathing for over 15 years. While research is still ongoing, studies have shown spending as little as 20 mins in a forest can reduce stress levels, reduce blood pressure and increase positive feelings. Most notably, they have found that one forest bathing session can cause an increase in ‘anti-cancer proteins’, or NK (Natural Killer) cells, and the effects can last for around for 30 days!

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So what exactly is forest bathing and how do you do it? Forest bathing is a slow movement through nature, while using your five senses to experience your surroundings. The slow pace makes it distinctly different from exercising, such as running or hiking, in nature. Watch the full episode below for a step by step guide on how to do it.