jellyfish

If you want to gather climate-change data from the deep ocean, why not just hitch a ride with an organism that's going down there anyways? That's the thinking which led to the creation of "biohybrid jellyfish" which pack not one but two speed-boosting technologies.The cyborg jellies are being developed by a team at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) led by Prof. John Dabiri.He's been messing around with the creatures for some time now, having previously brought us a jellyfish-inspired flexible pump, an…

By Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research February 27, 2024Recent research in the Arctic reveals that jellyfish, once considered negligible in food webs, are a key food source for amphipods during the polar night in Svalbard’s Kongsfjorden, indicating significant changes in the ecosystem due to “Atlantification.” Pictures is a ctenophore or comb jelly. Credit: C. HavermansAWI research team shows that jellyfish play an important, previously unknown role in the diet of amphipods during the…

An experimental new forensic spray allows latent fingerprints to be made visible in just 10 seconds, plus it doesn't require the use of any messy powders. What it does incorporate, however, is a glowing protein that's obtained from jellyfish.Current methods of lifting fingerprints from crime scenes utilize fine powders or fuming chemical reagents. In both cases, obtaining a usable print takes at least a few minutes. Additionally, compounds in the powders or reagents may damage DNA in the sweat or skin oil that makes up…

The scientists named the jellyfish Santjordia pagesi because of its bright red stomach that resembles the Cross of St George. Credit: Dhugal John Lindsay/JAMSTECThe creature has been observed just twice within the depths of the Sumisu Caldera, a volcanic formation in the Ogasawara Islands. The scientist was part of the group that documented a scarce medusa species discovered at a depth of 812 meters.A gelatinous animal with a diameter of about 10 cm and a red stomach resembling the Cross of St George when seen from above.…

Scavenging amphipods from Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Credit: Alfred Wegener Institute / Charlotte HavermansFirst observation of marine invertebrates eating live and dead jellyfish during Arctic winter.In the dark and cold of the months-long polar night, food resources are limited. Some groups of marine organisms in the polar regions overcome this challenge by going into a metabolic resting state in winter, surviving on reserves accumulated during the short growth season. But others, such as several species of marine…

Whenever a jellyfish loses a tentacle, it can regenerate the lost limb. For years, scientists have been baffled by exactly how these ocean creatures bring their lost limbs back to life, but now we seem to have made a breakthrough, at least partly solving the mystery of how jellyfish regeneration works.To fully understand the discovery that researchers have made, we first need to discuss how this type of regeneration usually works in animals. Starfish, salamanders, and even small hydrozoans all regenerate lost…

Jellyfish don't seem to have a lot going on. They're gelatinous blobs that have neither brains, nor hearts, nor blood, often at the mercy of where ocean currents take them.But that doesn't mean they are simple. Far from it. They're extremely efficient, making them one of the most successful animal groups on the planet.One of the keys to that success is their tentacles – long tendrils that entangle their prey, delivering paralyzing toxins that allow the jellyfish to digest in peace. If something untoward happens to those…

New research reveals how Cladonema jellyfish can regrow their tentacles in just a few days, highlighting the role of unique stem-like proliferative cells in this rapid regenerative process. This breakthrough offers insights into similar regenerative processes in other species. Credit: SciTechDaily.comJapanese scientists have uncovered that Cladonema jellyfish regenerate tentacles using stem-like proliferative cells, offering new insights into the blastema formation process and its evolutionary parallels in other species…

Deep sea mining could pose a danger to local jellyfish populations, a new study suggests. The first-of-its-kind study was conducted by researchers and marine ecologists and aims to see just how much deep sea mining affects the wildlife that calls the sea floor home.There are, of course, several benefits to mining the ocean floor, including access to rare minerals and elements that we can’t find in high concentrations above the ocean surface. However, mining under the sea could actually cause harm to deep sea…

New research reveals that managing transposable elements in DNA via the Piwi-piRNA pathway extends lifespan. This finding, which links DNA activity to aging, opens up new possibilities in medical and biological research for health improvement and age determination.Two Eötvös Loránd University researchers have made an exciting breakthrough in understanding how we age.Researchers Dr. Ádám Sturm and Dr. Tibor Vellai from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary have achieved a significant discovery in the study of aging. Their…