Simply put, a peculiar variety of tiny jellyfish whose origins stem from the toasty waters of the Caribbean are slowly extending their habitat to oceans all around the world.

There is really nothing very anomalous about the manner in which Turritopsis nutricula, a five-millimeter jellyfish more correctly associated with the hydrozoan family of small, predatory hydra-like Cnidaria, has begun to propagate other bodies of water around the world. In fact, the creatures themselves are doing very little, aside from being swept into the ballast water in ships, which is emptied at different locations as these vessels dock at ports while traveling. But the peculiar aspect that would garner our attention regarding these odd little buggers is how they are able to reverse their aging process after reaching sexual maturity; a process which they are able to render again and again indefinitely. This presents a curious situation where the creatures never really die, and are thus considered to be biologically immortal.

The Times Online recently cited these jellies as being “the world

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Author: Micah Hanks

Micah Hanks is a writer, researcher, and podcaster. His interests include areas of history, science, archaeology, philosophy, and the study of anomalous phenomena in nature. He can be reached at info@micahhanks.com.