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Ethics of Extending Life

There are, of course, numerous ethical implications that go hand in hand with the idea of incredibly long lasting lives or with immortality. One of the foremost of these is the problem of population control- if humans have overly-extended lives, or become immortal, how would we ensure that we produce enough resources to support the human race? As Catholics especially this would be an issue, as solutions raised to this hypothetical question in today’s culture include euthanization, abortion, and the use of contraceptives, all of which are actions that the Catholic church stands in firm opposition to. While there seems to be no doctrinal opposition to the concept of extending life far beyond its natural capacity, the accompanying problems would most definitely be subject to the disapproval of the Church. In addition to the ethical concerns, the environmental hazards that would stem from making humanity immortal are huge. As a race, we would burn through our natural resources at an exponential rate, resulting in a planet stripped of its assets long before it’s time, and a people without anything to rely upon. There are also those who argue that the type of research being done will never be viable- and is simply a “Pipe dream of Frankenstein science.” While all of these issues are important to keep in mind when considering the potential that genetic research which these jellyfish have, they certainly should not deter from looking deeper into the amazing possibilities that could be realized by working with the T. Dorhnii jellies.

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Ability to Extend Lifespans

One of the most interesting aspects of the T. Dohrnii Jellyfish is the potential for extension of human life. Should scientists discover how to replicate and splice (combine) the COX (cyclooxygenase) gene that makes the T. Dohrnii jellyfish so special, they may be able to edit or even combine the genes of humans with that of the jellyfish. This combination, done correctly would be a complete game changer, as it could mean that we could halt or even reverse the aging process in humans, regrow organs that are damaged, or return differentiated cells to pluripotent stem cells.  “Once we determine how the jellyfish rejuvenates itself, we should achieve very great things. My opinion is that we will evolve and become immortal ourselves.” The potential for immortality here is amazing because for as long as humanity has been around, we have sought eternity, and we may finally be on the cusp of achieving it.

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Disease Curing Implications

One aspect of the jellyfish’s potential lies in curing diseases. If we were able to harness the regenerative ability of the T. Dorhniis’ tissue we could put an end to diseases that affect tissue degeneration, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. It could also help with organ degeneration, such as kidney or liver issues, by ‘resetting’ the cells of the organ. Hypothetically, if we were able to splice the genes for regeneration into human ones, we could stop tissue aging and death- which is the cause of Alzheimer’s & Parkinson's disease, we could reverse brain damage, and in terms of stopping organ deterioration, we could end issues such as liver failure or kidney dialysis. There has not been a large amount of research done on the genetics or potential of the T. Dohrnii jellyfish, but what has been studied points towards interesting and positive results. “Suggests that restoring factors that edit mRNA to a more ‘youthful’ pattern of mRNA processing can reduce signs of aging, at least in human cells grown in the lab.” Labs that have invested time and energy into studying the tiny jellyfish have struggled with keeping them in a laboratory environment, but have also witnessed amazing results, with one specific lab in Shirhama, Japan that has kept colonies of the jellyfish alive for over two years in a laboratory environment, where the T. Dohrnii was observed going through its lifecycle and resetting at least ten times.

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Resetting Its Lifecycle

The T. Dohrnii Jellyfish is the world’s only known organism that is capable of ‘resetting’ itself in order to avoid death. This capacity is attributed to the presence of a very specific set of genes, that when triggered by an outside factor (such as lack of food or an injury) or an internal factor (aging or sickness), engage and send the medusa form (the form that is most associated with jellyfish- a central bell with numerous tentacles) of the jellyfish back into its polyp form (the jellyfish’s infant stage, where it resembles a small plant attached to the floor of the ocean), essentially undifferentiating the jellyfish’s cells, and forcing them back into their most basic stem cell form. The T. Dohrnii jellyfish has been spreading across the world at a rapid rate, as they reproduce quickly, and can attach themselves to carrier ships, which allows them to cross great distances in very small amounts of time. This means that the tiny, immortal jellyfish is being studied in labs across the world, from Germany to Florida to Japan.

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The Benjamin Button of the Sea

In oceans all over the world, there floats a jellyfish that could potentially hold the key to immortality. The Jellyfish T. Dohrnii  is a small but beautiful jellyfish, clear with a red center, and long trailing tentacles. More important than its fascinating appearance however is the genetic makeup of the jellyfish, which allows it to regenerate itself (by growing younger) whenever it starts to become too old to function any more. This feature of the jellyfish implies that it has the potential to live forever, so long as it is unharmed by outside sources. The T. Dohrnii jellyfish could be the 'fountain of youth' that has been sought after since the dawn of humanity.  There have been few studies carried out on the jellyfish, due to several factors- namely a lack of funding. However, the implications of the "Benjamin Button Jellyfish" are huge, as genetic experimentation using the T. Dohrnii jellyfish might mean unlocking the secret to extending human lifespan to seemingly impossible limits, or perhaps even creating immortals.