Scientists Discover a Creature Resembling Frankenstein’s Monster in Nature, Formed from Two Severely Injured Bodies.
According to Science Alert, researchers in the UK have identified a comb jelly of the species Mnemiopsis leidyi with two unusually large and fused bodies within a captive jellyfish population. Laboratory tests confirmed it as a real-life version of Frankenstein’s monster.
Frankenstein is a character from the eponymous horror novel by Mary Shelley, published in 1818.
In that fictional tale, the mad scientist Viktor Frankenstein creates a monster named after him by piecing together seven body parts stolen from graves, then uses lightning to bring it to life.
One of the “Frankenstein” jellyfish identified by scientists – (Photo: UNIVERSITY OF EXETER).
The “Frankenstein monster” discovered by researchers from the University of Exeter (UK) is somewhat simpler, composed of only two pieces from two severely injured jellyfish.
Interestingly, they did not just stick together like conjoined twins; they fused their nervous systems and most of their digestive systems, allowing all muscles in their bodies to function in unison as a single organism.
This phenomenon arose from an experiment by the research team aimed at providing evidence that the tissues of comb jellies seem capable of growing on each other’s bodies to heal wounds.
Comb jellies are renowned for their ability to regenerate their bodies even after severe injuries that cause disabilities.
The researchers injured several jellyfish by slicing along the side lobes of each and kept them separated in pairs overnight.
The next day, they found that 9 out of 10 pairs had seamlessly fused into a single organism.
However, the fact that they merged their nervous and digestive systems into a unified body was still surprising.
The researchers have yet to determine whether wild comb jellies can do the same.
According to Dr. Kei Jokura, the lead author of the study, the ability of each jellyfish to completely merge with one another indicates that they lack the mechanisms that most other animal species have to recognize what belongs to them and what does not.
This mechanism is essential for the survival of “higher” organisms like us, but it complicates processes like blood and organ donation, such as the necessity to adhere to blood type rules during transplants and the conditions required for organ donation and acceptance, as well as rejection issues…
Dr. Jokura suggests that this species of jellyfish may lack the necessary genes to recognize foreign tissues being grafted onto their bodies, considering their position on the evolutionary tree.
Therefore, discovering these special genes and studying the fusion and regeneration capabilities of the nervous system in Mnemiopsis leidyi may yield significant insights for both evolutionary biology and medicine.
