The Immortal Jellyfish and Other News of the Week

By Shala Howell, June 1, 2012

Jellyfish (Photo credit: GeniusDevil)

The 6 Most Amazing Jellyfish in the Sea

Reader Andrea Smart saw my post on jellyfish stings last week and sent me an article by the folks at Jellyfish Facts packed with awesome pictures and rather funny soundbites about The 6 Most Amazing Jellyfish in the Sea. I love the commentary on the Turritopsis nutricula (aka the Immortal Jellyfish).

We all dream of being immortal, but unfortunately the dream of immortality isn’t as simple as doing what you want when you want it without fear of reprisal or damnation. Sadly, the key to extended longevity lies in the ability to return to a polyp (adolescent) state after becoming sexually mature… and in being a very small, rather lonely-looking jelly with an unpronounceable name.

Shame really.

Thanks, Andrea! (Read more: The 6 Most Amazing Jellyfish in the Sea.)

The Beachchair Scientist

Speaking of oceans, this week The Five-Year-Old and I discovered the wonderful blog, The Beachchair Scientist. Billed as “bringing a simplified perspective to your beach combing inquiries and more,” this week’s crop of Beachchair posts includes a survey of children’s books about the sea, a look at why the horseshoe crab has been unchanged for thousands of years, and the expose “how does a sea star move?” The Beachchair Scientist takes questions by email, which means she’s in very grave danger of becoming The Five-Year-Old’s favorite non-related pen pal.