Jellyfish are graceful, delicate and mesmerising life forms that have inhabited the world’s oceans for millions of years. Pietro Cimmino explores the characteristics of jellyfish, their role in marine ecosystems and their importance in our scientific future.
Recent research, published in Current Biology, has uncovered intriguing insights into their cognitive abilities that challenge the notion that jellyfish lack intelligence.
Moon jellyfish, ethereal and fair,
Drifting through the depths, a ballet in air.
Translucent bodies, a delicate grace,
Invisible currents guide your embrace.
Moonlit tendrils, trailing behind,
A dance of beauty, nature's design.
Gentle pulsations, rhythmic and slow,
In the tranquil sea's ebb and flow.
Mysteries hidden in your gelatinous form,
A testament to life's diverse norm.
Animals are endowed with the capacity to repair injuries. Some animals simply heal the wound, whereas others are able to regenerate lost parts.
A new study now documents yet another and previously unidentified strategy of self-repair, where moon jellyfish respond to injuries by reorganizing existing parts, and rebuilding essential body symmetry, important for them to stay balanced as they travel around the ocean, without regenerating what is lost.
Researchers have known that an animal swimming parallel to a solid surface receive a subsequent boost in performance, thus allowing them to utilise less energy when moving around.
Studies have quantified this into a 25 percent increase in speed and a 45 percent increase in thrust when swimming near a solid surface.
However, the jellyfish does not swim near the seafloor or seawalls. How does it get named the "world's most efficient swimmer"?
Apparently, it does so by creating a "virtual wall."
In some tropical waters like the Florida Keys mangrove forests, for snorkellers to stay safe, it’s not enough to not touch anything. It may not be a good idea to enter the water in the first place.
That’s because sometimes it seems that the water itself can sting, causing rashes on a snorkeller's skin.
The real culprit is not some mutant strain of water molecules. Rather, it is a species of upside-down jellyfish that lives on the ocean floor. Called Cassiopea xamachana, this jellyfish can also be found in places like the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
In some tropical waters like the Florida Keys mangrove forests, for snorkellers to stay safe, it’s not enough to not touch anything. It may not be a good idea to enter the water in the first place.
That’s because sometimes it seems that the water itself can sting, causing rashes on a snorkeller's skin.
The real culprit is not some mutant strain of water molecules. Rather, it is a species of upside-down jellyfish that lives on the ocean floor. Called Cassiopea xamachana, this jellyfish can also be found in places like the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
After combing through more than 2,000 articles and conducting a systematic review of the evidence for the use of heat or ice in the treatment of cnidarian envenomations, the team concluded that the majority of studies to date support the use of hot-water immersion for pain relief and improved health outcomes.
Box jellyfish have four morphologically different types of eyes. Two of these eye types called the upper and lower lens eyes, are camera type eyes with spherical fish-like lenses.
According to one of Brisbane’s famous chefs, Lien Yeomans, there are several great dishes based on cooked jellyfish coming out of the Vietnamese kitchen.
