4 ms·

Funny they don't mention the hydra, an amazing little creature, almost(?) immortal: http://www.wired.com/2015/02/absurd-creature-of-the-week-hydra/ http://www.w

Funny they don't mention the hydra, an amazing little creature, almost(?) immortal: http://www.wired.com/2015/02/absurd-creature-of-the-week-hydra/ http://www.wired.com/2015/02/absurd-creature-of-the-week-hyd...

s_dev 11y ago
Lobsters and some jellyfish are functionally immortal as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_dohrnii https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_dohrnii
- fsloth 11y ago
  Smithsonian magazine disagrees on the immortality of lobsters: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-listen-to-the-buzz-lobsters-arent-actually-immortal-88450872/?no-ist http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-listen-to-... Although, since they will eventually die of energy depletion from growing too large, if they actually stopped growing they might go on ... a lot longer?
  - creshal 11y ago
    > Although, since they will eventually die of energy depletion from growing too large, if they actually stopped growing they might go on ... a lot longer? If humans stopped ageing they'd go on a lot longer, too. But as long as they can't it's a hypothetical scenario in both cases.
    - kaffeemitsahne 11y ago
      Maybe it's because I'm not a lobster, but halting growth to keep energy requirements low seems like an easier problem.
- reasonattlm 11y ago
  A few years back researchers found a way to measure lobster age, something that had been a challenge until then: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/30/lobster-age_n_2215990.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/30/lobster-age_n_22159... So give it a few more years and there should be some firm data on how negligibly senescent they actually are. Much of the present situation was a lack of good data.
odabaxok 11y ago
They mention it with a link to this: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150622-can-anything-live-forever http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150622-can-anything-live-fo...
yread 11y ago
Well, mole rats and whales are a lot closer to us so there is a higher probability that they will find something that translates well. Although even mice have their limits http://www.pnas.org/content/110/9/3507.abstract http://www.pnas.org/content/110/9/3507.abstract
- ionwake 11y ago
  Other animals that are negligibly senescent: Aldabra Tortoise, Rockfish, Red woods, Koi

s_dev 11y ago

Lobsters and some jellyfish are functionally immortal as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_dohrnii https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_dohrnii

fsloth 11y ago
Smithsonian magazine disagrees on the immortality of lobsters: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-listen-to-the-buzz-lobsters-arent-actually-immortal-88450872/?no-ist http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-listen-to-... Although, since they will eventually die of energy depletion from growing too large, if they actually stopped growing they might go on ... a lot longer?
- creshal 11y ago
  > Although, since they will eventually die of energy depletion from growing too large, if they actually stopped growing they might go on ... a lot longer? If humans stopped ageing they'd go on a lot longer, too. But as long as they can't it's a hypothetical scenario in both cases.
  - kaffeemitsahne 11y ago
    Maybe it's because I'm not a lobster, but halting growth to keep energy requirements low seems like an easier problem.
reasonattlm 11y ago
A few years back researchers found a way to measure lobster age, something that had been a challenge until then: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/30/lobster-age_n_2215990.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/30/lobster-age_n_22159... So give it a few more years and there should be some firm data on how negligibly senescent they actually are. Much of the present situation was a lack of good data.

odabaxok 11y ago

They mention it with a link to this: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150622-can-anything-live-forever http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150622-can-anything-live-fo...

yread 11y ago

Well, mole rats and whales are a lot closer to us so there is a higher probability that they will find something that translates well. Although even mice have their limits http://www.pnas.org/content/110/9/3507.abstract http://www.pnas.org/content/110/9/3507.abstract

ionwake 11y ago
Other animals that are negligibly senescent: Aldabra Tortoise, Rockfish, Red woods, Koi