Time doesnt heal all wounds.
If youre an injured comb jellyfish, you might just need another of your species to meld with.
The findings could have huge ramifications for the study of human regeneration.
A warty comb jelly, comprised of two fused individuals, can be seen in this image.© Mariana Rodriguez-Santiago
The discovery was spurred by a random observation.
To satisfy their curiosity, they partially amputated lobes from other jellyfish and placed them together into a tank.
In all nine of those cases, the fused animals survived for three full weeks in their holding tanks.
The process was a quick one.
After just a single hour, the movement of grafted lobes became synchronized.
An hour after that, the overall movement of the combined creatures lobes were 95% synced up.
Even the nervous systems showed signs of gelling together.
Even the digestive system acted as one.
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