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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2: Jellyfish Not So Simple

When looking at a jellyfish, not many people would guess that they have a complex genetic makeup and anatomy. Researchers are studying these seemingly simple organisms in order to better understand their bodily functions.

Renaissance scientists first considered jellyfish to be plants. It wasn’t until the 18th century that they were included in the animal kingdom. Yet unlike others in the animal kingdom, they have a much simpler body frame. Other animals are symmetrical, meaning they are the same on both sides. Jellyfish, on the other hand, look like a bicycle wheel, where they begin from a point in the middle and then spread out like spokes.

Scientists used to believe that jellyfish were remnants of prehistoric animals, but new research shows that they develop in the same way other animals do--in an embryo. An embryo is what results from a fertilized egg. Discovering that jellyfish evolved much like other animals changes the way scientists view animal evolution.

The fruit fly is commonly used to test human genes, but with this new research, jellyfish may soon replace them.

--Written by Amelise Javier

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