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Red Sea Urchins Nearly Immortal
varjag writes "A study by scientists from Oregon State University and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have revealed that Red Sea urchins are practically immortal. While they can die from diseases or predator attacks, it seems that their life span has no biological limit. Specimen as old as 100 and 200 years have been discovered, while previously they were expected to last no longer than 7-15 years."
There will be no "Yoda Doll / Spiny Sea Urchin stuffed up unlikely orifice" posts with this story.
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CORVALLIS, Ore. - A new study has concluded that the red sea urchin, a small spiny invertebrate that lives in shallow coastal waters, is among the longest living animals on Earth - they can live to be 100 years old, and some may reach 200 years or more in good health with few signs of age.
The red sea urchin appears to be one of the longest living animals on Earth, with a possible lifespan of up to 200 years, according to a new study by marine zoologists at Oregon State University. (Photo by Richard Strathmann, Friday Harbor Laboratory)
In other words, an individual red sea urchin that hatched on the day in 1805 that Lewis and Clark arrived in Oregon may still be thriving - and even breeding. The research was just published in a professional journal, the U.S. Fishery Bulletin, by scientists from Oregon State University and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It may have important implications for management of a commercial fishery and our understanding of marine biology, as well as challenge some erroneous assumptions about the life cycle of this never-say-die marine species.
It used to be believed that red sea urchins lived to be only seven to 15 years of age, experts say. But the newest findings are based on the use of two completely different techniques of determining sea urchin ages - one biochemical and the other nuclear - that produced the same results. The studies show red sea urchins can have a vast lifespan surpassing that of virtually all terrestrial and most marine animal species, and seem to show almost no signs of senescence, or age-related dysfunction, right up until the day that something kills them.
"No animal lives forever, but these red sea urchins appear to be practically immortal," said Thomas Ebert, a marine zoologist at OSU. "They can die from attacks by predators, specific diseases or being harvested by fishermen. But even then they show very few signs of age. The evidence suggests that a 100-year-old red sea urchin is just as apt to live another year, or reproduce, as a 10-year-old sea urchin."
The more mature red sea urchins, in fact, appear to be the most prolific producers of sperm and eggs, and are perfectly capable of breeding even when incredibly old. There is no sea urchin version of menopause.
Some of the new studies on this species were done with funding support from the Pacific States Fishery Commission to gain more information about the species, its life cycle, biology, survival rate, growth patterns, and perhaps shed light on why the red sea urchin resource was declining in some areas.
This small marine animal, which is found in shallow Pacific Ocean coastal waters from Alaska to Baja California and also elsewhere in the world's oceans, lives by grazing quietly on marine plants and deterring most predators with its pointy spines. Historically, it had been considered a nuisance.
"In the U.S. in the 1960s, sea urchins were considered the scourge of the sea, a real menace," Ebert said. "They ate plants in kelp forests and people believed they were at least partly responsible for the decline of that marine ecosystem, so they tried to poison them, get rid of them however possible."
But in the 1970s a commercial fishery developed in the U.S. based on sea urchins, which were sold primarily to Japan where their sex organs were considered a delicacy. They brought high prices, and at one point in the 1990s were one of the most valuable marine resources in California.
Ebert did some early work on the red sea urchin, along with colleagues Steve Schroeter at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and John Dixon, of the California Coastal Commission. It quickly became apparent that sea urchins, among other things, grew a lot more slowly and lived a lot longer than had been believed. "Sea urchins live as male and females, and fertilization of eggs takes place while they float in the ocean," Ebert said. "The larvae then feed for a month or more before turning into tiny sea urchins."
The red sea urchin, in
CMDRTACO CHECK YOUR EMAIL!
Man, this has "genetic analysis" written all over it. Screw world overpopulation problems; I wanna be immortal!
Oh, and just cuz I can, fr0st p1st, bizzatches.
sigs are for suckers
The other day I was walking by the ocean, and noticed two red sea urchins sword fighting by the shore. One beat down the other, then said "In the end, there can be only one" and chopped off the loser's head. Then there was this lightning or something, and the street lights blew out.
So they have recorded lifespans of 100-200 years old? Isn't this just like humans?
But somewhat remarkably, it appears to never really stop growing. It's just very, very slow.
Isn't this ALSO just like humans? We typically 'increase diameter' as we enter middle age too, albeit from too much beer and chips. I'm not sure I give this study a lot of credibility using the word 'immortal'.
--trb
Now I just have to find someone that can graft a human head to a sea urchin.
Combine scorpian, red sea urchin and transistor growing e-coli DNA and produce a walking, stinging, immortal indestructable computer ... which will be obsolite by the time it hatches
Music is everybody's possession.
It's only publishers who think that people own it.
Fuck Beta
~John Lenno
The key to their longevity appears to be always growing, but ever so slowly.
I could see where age guessing of a slowly-changing organism would be difficult and that they would corroborate their results with nuclear information because biochemical indicators are so flat.
This is also consistent with Duncan MacLeod and the other Immortals being under 40.
"Provided by the management for your protection."
Don't some species of parrot and sea turtle live to be 120 or so?
It's incredibly difficult for a human to reach 100 without medical aid.. and I've never heard of a 200 year old human before. ???
Oh great, now they are going to have poorly rehearsed swordfights and go on rants about "the prize".
In the end, there can be only one sea urchin!
We're only seeing the 'larval' stage of these organisms, which happens to be a few hundred years old ... and the next stage is a monstrous life-stealing alien invader of Earth, eating brains and demolishing cities?
That would be cool. Hope its not for a few hundred years though, that would suck...
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
there can be only one.
"So, Mr Urchin, were you too put out when Moses made you get out of the way when he parted the Eed Sea?"
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
This reminds me of all the cryogenics hype when somebody froze and reanimated a frog. Why in only a couple of years before we would be able to freeze astronauts and send them to the stars!
The problem? Fogs aren't people, and neither are Sea Urchins. Any real benefit to humanity is going to be a long time comming from this one.
That having been said, I'd personally like nothing more than to be proven wrong.
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Because 200 years is like FOREVER! When I heard nearly immortal, I thought theyw ould say soemthing like 500, 1000, even 5000 years old. Not 200. Don't some sea turtles live that long? Do we call them "nearly" immortal?
Th
The oldest documented human lifespan is slightly over 120 years. That's nowhere near 200. Moreover, from the article (emphasis mine):
Note the bolded part. You can't find me even one 80-year old human with few signs of age...
I know god exists. I read it on the internet, so it must be true.
...then I would expect to find some which were at least a few thousand years old, and eventually that were dozens of thousand years old. So why are the 100-200 year old ones a big deal?
All things in moderation; including moderation
Lobsters also show no signs of senescence. Just disease and predation limit their lifespans.
A friend of mine was swimming off a beach in Bali and stepped on a long-spined urchin (unknown species) with both feet, which caused immediate and excruciating pain. After his brother helped him on shore, the Balinese natives broke the spines off right where they protruded from the bottoms of his feet. Then they poured lemon juice on the puncture sights and started pounding the soles of his feet with rocks, for hours. The pain was so excruciating he became delirious and started laughing.
The treatment broke up and dissolved the spines below the skin, and that probably saved his life. Apparently there's some sort of toxin, as he was extremely sick for the next 2 weeks. Had the spines remained embedded in his feet, there would have been enough toxin to kill him, a doctor told him later.
"I'm so moist I'm sticking to the leather." -Kermit the Frog on The Late Late Show
AFAIK, The effects of aging are thought to be caused primarily by interference with cell replication by "free radicals" - oxidizing agents that damage proteins required for proper cell function.
What could we learn from the sea urchin about preventing this type of cellular damage?
god forbid you mention the Bible on slashdot - it upsets the liberals.
no worries though - while you're burning in hell, i'll be singing with the angels and there's no amount of "slashdot karma" that can change that fact.
Doesn't (nearly immortal) = forever - 1
seriously. imagine that!
So, let me get this straight, in Japan, an urchin's pussy is considered a delicacy?
social sciences can never use experience to verify their statemen
.....are really sea urchins? If there can be only one these little critters will never get the job done. THEY CAN'T MOVE LET ALONE SWING A SWORD!
They say that they grow at a slow rate and they think that bigger equals older with the urchins. Maybe the big sea urchins are just big for some other reason. Genetics or a good food supply or something. There is no real evidence that they live for a hundred years.
Two words: Dick Clark.
Today's Sesame Street was brought to you by the number e.
They may be immortal, but they're nowhere near as cute as the sea otters that eat them.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
This just in -- housefly researchers determine that human beings are near immortal, with natural lifespans in excess of two months.
The oldest documented human lifespan is slightly over 120 years.
;)
I take it you mean the largest figure for a human lifespan accepted by modern medical science, right? I can think of some pretty old documents about human lifespans that beat 120 years hands down... most of the book of Genesis, for example.
As soon as the nuts who take shark cartilege and all manner of other stuff in hopes of living past 120 hear about this, they'll wipe out the sea urchins...
They should do a study on the terrible reading comprehension skills of the average /. reader.
Or perhaps simply poor understanding of the word 'immortality' is at fault?
All I know is that based on their research, there is no biological reason why a red sea urchin would cease to live e.g. this species is "immortal". Further, it seems apparent that over-harvesting by fisheries would account for why none over the age of 200 can be found (because they've simply been EATEN), and even if they weren't mismanaged then I'm sure some other predator (other than human) would be eating them. Those over 100 years are extremely lucky not to have been devoured.
Ok kids, this time read it again and try to pay attention!
Geesh, its Connor MacLeod, the one who beat the Kurgan and won the Prize, not some lame-ass made-for-TV guy. How old are you, 12?
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
Two words: Dick Clark.
He said human!
You can't take the sky from me...
Micheal Jackson already has a lab full of these creatures being studied, in his quest for immortality
But i think progress goes slow, lately, as he has other things on his mind
The immortality thing is just a front. The real reason is that he likes handling their small pricks.
You can't take the sky from me...
Sorry, fiction doesn't count as "documentation".
I know god exists. I read it on the internet, so it must be true.
We're the urchins of the aquaverse!
... welcome our Red Sea urchin overlords.
"Consensus" in science is _always_ a political construct.
Brings to mind...
Yeah, well, while you're singing with the angels, I'll be fucking your dear saintly mother, you Christian fucknut.
now that's comedy!
How about if I cast magic missile?