It is the only living creature on the planet that can live forever. And its a Medusozoa, or more familiarly known as a Jellyfish.

In May of 2009, the news of an immortal creature swept the world. New speculations were made of what this news would do onto society today. How it would effect the science and research that goes on today. But being as suprising as it is to find a creature being able to be immortal, it is complex and alien to all scientists, even for scientists who have been studying the Medusozoa tree their whole life.

Scientists today are amazed at what this Medusozoa can do. Unlike every other animal known to man, as long as there aren’t any disease or detrimental environment changes, it has the ability to go through a transformation that is commonly compared to one as a Phoenix. Like the Phoenix, this Medusozoa can make itself be ‘born again.’ While the Phoenix may be born through its ashes, the Turritopsis Nutricula goes through a stage that scientists call, Transdifferentiation. This is a process which, when described in non-scientific terms, allows the Medusozoa to be ‘reborn.’ First, the Medusozoa stops all production and contracts into itself and waits until it sinks down to the bottom of the ocean floor. Then, it sprouts a colony of new polyps from its original umbrella which turns into its own new body.

An average human in the world will live approximately 70 years. What if our life span changed from a number like 80 to ∞. Wouldn’t that change the whole meaning of life, marriage, value, thought, education, ethics, economy, etc… ? On this planet that has more creatures, whether it be amphibians or mammals, than we can possibly even imagine, there is only one single known animal that has the ability to live forever. The Turritopsis Nutricula.

Why is it that this Jellyfish appeared now, at this time? Is it showing a glimmer of hope for humans to live longer? So many people today, aim for youth and eternal life. If scientists were able to understand the Transdifferentiation proccess thoroughly, would we be able to recreate our skin cells, brain cells and organ cells like the new polyps?

These are the questions and topics I would like to cover throughout the semester.

1. How does the Turritopsis Nutricula effect the science we do today?

2. What effect has the news done to society?

3. How has the discovery of the Turritopsis Nutricula effect the views of death?

Science.

Society today, we look at each other and feel superior if we look prettier, younger or fresher. While there are over a billions of products claiming that either a lotion, skin wash or other cosmetic related product will help rejuvinate the skin, we know that we will still die and thus it will be pointless when we reach the day of our death date. However, we have found an animal that is called the Turritopsis Nutricula that shows us that we can in fact be immortals if only we had the science to apply this phenomenal proccess of Transdifferentiation to humans. But there’s a catch. Medusozoas are one of the world’s simplest creatures. Meaning, that this Transdifferentiation may be possible only because Medusozoas don’t have a brain or a body with more than maybe one or two organs. However, we know that it is quite different with humans. Perhaps we could recreate a shell of a human but then comes the hard part. Would we be able to recreate the brain exactly as it is? Exactly so that perhaps the person going through the proccess would be able to remember the day that they had their first kiss with their sweetheart? Or maybe the day they fell down and their grandma had baked a apple pie for them? These priceless memories are perhaps miniscule and some people might call them unneccessary and sentimental. However, aren’t what groups of little things make up one big thing. Like perhaps a human? Aren’t what we experienced and learned throughout the years what makes us an individual than just a group of mammals in the animal kingdom? While humans may keep striving for a better life and try to achive immortality with better food, healthcare, products that help ease the human lifestyle into the earth, perhaps there is a reason that humans are not immortal. Perhaps there is in fact a God that does moderate our life and maybe that is the reason why there aren’t inventions that allow people to live longer. Maybe the discovery of the Turritopsis Nutricula will determine whether humans can live forever or it shows man kind that the race for immortality is nothing but a notion in our minds that continue to give us hope.

Life.

There are many things in the world that use the concept of immortality. Perhaps more than one will ever realize. The story of Dracula who is said to be in hiding because he in fact lives forever. The fountain of youth in the Super Mario Game. Or maybe the recent movie Twilight which depicts vampires who can’t die unless it is intended. This concept of immortality is something that most people would want for themselves. However, while at a glance, immortality might seem handy dandy, perhaps in reality, if everyone in the world were to be immortal, maybe the world would have more problems. First, jails would become rather pointless since if everyone is immortal, you can’t really jail them since they can’t die. Second, the earth is only so big, how would the earth be able to continue the never ending births with no deaths to make up for it. And Third, which I think is the most important, the structure of morality I think would crumble because the concept of heaven would be pointless to christian believers. I am a strong self egosist believer like Ayn Rand. If all these Christians had obeyed the ten commandments perhaps so that they could have a better afterlife and then all of the sudden, the afterlife is to be gone all together, what would happen to the moral structure between humans. Would we still continue to be as nice and good since we can just go to a new country and start a ‘new life?’ I think that though the concept of reality is something that should be thought of that might be good just as a desire, it is one of those things that shouldn’t be trifled with. I think that the concept of life is something that no person should trifle it because perhaps there is an actual reason for life having a certain expiration date for all individuals instead of everyone living and living and living and just never dying. The value and concept of life would change all together possible if everyone were to be immortal which I think would be for the worse than the best.

Concept of Forever.

Death is something that we as animals, have become accustomed to. It is something that we know is the payment of life. It is the way of nature. But perhaps not all rules are something that humans want. Like life, I asked 20 of my Sociology classmates on whether if given the choice to immortality and if not why they would choose to not become immortal. And the results weren’t really suprising, 18 of the 20 chose to live with immortality. However, the two that chose not to live forever gave interesting insight on why they wouldn’t want to live forever. One said that she ‘wouldn’t want to relive history over and over and over and over’ until she would commit suicide over boredom. I think that this response is a little over the top but it does give a good point. How many times in history class has a professor said that history repeats itself over and over whether it be in China or the Indies or Sweden or America? We know through our textbooks that history is existent in all cultures and all cultures though they have a different background and language structure, pretty much experience everything the same as other cultures. The second individual who chose not to live forever wrote that ‘Forever is a big concept that would need to be thought over before I could make the choice.’ This response was something that I thought was rather safe. It didn’t really tell me what that person wanted. However, I did agree that the concept of ‘Forever’ is something that is more than a definition of ‘never ending.’ It is something that I think that because we as humans have never experienced, we will never be able to comprehend the real difference and just massiveness of the concept of ‘Forever.’ And once again, I thought maybe that there is a reson that people die instead of living on and on. Perhaps if humans didn’t die, the world would change so differently that it would just not be the world we know today.

Natural resources.

If the world was able to find a way to somehow make everyone immortal, I think that there would be more problems than benefits. I’m almost absolutely sure that there aren’t enough natural resources to support even our current population for more than a couple thousand years. There have been news even now warning of the dangers that might come out of the over usage and waste caused by humans today. Everywhere an individual turns, he or she can see recycling containers or an article on why humans need to start reducing the consumption rate because the earth’s natural resource deposits are in danger of depletion. If people were to become immortal, getting reproductive organs to not work would become a regular surgery. Also, I think that maybe even fines would be paid for a newborn because there would be more restrictions on birth. Perhaps cults would be created too because one group believes that they should be allowed to be immortals than other groups and then fights would start to break out and then maybe a big feud between groups would start. I think that people would go crazy because like the movies where evil villains seek out the power to become immortal, everyone is and so immortals would try to end other immortals in fight for their chance to live longer. Because if other immortals were to die, that would mean that there is a less consumption of natural resources which means that they can live longer. Also, the myths about extraterrestrial life would be proven because people would try to look for other natural resources to replace the current resources that we are in dire need with other planets’ resources. However, I think that the ocncept of immortality would do more than the destruction of our planet. The relevance of history would no longer be necessary, as everyone would be able to recollect the memory of the event that had happened long ago. Education I think would no longer be as big of an issue than it is now because people would be able to learn after a hundred years. I think that the ethics, morals, and priorities of people would rapidly change for the worse because there is no concept of end where one can’t go back to become more educated or one can’t take another opportunity because if one was to be immortal, opportunities would never cease to exist.

Metempsychosis.

One of the most famous philosophers, Plato, believes in the concept of Metempsychosis. Metempsychosis is the belief that one soul can transfer to another physical body different from the previous. It is the thought that souls reincarnate, be born again and again in a different body. Metempsychosis is a notion that believes that because souls cannot be ended or killed by any matter, it is an eternal substance that cannot be effected by any matter or rules in the world. There have been many who debate on whether the soul exsits or not. Whether god exists or not. A test done in the 1950’s showed that when an individual dies, a scientifically measurable amount of weight is lost from the individual’s body. At first, this discovery was a phenomenal proof for religion to show that souls exist and therefore there must be a place like heaven for souls to linger. And for decades, this research was relied on by many churches and other religions. However, in the late 1990’s another test was perform with more modern equipment and the results were disappointing. It showed that no body weight was lost when an individual died. The experiment performed previously had either been a hoax or a mistake during the proccess. So if the Turritopsis Nutricula were to aid man kind achieve immortality, would the concept of a soul exist? Would the whole beliefs that many of humans have right now be shattered?

Change of Topic – Tetris.

Tetris is a game known internationally. It is one of the most played games as it requires no translation from one language to another. Formally invented by a Russian engineer, Alexey Pajitnov, it became a widespread game throughout the world quickly. Tetris is considered a type of puzzle game which gives people a false impression that Tetris is difficult. However, because of Tetris’ nature which incorporates, moderate intelligence and faster time reaction, it became a very popular game. Tetris is constructed of seven different blocks which are refered as Tetrominoes. Though many people get the impression that because there are such a few number of blocks, there must be a limited amount of ways to place these Tetrominoes, these Tetrominoes can infact change their block shape. These Tetrominoes have unending possibilities in which they can be arranged.

First, the ㄴ and ㄱ shapes can change into three different shapes each. Though they are only considered as one Tetrominoe, because they can be arranged differently, they can be viewed as six seperate Tetrominoes.

Second, the z shapes can change into two different shapes each. Which once again shows how it can be viewed as two different Tetrominoes.

Third, the ㅣ shape can change into two different shapes which can be shown as ㅣvertical or ㅡhorizontally.

Lastly, the ㅗ shape is considered a ‘T’ shape. This block has four different changes that it can take. Out of the seven Tetrominoes, the T shape is considered the most complex as it allows the skill, T-spin to be made.

T-spin is one of the more harder elements of the game. Though one can play Tetris without the usage of a T-spin, many people like to use this skill because it requires alot of calculation and brain power for an individual to construct a field in which the individual can incorporate a T-spin.

History of Tetris.

Tetris was formally released to the public on the 6th of June in 1984 by Alexey Pajitnov. As soon as it was released, over twenty different countries made their own version of Tetris. While still using the fundamental concepts of Tetris, which included the same Tetrominoes and the graphing field. One of the countries that most played Tetris was Japan. Japan quickly was able to have many individuals who played Tetris at a uncomparible level. Even the Russian who had a head start were unable to beat the Japanese. However, several decades later, South Korea developed the game Tetris so that it was an online competition game. Adopting much of the same aspects of Japanese Tetris, Korea released their own version of Tetris which followed the basic fundamental aspects of the original released in 1984. By the year 2000, Tetris had more variations that the widely known game, Pacman. Tetris’ popularity could not even be measured but it was widely accepted that of the developed countries, over 35%of the population had either heard of or played the game Tetris. However, Tetris was soon to be removed from all markets throughout the world. The game Tetris had been misused widely throughout many corporations. Nintendo, Sega, Gameboy and many other companies had printed the game Tetris without the proper payment to it’s owner, Alexey Pajitnov. While Alexey Pajitnov had made very very little money from the game considering it’s success, the other corporations had reaped millions of dollars exploiting the idea of Tetris which they had no rights to. Fights went on for years on what was to be done. The corporations felt it right that they hadprinted a different version and thus it was their right to keep the money while the creators felt differently. In 1996, all Tetris was banned from the internet, cellphones and any copies that could be destroyed. For years people who had enjoyed Tetris online posted up complaints and questions on why the game was removed and could not be found in any website or medium. Until recently Tetris was removed from all internet sites. However, a recent contract from the company TTC, released a copy of Tetris that held more guidelines and restrictions so that anyone who bought the game would have to follow certain aspects of the game which included the function of a Hold, Next, and Ghost. Though these were subtle changes, because so many users had not been used to these changes, people began to get frustrated. Tetris which was popular, was not as popular to the market.

Health Issues on Tetris

Tetris which is a game that involves critical thinking, analyzing, and processing, was proven to help the function of the brain. Many studies showed that by playing Tetris everyday for thirty minutes a day, could help prevent Alzheimer’s illness. By helping the effeciency of the brain, Tetris enabled the individual to have higher brain activity than of a normal person who had not. The glucose metabolic rate of an individual who had played Tetris was much higher and more effecient than that of non Tetris users. Also, many studies showed that the playing of Tetris caused the thickening of the Cerebral Cortex which was the part of the brain that involved, language, awareness, thought, attention and memory. While playing the game every day for even thirty minutes could lead to an improvement of reasoning, critical thinking, analyzing and processing, the game also had many detrimental effects. Because Tetris was a sort of a pattern game, many individuals found themselves addicted to the game. While it was not all the individuals who played Tetris, a large percentage of people found themselves constantly thinking of the game throughout the day even when they were not playing it. A study showed that approximately fifteen percent of the users had symptoms that showed addiction to the game Tetris. Of the fifteen percent, nine percent reported that they played the game for an average of four hours a day for approximately six days out of seven days in a week. Of those nine percent, three percent reported that they played for more than seven hours a day out of seven days in a week. Though at a moderate usage, there are health benefits, it showed that if an individual exposes him or herself to the game Tetris for too long, there is a high chance that the individual will become addicted and thus unable to have a normal social life because of the time consumption on the game.

Tetris in Korea

I am a Tetris fanatic myself. I first started in 2010 February which indicates my lack of ability in Tetris. I play the Korean internet version which allows individuals to play against one another comparing one another’s ability to pile up blocks and also to rid of blocks. In the Korean internet version, because of the contract from TTC, the usage of a Hold and Next are required.

Hold- is the ability to store away one’s current block so that he or she can take it out and use it in exchange for a different situation.

Next- is the ability to see the upcoming Tetrominoes so that the user can process the order and placement of blocks that they will be using throughout the game.

While many people view Tetris as an easy game, Tetris is a much more complex game that had been proven that certain intelligent people are able to play the game better. While there are mindless games like Mario or Street fighter, the game Tetris has shown that the smarter the individual, the better or higher the results of their games will be. While there are millions to billions of ways a Tetrominoe can be arranged, it is shown that each individual piles their blocks completely differently from one another. While Tetrominoes can be arranged so that Tetrominoe A B C A D E C F A D comes out, while one user may use a Hold on the first block, another user might use it on a different block which shows that the even a ten block order can have hundreds of possibilities on how it may be laid out. Many People doubt the enjoyment of a game that repeats itself with seven blocks. However, as one can see, Seven blocks are actually sixteen different blocks with an unending possibility of how to lay down the blocks.

Cont.

While my Tetris playing time has not been like many well playing fanatics who have played Tetris since their middle school or elementary years, I ranked in Korea as one of the top 100 players in the Tetris of Hangame. While I do lack many basic abilities which make me different from the top ten, even with less than a year’s experience in the game, I am among the top .1% in Korea. Some might wonder how an individual may be judged on how well he or she can play the game. However it is quite simple. The most important aspect of Tetris is Speed. While adding lines to one’s opponent is equally as important, if one is fast enough, even the addition of lines can be unimportant. In the Korean version of Tetris, the speed is calculated by the number of lines distinguished divided by the seconds played, but only in minute conversions. For example, if I distinguished 40lines in 30seconds, my speed would be 80.00 because it is calculated per minute. If I distinguished 100lines in 1minute 30seconds, by speed would be 66.66 and so forth. Currently the fastest player in Korea has a speed of approximately 110.00 which is no small feat. I have a speed of approximately 86.00. However, this is where the additional number of lines comes into perspective. While the 110.00 user and I have equal amounts of lines distinguished, the difference comes when this 110.00 user is able to pile more line to send more additional lines in order for my defeat. While speed is the most important aspect in Tetris, when it comes to seperating the best from the great, the combination of adding lines and speed equals to one’s ability to do well. Also, there are rankings in Korean Tetris which incorporate speed and technique. First is the 40line elimination. Currently the individual who has the fastest 40line elimination time is approximately 17seconds. Like it says, it is to determine who is the fastest. On who can distinguish lines faster. The second is the 5minute marathon. This marathon is for technique. While a normal four line elimination which is known as Tetris, gives only lets say 100points, a T-spin single gives 200 and a T-spin double gives 400 and a T-spin triple gives 600. However, a Back to Back T-spin double give 1200points. By constructing a Back to Back T-spin double field, it challenges the user’s thought process and ability to use the blocks to construct a restricting field that has to be built a certain way.