Researchers Discover First Animal that Lives Without Need of Oxygen
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Researchers have discovered a jellyfish-like parasite that does not have a mitochondrial genome and therefore no need for oxygen to live.
Some truths about the Universe and our experience in it seem immutable. The sky is up. Gravity sucks. Nothing can travel faster than light. Multicellular life needs oxygen to live. Except we might need to rethink that last one.
Earlier this year, scientists discovered that a jellyfish-like parasite doesn't have a mitochondrial genome - the first multicellular organism known to have this absence. That means it doesn't breathe; in fact, it lives its life completely free of oxygen dependency, SomagNews reported.
To date, we have been taught that no multicellular animal can survive without oxygen. However, like everything in science, this topic proved that science has never been precise. The researchers found for the first time a multicellular animal that did not need oxygen.
Researchers who discovered a jellyfish-like parasite earlier this year found that this animal did not have a mitochondrial genome. Thus, the jellyfish-like parasite was registered as the first multicellular organism that did not have a mitochondrial genome.
The discovery of the jellyfish-like parasite mitochondrial genome also marked that it was not breathing. Of course, this resulted in the conclusion that this animal does not need oxygen. This discovery of researchers could be used to study not only life on Earth but perhaps extraterrestrial life.
Mitochondria, one of the cell organelles, is located inside the cells of any animal’s body (except red blood cells). Mitochondria are one of the most basic structures of breathing. These organelles divide oxygen and form molecules called adenosine triphosphatase. Adenosine triphosphatase is the molecule that powers the cells of organisms.
Although an animal that needs very little oxygen has been discovered to date, an animal without a mitochondria has never been discovered. You may be wondering how the animal, which does not need oxygen due to this deficiency, survives. But even scientists haven’t been able to explain it yet.
According to some estimates, this jellyfish-like parasite might have been getting adenosine triphosphatase from the living creature. Of course, it has not been possible to reach a definitive conclusion yet. However, with this example, nature proved again how unpredictable it is.
