How to Make Your Own Jellyfish

Jellyfish, one of the strangest organisms known to man. They can be found in every ocean in large quantities, and they are one of the oldest organisms in existence, surviving for nearly 500 million years! Yet, something this old is not the slightest bit wise, as it doesn't even have a brain.

However, the bioengineers at Caltech and Harvard chose to artificially create a jellyfish. You may think why do we need more of something that is already so plentiful, and potentially dangerous. Well, the bioengineers explain that jellyfish have a simple structure to them. Jellyfish are pretty much just "a pulsating bell, a tassel of trailing tentacles and a single digestive opening through which it both eats and excretes." The bell of the jellyfish contains its vitals, and by understanding how it works, the bioengineers began their attempt at creating an artificial jellyfish.

A polymer jellyfish

A schematic of the bell was created, detailing the tissue used. Using the schematic, the bioengineers began constructing the jellyfish. First, they cut a thin polymer membrane, a material similar to jellyfish tissue, into the shape of a jellyfish. Then, they placed rat heart cells and protein into the polymer. The rat hearts served as the vitals, while the protein served as a guide for the rat hearts to grow correctly. Once this was finished, they submerged their invention into a tank and sent a current through it. Amazingly, the invention came to life and had movements similar to a real jellyfish.

This successful experiment can lead to many new discoveries in the future. Despite the simplicity of a jellyfish, this is a great starting point for future construction of more complicated organisms, and eventually to the possibility of being able to operate on humans. In the meantime, the bioengineers at Caltech and Harvard will continue to improve their jellyfish, hoping to give it the ability to move without a current and capture its own food.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2120119,00.html

The following video sums up the creation of the jellyfish: