{"id":533976,"date":"2026-06-13T23:18:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T23:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/533976\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T23:18:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T23:18:13","slug":"this-zombie-sea-creature-keeps-growing-after-being-cut-apart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/533976\/","title":{"rendered":"This \u201cZombie\u201d Sea Creature Keeps Growing After Being Cut Apart"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Man<\/a>Detached sea cucumber tissue was found to survive and keep regenerating for years in ordinary seawater. The discovery highlights a remarkable regenerative ability that could help scientists better understand tissue repair and regrowth. Credit: Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Detached sea cucumber tissue survived, healed, and grew for years in natural seawater, revealing a remarkable new model for regeneration and biomedical research.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A chance observation has led scientists to a discovery that challenges one of biology\u2019s most basic assumptions: that detached animal tissue eventually dies. Instead, researchers found that tissue removed from a sea cucumber remained alive, active, and growing in ordinary seawater for more than three years.<\/p>\n

The study marks the first documented case of discarded tissue surviving and continuing to develop for such a long period outside a sterile, tightly controlled laboratory environment. The findings raise intriguing questions about the limits of cellular longevity and regeneration.<\/p>\n

Beyond its biological significance, the discovery could provide researchers with a simple new model for studying tissue growth and healing, potentially sidestepping some of the ethical and logistical hurdles associated with traditional cell cultures.<\/p>\n

The research, led by scientists at Memorial University of Newfoundland and featuring Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences Senior Research Scientist Rachel Sipler, was recently published in Science Advances.<\/p>\n

\"TubeA progression of tube foot tissue one year (top) versus several years (bottom) after excision showing increasing wound closure and healing at the wound site over time. Shifting colors from red to lighter white and pink reflects pigmented cells forming and consolidating aggregates of healthy tissue and the progression of transparent connective tissue. Credit: Sara JobsonSea Cucumber Tissue Survives and Grows for Years<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t grown a new, complete sea cucumber yet, but we are seeing pretty stunning growth and diversification of cells literally years after this tissue was removed,\u201d Sipler said. \u201cIt\u2019s like a lizard that loses its tail. We know some lizards can grow new tails; we\u2019re talking about whether the tail can grow a new lizard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the mid-20th century, researchers have developed \u201cimmortal\u201d cell lines such as the well-known HeLa cells, which can multiply indefinitely in laboratory settings. However, previous tissue cultures have only survived under tightly controlled \u201caxenic\u201d conditions that exclude bacteria and other organisms. Even under those conditions, they have not shown the same signs of healing, growth, or independent movement.<\/p>\n

Many echinoderms, the phylum that includes sea cucumbers, are known to display impressive regeneration capacity and negligible cell aging. Lost tissue, though, was always assumed to eventually decay or die. Yet, in what Sipler calls a product of \u201ckeen observation,\u201d the researchers noticed that some discarded tissue from a tube foot of a sea cucumber hadn\u2019t decayed after a number of weeks. In fact, it seemed to be growing.<\/p>\n

To investigate further, the team conducted experiments using tissue taken from the feet, body, and tentacles of three Psolus fabricii individuals, a cold-water sea cucumber species.<\/p>\n

How Discarded Tissue Remained Alive in Natural Seawater<\/p>\n

The experiments revealed signs of cell diversification, immune system activity, and tissue reorganization. Despite lacking a mouth, the tissue appeared to obtain nutrients by absorbing amino acids dissolved in seawater. When the researchers ended the experiments after more than three years to publish their findings, the tissue remained active. According to Sipler, its ability to persist in a challenging natural environment sets it apart from other tissue cultures.<\/p>\n

\u201cNatural seawater is just about the most microbially diverse, least clean approach we could take experimentally,\u201d she said. \u201cYet, that rich environment full of bacteria and all this organic matter was actually feeding them and allowing this tissue to heal and grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MicroscopyMicroscopy image of an excised tube foot stained with 5-bromo-2\u2032-deoxyuridine showing cell differentiation, with denser green coloring reflecting areas of more active cellular processes. Credit: Sara Jobson<\/p>\n

The authors say the findings could have major implications for biomedical science and engineering, including potential advances in tissue regeneration and antimicrobial healing.<\/p>\n

The preserved tissue may also become a valuable tool for research and education. In addition to maintaining its structural complexity in culture, it is relatively easy to grow in a laboratory. Because it comes from an invertebrate, it also faces fewer regulatory restrictions than human or vertebrate cell lines, making it useful in settings with legal limitations or limited biosafety resources.<\/p>\n

Biomedical Potential and Ocean Science Implications<\/p>\n

\u201cThis discovery highlights that the ocean holds profoundly unexpected biological innovations,\u201d said Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute Science Director Andrea Bodnar, who was not involved in the study. \u201cThe fact that tissue explants from a sea cucumber can heal, reorganize, and survive independently for years in natural seawater suggests an entirely new model for biological resilience and tissue regeneration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sipler said the finding also underscores how much remains unknown about marine life and its potential scientific value.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best advances in science are made when you find a natural analog for what you\u2019re studying,\u201d she said. \u201cHere is this species that has this groundbreaking ability, and we had no idea. It\u2019s a reminder how much is yet to be discovered in the marine environment, and how important it is to protect these resources that may hold really valuable knowledge for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reference: \u201cNatural tissue immortality: Indefinite survival of sea cucumber explants\u201d by Sara Jobson, Emaline M. Montgomery, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Hamel, Rachel E. Sipler and Annie Mercier, 27 May 2026, Science Advances.
DOI: 10.1126\/sciadv.aeb1394<\/a><\/p>\n

Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.<\/a><\/b>
Follow us on Google<\/a> and Google News<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Detached sea cucumber tissue was found to survive and keep regenerating for years in ordinary seawater. The discovery…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":533977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[77],"tags":[7580,90849,18,19,17,78391,133,229756,98],"class_list":["post-533976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-cell-biology","tag-cells","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-regeneration","tag-science","tag-sea-cucumbers","tag-tissue"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116745359680786137","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/533977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}