Overview
- Researchers led by Sara Jobson and Rachel Sipler kept pieces of the scarlet sea cucumber Psolus fabricii in a tank of flowing natural seawater and found the explants remained intact and biologically active for over three years.
- The detached tissue showed wound closure, immune activity, cell proliferation, diversified cell types, and tactile responses that indicate preserved neural function.
- Tests indicate the explants absorbed dissolved nutrients including amino acids from the microbially rich seawater despite lacking a mouth or gut, which may have sustained long‑term survival.
- Parallel experiments with other sea cucumber species produced explant survival measured in weeks to a few months, suggesting the multi‑year persistence is species specific to P. fabricii.
- Authors and outside experts caution that claims of true 'immortality' require molecular aging assays such as telomere tests and mechanistic studies and say the finding could yield new, simpler models for regeneration research if confirmed.