Black Horn coral: over 4000 years old
Corals look like colorful underwater rocks and plants, but they're actually composed of the exoskeletons of invertebrate polyps. These polyps will continue to reproduce and create a genetically identical copy to replace themselves. Over time, the coral exoskeleton structure gets bigger and bigger.
A black horn coral that lives on a reef
Corals can live for hundreds of years or more, and black horn corals are among the longest-lived. The name derives from its black or dark brown bones, but its tissues are brightly colored. The black Horn coral found off the coast of Hawaii has reportedly reached the age of 4,265 years old, making it the oldest coral species on Earth.
Glass sponge: over 10,000 years old
Similar to corals, glass sponges are also composed of animal communities that can live for thousands of years. It is one of the longest-lived sponges on Earth. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
they live mainly in the deep ocean and get their name because their bones resemble glass. A 2012 study published in the journal estimated that a glass sponge has been living for 11,000 years.
Artistic photo of glass sponge
Turritopsis: May not die
Turritopsis is also known as the immortal jellyfish because they have the potential to live forever. Jellyfish begin life as larvae, then settle on the seafloor and turn into polyps, which in turn give birth to free-swimming jellyfish.
According to the American Museum of Natural History, the mature Turritopsis is special in that if they are physically injured or starving, they can turn back into polyps and become jellyfish again.
A turritopsis that lives on the Palm Coast of Florida
This jellyfish, native to the Mediterranean, can reverse its life cycle many times, so it can live forever under the right conditions. However, according to the Natural History Museum in London,
Turritopsis is very small, less than 4.5mm in diameter, and will be eaten by other animals, such as fish, or may die in other ways, which is the main obstacle to their path to immortality.
Hydra: May live forever
A hydra is an organism that lives in fresh water between jellyfish and corals. These invertebrates are mainly composed of stem cells, which can be continuously regenerated through replication or cloning, giving the hydra superior regenerative ability. It only takes a small section of the body to grow the whole body in a few days.
Previous research has shown that hydrops do not show signs of aging, although they may not survive forever in natural conditions due to threats such as predators and disease, but without these external threats, they may never die.Innovation in scientific foreign policy with Chinese characteristics in the new era
Since the 21st century, science diplomacy has increasingly become a prominent science in all countries, especially in western developed countries. Science diplomacy is a diplomatic field and a foreign policy tool to acquire scientific knowledge,build constructive relations between countries, and address common challenges through scientific cooperation between countries. There are two forms of science diplomacy: first, science is the carrier,
which is the exchange and cooperation of scientific subjects between countries promoted by governments; Second, the diplomatic process in the fields of politics, economy, climate, environment and health is the carrier, and science plays a dominant or key role in the diplomatic process in these fields or in one of the links.
The rise of science diplomacy
The advancement of globalization provides the background for the rise of science diplomacy. On the one hand, the deepening of globalization has brought many new problems and challenges to world peace and development.
To solve these common challenges, transnational scientific cooperation is required, and the division between science and diplomacy should be broken down so that science can play a role in diplomacy and international relations.
