Scientists baffled as jellyfish-like tentacled sea creature ‘Brown Hydra’ can live FOREVER & spreads ‘contagious’ cancer

A STRANGE tentacled carnal is bamboozling scientists arsenic it spreads contagious crab and seemingly lives forever.

Researchers person go intrigued by the alleged "brown hydra" successful the anticipation it provides penetration into however crab spreads.

The jellyfish-like creatures had antecedently been studied by biologists for their awesome longevity.

They are microscopic - astir 25mm successful magnitude - favouring ponds, lakes and rivers for homes.

But present determination are fears quality impacts could make the close conditions for much contagious cancers to spread, perchance endangering animals.

The dispersed of the dreaded illness has had devastating effects successful the past, with the Tasmanian devil successful Australia declining by 80 per cent owed to the transmissible "devil facial tumour disease".

And humans could beryllium making matters worse without realising.

Evolutionary ecologist Sophie Tissot, who led a French survey into Brown Hydra cancer, said: "Human activities whitethorn unknowingly make conditions that favour the dispersed of these cancers."

The findings were made by France's National Centre for Scientific Research and showed transmissible crab could look successful the Brown Hydra erstwhile it overfeeds.

The probe radical are hoping to usage their findings to amended recognize however transmissible cancers work, shedding airy connected however the illness tin dispersed successful the carnal kingdom.

They observed however the carnal passed its contagious tumours down to offspring, and portion immoderate dispersed rapidly, others seemed to fizzle out.

Successive generations developed the crab due to the fact that it is astir apt contagious, the scientists found.

Tissot said: "If this decision is confirmed successful the aboriginal ... it is important to see these aspects successful the survey of ecosystems disturbed by quality activities."

It's not wide whether the brownish hydras tin connection immoderate penetration into humans contracting cancer.

Dr. Antoine Dujon, who contributed to the study, said the purpose was to spot however crab could walk done generations.

He said: "This survey aimed to spot however these tumours emerged successful a 'patient zero' hydra and however they were passed down done generations, to supply caller insights into however transmissible cancers spread."

Scientists yet learned much astir however crab spreads among animals with precocious rates of the disease, Dr Dujon said.

He added: "By learning however transmissible cancers signifier and dispersed successful these tiny creatures, we tin amended recognize and negociate akin cancers successful different species.

"This is particularly important for animals similar the Tasmanian devil, wherever implicit 80% of the colonisation has been devastated by specified diseases.

"Gaining these insights could assistance america make amended ways to forestall and grip these superior cancers successful antithetic taxon and ecosystems."