The Jellyfish Museum in Pompano Beach houses thousands of jellyfish in all sizes and shapes, offering visitors a window into some of the ocean's most ethereal and elusive creatures. Researchers at the museum have developed an antidote for the box jellyfish sting, which can kill its prey in 3 to 5 minutes. Museum educator Naphtalie Jeanty, who holds degrees in archaeology and anthropology, said the antidote could represent a breakthrough in treating the potentially fatal stings.
Medical advances at the museum extend beyond antidotes. Collagen harvested from flame jellies has been found to help stop hemorrhages and may appear in bandages in the future. Research into the Japanese sea nettle yielded promising results when a part of the jellyfish was found to shrink tumors in mouse cancer studies, with human cancer treatment as the possible next step.
Jellyfish have been moving through the world's oceans for over 500 million years, predating dinosaurs, trees and fish. Moon jellies can regenerate after being split in half, creating two different versions of themselves. Jellyfish also perform symmetrization, the ability to reorganize their bodies for balance.
Some jellyfish scrub out microplastics from the seas, while polka-dotted jellies native to a lake on the island of Palau in the South Pacific work to keep that lake alive. Comb jellies bend light to create a rainbow effect where the light hits them, making it look like lights are running through their bodies.