A reason to hate jellyfish a little bit less

I hate jellyfish.

No joke. Hate them.

I'm the one who always gets stung by those little suckers when I go swimming in the ocean. It's such a regular occurrence that I have developed a nearly crippling fear of swimming in the deep blue sea. It started young but I'll never forget the stinging that did me in. Virginia Beach, 15 years old, with friends from high school. They're off romping around in the ocean playing tag, but I'm back on the sand by myself. Why? I know I'll get stung. It always happens. I'll be happier here. Ah! But they're having so much fun. How can I deny the rolling waves, their laughter. They're not getting stung. So I give in. I'll swim. I jump in, start playing. I'm loving it. I'm not near any nasty sea creatures. What was I being so uptight about before? This is fun and -- AHHHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ON MY LEG?!?!? Scratchiness turns to burning pain. Tricked again. Not two minutes in the water and the little jerk found me. I retire to the beach. My friends laugh while offering to pee on me. I hate jellyfish.

But finally, I have found a reason to hate jellyfish just a little bit less. The Royal Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel prize for chemistry to three scientists (one Japanese dude and two Americans) for figuring out how to take the proteins that make jellyfish glow and put them into other parts in other animals to increase their visibility. It's great work that will give doctors and researchers the ability to track the progression of diseases and watch brain functions and learn all sorts of wonderful new things about humans and organisms in general. You can read about it here.

But none of that matters. What matters is that it's the coolest looking thing I've seen in a while. This picture is of a brain. I think a rat brain, but theoretically any brain. And it's psychedelic and beautiful. I can hardly believe that this beautiful array of colors is a result of the evil stinging creature of doom that has plagued my legs whenever I dared dip in the waves.

It's cool enough that I'll grant jellyfish a break. Upgrade. You're still evil and hurtful, but you're pretty. Congrats.