New York: Is there a creature that can defeat death? Yes, says new research that confirmed that the tiny hydra - a centimeter-long polyp that inhabits fresh water all over the world - does not show any sign of deteriorating with age and, if kept in ideal conditions, may just live forever.

Hydra could live in ideal conditions without showing any sign of senescence - the increase in mortality and decline in fertility with age after maturity, which was thought to be inevitable for all multi cellular species, the findings showed.