Mysterious golden orb discovered near coast of Alaska puzzles scientists
A remotely operated underwater vehicle, belonging to NOAA Ocean Exploration, discovered a puzzling golden orb at a depth of 3,300m off Alaska's coast. The orb, measuring around 10cm, was "tightly adhered" to a rock with white sponges. Initial speculations included that it could be an egg casing from an unknown species, a coral, or a dead sponge. However, DNA studies will be conducted to determine the organism responsible for the creation of the mysterious orb.
The orb's size and texture are rather unusual
The texture of the golden orb suggests it might be an egg, but its size is quite large for a fish egg. The fact that it was present alone is also unusual. Deep-sea ecologist Kerry Howell of the University of Plymouth, UK said, "If it is an egg, the really interesting question is whose egg is it. It's quite big. That's not a small fish egg. That's a sizable thing."
'It doesn't look like any egg I've ever seen'
Howell added, "We're going with egg because of the texture. It felt fleshy and it doesn't have any obvious anatomy. It has a hole in it that suggests something has come in or gone out. But it doesn't look like any egg I've ever seen." By means of the robotic arm on the underwater vehicle, the researchers gently nudged the golden orb, and found it was quite soft. They then picked up the specimen for further investigation.
Researchers intend to study the specimen with sophisticated tools
"While we were able to collect the 'golden orb' and bring it onto the ship, we still are not able to identify it beyond the fact that it is biological in origin," said Sam Candio, from NOAA Ocean Exploration. "We likely won't learn more until we are able to get it into a laboratory setting where we can continue to pull from the collective expertise of the scientific community with more sophisticated tools...," he added.
The sea holds mysteries that we are yet to uncover
The deep sea is full of mysteries that humans are yet to unravel mainly due to crushing underwater pressures and freezing temperatures. However, remotely operated vehicles are helping us discover the secrets of the deep ocean. The discovery of the golden orb is just one example of the strange and diverse life that thrives down there in the abyss.
