"The strange object was found during an expedition of the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer. The crew were using remote-controlled submersibles to explore a seamount in the Gulf of Alaska, more than two miles beneath the surface, when suddenly the orb popped into view on the video feed."
"The object was so strange that the scientists had no idea what it was beyond the observation that it seemed to be at least biological in origin. Guesses as to its nature veered from it being an odd egg casing to evidence of an entirely unknown stage of life."
"This turned into a special case that required focused efforts and expertise of several different individuals, said Allen Collins, director of NOAA Fisheries' National Systematics Laboratory, in a statement. This was a complex mystery that required morphological, genetic, deep-sea and bioinformatics expertise to solve."
In August 2023, scientists discovered a golden orb in the deep ocean off Alaska, initially thought to be alien. It was later identified as the remnants of an anemone. Found during a NOAA expedition using remote-controlled submersibles, the orb was dome-shaped, about four inches in diameter, and had a small tear. Researchers collected it for further study at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. The investigation required expertise in various scientific fields to determine its identity.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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