There was a new and strange discovery on the ocean floor of the waters off the coast of Alaska that is still confusing scientists. The enigmatic object is an orb approximately four inches in diameter and has a tannish-gold hue. It is intriguing and has captured the collective imaginations of researchers and casual observers. The item was discovered during an expedition during a deep sea exploration beneath the Pacific Ocean’s surface.
A Mysterious Organic Golden Orb
Found at a depth of around two miles, the soft, smooth object had affixed itself to a rock. Employing remotely operated vehicles as part of their mission to chart the depths of the Alaskan seabed, researchers came upon this enigma on August 30th. In a live-streamed account of their subaquatic expedition, the scientists could be heard engaged in animated discussions, speculating about the object’s true nature.
Their hypotheses included the orb being an egg casing for a coral formation or even an encrusting sponge. One feature that truly intrigued them was a minuscule opening in the object, akin to an entrance or exit point. Some among them couldn’t help but humorously draw parallels to the beginnings of a horror movie or the opening scene of the iconic television series The X-Files.
The Orb Was Extracted
Using a gentle suction mechanism affixed to the ROV, they gingerly dislodged the orb from its rocky anchor and transported it to the surface for closer examination within the wet lab of their research vessel, the Okeanos Explorer.
Yet, even under the scrutiny of the lab’s controlled environment, the object’s identity remained elusive. Sam Candio, the coordinator of the expedition, lamented that they could only ascertain it to be of biological origin. The team then transferred it to a land-based laboratory equipped with more advanced instrumentation.
An Ocean Mystery
Exploratory missions often yield new and unfamiliar specimens, but typically, these can be broadly categorized. What sets this discovery apart is the sheer lack of clarity regarding its classification. According to deep sea ecologists, the unusual thing about this orb was that no one was sure what it was.
The Seascape Alaska 5 expedition, which commenced on August 23rd in Kodiak, Alaska, and concluded on September 16th in Seward, Alaska, formed part of NOAA’s ambitious venture. Utilizing ROVs and multibeam sonar technologies, scientists explored uncharted territories within the Gulf of Alaska, reaching depths ranging from 650 to a staggering 19,700 feet. Their overarching objective was to bridge gaps in comprehension by investigating deep-sea coral and sponge habitats, fish habitats, chemosynthetic communities, and the water column while also enhancing knowledge concerning historical and potential geological hazards.