The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has found a mysterious smooth golden sphere on the Alaskan seafloor. So far, marine scientists have not been able to figure out what the purported organism is.
The find came during a mission using remotely operated vehicles to map unexplored habitats in deep Alaskan waters. And the fact that it is nothing already known to science is puzzling scientists.
Scientists say they are puzzled by the mystery of the "egg."
The alleged golden egg was found on August 30 during the Seascape Alaska 5 expedition in the Gulf of Alaska. From Aug. 23 to Sept. 16, the mission used NOAA's Okeanos Explorer, remotely operated vehicles and multibeam sonar to explore depths of 200 to 6,000 meters.
After discovering the "egg," the team used a remotely operated vehicle to "tickle" the object, which eventually led them to realize that the orb had a smooth, skin-like texture. With a gentle suction machine, they were able to extract the egg from the stone for study. No scientist involved in their study has been able to determine what object or being it is.
During a live broadcast of the mission, a member of NOAA's Ocean Exploration team admitted that scientists are baffled. "When our collective knowledge can't identify it, it's kind of strange - what kind of animal would make an eggshell like that?"
So far, hypotheses are pointing to the object actually being an egg
For now, the leading assumption is that the object is actually some sort of eggshell from a mysterious creature. "It definitely has a big hole in it. So something tried to get in or tried to get out," one of the researchers said on the live broadcast.
In an interview Thursday with the Washington Post, Sam Candio, NOAA's Ocean Exploration coordinator for the expedition, said it had not yet been possible to make a definitive identification. "We haven't been able to identify it yet, other than it's biological in origin."
After viewing images from the mission, University of Southampton professor of ocean exploration and science communication Jon Copley also agreed with early assumptions. "At first glance, it is possibly the remains of an egg of an invertebrate animal, or perhaps a slightly mutilated sponge," he told the Washington Post.
However, the two scientists stress the importance of new discoveries like this one. "While it's a bit humbling to be stunned by this discovery, it serves to remind us how little we know about our own planet and how much we have left to learn and appreciate about our ocean," Candio said. For Copley, the discoveries help renew a sense of awe at how incredible the nature around us is. "Some of the life forms we come across every day are as weird and wonderful as anything we find in the deep ocean."
No, this is not an episode of Archie X
A mysterious object found at the bottom of the sea, possibly the egg of an unknown creature. It's not hard for this description to remind us of a sci-fi movie or a series like X-Files. And that was also the reaction of the scientists and the people following the live broadcast of the mission.
Some viewers joked that it could be an alien egg or a predator. And one of the scientists got in on the joke and said, "I just hope that when we poke it, it doesn't decide to come out. ... It's like the beginning of a horror movie."
In its official report, NOAA invited the public to submit their ideas and admitted that the discovery "sparked the imagination of many observers." But scientists have already reassured the public about the possibilities behind the "Golden Egg Mystery," as some onlookers have dubbed the discovery.
Professor of ocean exploration and science communication Jon Copley said in an interview with the Post that the orb was "certainly nothing we should be concerned about," but commented that it is normal for discoveries of this kind to arouse people's fascination. "We often find things in the deep ocean that we haven't seen before or that we don't immediately recognize, because the depths of the ocean are vast and we've only been exploring what lives there for two centuries, unlike life on land."
For those who still fear what might come out of the "golden egg" and think "Don't touch it," Sam Candio, NOAA's Ocean Exploration Coordinator, explains the real purpose of the mission. According to the scientist, it is to "explore deep-sea coral and sponge habitats, fish habitats... and improve knowledge of past and potential geologic hazards."
In addition, new findings could be sources of vaccines, medicines, food, energy, or even provide insights for technological breakthroughs. "Isn't the seafloor so deliciously strange? Who knows what we'll discover next?" added Candio.
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