Hurrah! The mystery of an unidentified golden object discovered on the seafloor off Alaska’s Pacific coast in 2023 has now been solved.
While scientists often encounter unfamiliar creatures in the deep sea, these mysteries are often quickly solved as experts exchange ideas and knowledge. But even a week later, researchers are still not sure whether the golden sphere belongs to a known species, represents a new species, or is an unknown life stage of a species that has already been recorded. This puzzling discovery quickly attracted the attention of the scientific community and the public.
“Isn’t the deep ocean weird?” Sam Candio, a NOAA scientist participating in the expedition, said in a September 2023 statement. “While this discovery is puzzling, it reminds us how little we know about our planet.”
Smooth, metallic blobs look like Disney’s Evil Crab’s treasure trove Moana Will hoard. Is it a dead sponge or an eggshell? Are there alien creatures?
None of the above. This week, researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that the golden sphere is part of a giant deep-sea anemone.
Here’s what we know.
The roughly 4-inch object was found clinging to a rock among the white sponge
In August 2023, NOAA Ocean Exploration, a federal program dedicated to exploring unknown ocean depths, began a three-week voyage in the Gulf of Alaska. More than 2 miles below the surface, the team found a shiny golden sphere with a hole in it, clinging to a rock amid white sponges.
The unidentified sample was collected using a suction sampler.
(NOAA Ocean Exploration)
Because the rock itself was too large to be recovered, the researchers carefully collected the golden object using a suction sampler.
It was then sent to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History for further study and examination.
Scientists eventually determined that the roughly 4-inch golden object was the remnants of dead cells that formed at the base of a giant sea anemone called Relicanthus daphneae. This is the part of the anemone that attaches to the rock.
Researchers with specific expertise must pool their knowledge
This unidentified specimen was photographed in the wet lab of the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer.
(NOAA Ocean Exploration)
Ultimately, researchers must analyze the physical structure of the sphere and its DNA, a process NOAA describes as a “complex effort.”
“We looked at hundreds of different samples, and I doubt our normal processes will be able to solve this mystery,” said Allen Collins, a zoologist and director of NOAA Fisheries’ National Systematics Laboratory. “But this turned out to be a special case that required the concentrated efforts and expertise of several different individuals. It is a complex mystery that will require morphological, genetic, deep-sea and bioinformatics expertise to solve.”
where do we go from here
While researchers have solved the mystery of the golden orb, many mysteries remain in Earth’s deep oceans, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
“In deep-sea exploration, we often discover these fascinating mysteries, such as the ‘Golden Orb.’ With advanced technologies such as DNA sequencing, we are able to solve more and more questions.” said Capt. William Mowitt, NOAA’s acting director of ocean exploration. “That’s why we continue to explore – to unlock the secrets of the deep and better understand how the ocean and its resources drive economic growth, strengthen our national security and sustain our planet.”
