Marine researchers aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer found the still-unidentified specimen at a small seamount in the Gulf of Alaska on August 30, 2023, during Dive 07 of the Seascape Alaska 5: Gulf of Alaska Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping expedition.
While gliding over a rocky outcrop at a depth of about 3,300 m (2 miles), the NOAA researchers found what one of the videographers onboard helping to document the dive first referred to as a ‘yellow hat.’
Amid a smattering of white sponges, the 10-cm- (4-inch) wide specimen was tightly adhered to a rock.
A small hole or tear near its base revealed a similarly colored interior.
As cameras zoomed in, the scientists were stumped as to its identification, with initial thoughts ranging from a dead sponge attachment, to coral, to an egg casing.
“Isn’t the deep sea so delightfully strange?” said NOAA Ocean Exploration researcher Sam Candio, expedition coordinator for the ongoing Seascape Alaska 5: Gulf of Alaska Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping expedition.
“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.”
“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 than we are able to maintain on the ship.”
“While somewhat humbling to be stumped by this finding, it serves as a reminder of how little we know about our own planet and how much is left to learn and appreciate about our ocean.”
According to the team, it’s still unclear if the specimen is associated with a known species, a new species, or perhaps represents an unknown life stage of an existing one.
“New species have the potential to reveal new sources for medical therapies and vaccines, food, energy, and other societal benefits and…
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