In the pitch black of the ocean’s depths, $3,300 meters$ (or $2$ miles) beneath the surface near Alaska, the NOAA Ocean Exploration team made a mind-boggling discovery: a golden orb that looked like nothing they’ve ever seen before. This happened during a two-week underwater exploration in $2023$.
The bizarre object was found firmly fixed to a rocky spot decorated with white sponges and was about $10$ centimeters ($4$ inches) across, boasting a curious hole on one side.
For the group of scientists involved in this expedition, identifying the orb sparked a variety of theories. During a livestream, some speculated whether it could be an egg casing from an unknown species, the remnant of a dead sponge, or perhaps a fragment of coral.
“Honestly, I’m a bit puzzled by it,” shared one researcher on the livestream.
Another chimed in, “It’s definitely got a big hole in it, which suggests that something may have made its way in or out of there.”
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Amusingly, one of the scientists humorously added, “When we poke it, let’s hope something doesn’t come bursting out!”—making light of what could easily pass for the set-up of a horror film.
According to a report from The Guardian, some suggest that the orb might have harbored something previously; it could be an egg that has already seen some action—possibly something significant inside it.
“Looking at its texture, we’re leaning towards egg. It felt fleshy and lacks visible biological structures. The hole shows that something may have hatched or exited, but it doesn’t resemble any egg pattern I recognize,” explained Kerry Howell, a deep-sea ecologist from the University of Plymouth in the UK as detailed in the article.
“If it turns out to be an egg, it raises the interesting question of what creature it actually belongs to. This isn’t the typical small fish egg we’re all familiar with—it’s significant in size,” she added.
With the help of a robotic arm, they gently interacted with the orb, noting its softness before safely collecting it for further investigation using a suction method.
The isolated nature of this ‘egg’ is intriguing. Generally, oviparous species lay multiple eggs rather than just one.
So if to confirm that this really is an egg, it indicates something out of the ordinary—which is pretty fantastic, revealing new insights into the mesmerizing life forms living in the ocean’s depths!
Exploring this kind of new wilderness is crucial, especially since the $2025$ study suggests that humans have only visually checked about $0.001%$ of the deep seafloor—it’s mind-boggling considering how much of our planet lies beneath the water’s surface and remains largely unknown.
Nevertheless, thanks to advanced remotely operated vehicles, the ocean slowly unveils its mysteries, such as how these unknown deep-sea organisms reproduce and thrive.
“Isn’t the deep sea just the most fascinating place?” remarked exploration coordinator Sam Candio from NOAA Ocean Exploration. She emphasized, “Even after we brought the golden orb onboard, we still couldn’t pinpoint what it really is—only that it’s definitely a biological artifact.”
“It’s humbling to recognize how much we still have ahead of us when it comes to fully understanding our Earth and appreciating the vastness of our ocean,” she concluded.
This article was originally published in September $2023$
