A mysterious “golden egg” recovered from the bottom of the sea
At a depth of 3,300 metres, the expedition encountered an unknown round object. They managed to save it, and they still don’t know what it is.
A mysterious discovery at a depth of 3,300 meters: a bright golden object more than ten centimeters in diameter – and it has not yet been identified.
Photo: NOAA/Seascape (AFP)
Scientists have discovered a mysterious circular object at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean off Alaska, and no one knows what it is. The shiny golden object is more than ten centimeters in diameter and has a small notch at the base. It was discovered by oceanographers using a remote-controlled survey vehicle 3,300 meters below the surface of a rock in the Gulf of Alaska last week.
“As the cameras zoomed in, scientists wondered if it could be a dead sponge, coral, or an eggshell,” NOAA said. The authority explained that since then, this discovery has been referred to as the “golden ball” or “golden egg.”
A remote-controlled vehicle called Deep Discoverer was able to recover the “golden egg” from the ocean floor and bring it aboard the exploration vessel for further investigation.
Photo: NOAA/Seascape (AFP)
While online services speculated about whether it could be an alien egg, scientists recovered the object from the seabed to examine it in a laboratory.
“We were able to recover the golden ball and bring it to the ship, but we are still unable to identify it,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said. Sam Candio, coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said it was unclear whether it belonged to a known species, represented a new species, or was an unknown life stage of an existing species. The only thing that is certain is that the discovery is “of biological origin.”
The unidentified object in the wet laboratory aboard NOAA’s Okeanos Explorer ship. It is still unclear to scientists what kind of creature this is.
Photo: NOAA/Seascape (AFP)
“New species have the potential to open new sources for medical treatments, vaccines, food, energy and other societal applications,” Candio said. “The data and information collected on this expedition will help us fill in the gaps in our understanding of this part of the planet so we can better care for and protect it.”
He added that the discovery shows “how little we know about our planet and how much we still have to learn about our surroundings (…)”. His team’s journey will continue until September 16, and the ocean floor will be explored daily with remote-controlled vehicles and cameras. It was broadcast live on the Internet.
AFP/Demand
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