“Mystery Deep-Sea Orb SOLVED: Scientists Reveal Surprising Identity” #shorts #OceanExploration

Added: 2026-05-01

In August 2023, NOAA's Deep Discoverer ROV discovered a mysterious golden orb on the Gulf of Alaska seabed at 3,250 meters depth. After three years of DNA sequencing and laboratory analysis, scientists determined the orb was not an egg case but rather a cuticle (skin) from Relicanthus daphneae, a giant deep-sea anemone with tentacles exceeding 2 meters in length. This discovery highlights the extreme conditions of the deep ocean—total darkness, approximately 4°C temperature, and 100 times normal pressure—where this cnidarian species thrives, demonstrating that the deep ocean still holds surprising biological mysteries.