WATCH — ‘Secrets of the Deep’: Scientists Identify ‘Golden Orb’ Found During 2023 Ocean Exploration

The identity of a mysterious “golden orb” scientists discovered in the depths of the ocean in the Gulf of Alaska has finally been revealed.

The object was found in 2023 when researchers were performing a deep-sea expedition with a remotely operated vehicle that journeyed over two miles deep underwater, Fox News reported Thursday.

Now, researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History have identified the orb as a remnant from a giant deep-sea anemone known as a Relicanthus daphneae.

Images showed a researcher wearing gloves while holding the orb after it had been extracted from the ocean:

“It was the part of the anemone that attached to the rock substrate,” the NOAA detailed in its announcement Wednesday. Researchers said it is common for scientists to discover organisms that are quickly identified after investigating further, but sometimes it takes longer and the “golden orb” was an example of that.

When researchers located the orb, they wondered if it was an egg case, dead sponge, or maybe a creature’s dwelling. They collected it by using a suction sampler and shipped it to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH).

The agency continued:

Scientists with NOAA Fisheries and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History used an integrative taxonomic approach combining a study of its physical structure with genetic analysis to identify the object. Initial examination found the object lacked typical animal anatomy but was a fibrous material with a layered surface packed with cnidocytes (stinging cells), suggesting it was a cnidarian (like corals or anemones). National Systematics Lab scientist Abigail Reft identified the cells as spirocysts, which are limited to the Hexacorallia group of cnidarians. The team also examined a similar specimen collected in 2021 during an expedition on Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Research Vessel Falkor and found similar cnidocysts.

Initial DNA barcoding was inconclusive, likely due to picking up DNA from other microscopic life on the specimen. Moving deeper, whole-genome sequencing confirmed animal DNA and contained a large amount of genetic material from the giant deep-sea anemone. Sequencing the mitochondrial genomes of both specimens confirmed they were genetically almost identical to a known Relicanthus daphneae reference genome.

The discovery certainly served to prove the vast and mysterious nature of the ocean.

In video footage of the moment the scientists initially saw the orb, they were fascinated and did not know what to make of it. “It seems spongey,” one of them said:

William Mowitt, acting director of NOAA Ocean Exploration spoke Wednesday of the wonders of the deep. “So often in deep ocean exploration, we find these captivating mysteries, like the ‘golden orb’. With advanced techniques like DNA sequencing, we are able to solve more and more of them,” he said. “This is why we keep exploring—to unlock the secrets of the deep and better understand how the ocean and its resources can drive economic growth, strengthen our national security, and sustain our planet.”

According to Reader’s Digest, more mysteries of the ocean that still baffle scientists include its floor, the milky sea phenomenon, and a purple orb.