The ocean floor is full of mysteries, and scientists may have just encountered a new one.
A submarine was exploring the Pacific Ocean floor near Alaska when they discovered an unexpected object.
This orb is golden in color with a unique structure. The scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), who were onboard the submarine, had a few different ideas about the object.
While it could be a sponge, further inquiry suggests it could be an egg!
Because of the delicate nature of the orb, it couldn’t just be lifted by a claw. It was suctioned up into the submarine via a vacuum that could handle the sphere more gently.
It’s now in the lab, being tested, prodded, and investigated. The texture of the sphere suggests that it may be skin tissue, which would support the idea that it’s an egg. But an egg of what, exactly?
Scientists aren’t sure.
“If it is an egg, the really interesting question is whose egg is it,” Professor Kerry Howell, an ecologist on the project, commented. “It’s quite big. That’s not a small fish egg. That’s a sizeable thing.”
There are millions of marine mysteries in the unknown expanse of the ocean. While scientists may be able to answer some questions, it’s likely that their DNA testing won’t rear a concrete, exact result.
In science, answers often lead to more questions. But encountering life’s mysteries will never cease to be a miracle in and of itself!
The featured image for this post is from The Guardian.
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