NOAA Solves Golden Orb Mystery: Remnant of a Giant Deep-Sea Anemone
TL;DR Summary
NOAA researchers solved the nearly three-year mystery of the “golden orb,” finding it is not an egg, sponge, or alien but a remnant of dead cells that attached to rock at the base of the giant deep-sea anemone Relicanthus daphneae. Initial DNA barcoding was inconclusive, but whole-genome sequencing confirmed animal DNA and a close match to Relicanthus daphneae, after the orb was collected during a 2023 Gulf of Alaska expedition and sent to the Smithsonian for study.
- Scientists identify mysterious 'golden orb' found in ocean USA Today
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- Scientists reveal identity of mysterious ‘golden orb’ collected during NOAA expedition National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (.gov)
- Mysterious "golden orb" found in ocean depths off Alaska in 2023 is finally identified CBS News
- Scientists identify mysterious ‘golden orb’ found in Gulf of Alaska in 2023 Alaska Beacon
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