NOAA Solves 'Golden Orb' Mystery

A two-and-a-half-year mystery surrounding a 'golden orb' discovered on the ocean floor in the Gulf of Alaska has been solved. The United States — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which found the object during a 2023 expedition, along with the National Museum of Natural History, identified it as a remnant of the dead cells from the base of a giant deep-sea anemone, Relicanthus daphneae. Scientists, including Allen Collins and William Mowitt, used morphological, genetic, deep-sea, and bioinformatics expertise to determine its identity after initial DNA barcoding was inconclusive. The discovery highlights the ongoing mysteries of the deep ocean and the importance of continued exploration.