Mysterious 'golden egg' found on the seabed off the coast of Alaska

Category: Nature, PEGI 16
7 September 2023

Explorers of the ocean floor in the Alaska region stumbled upon a bizarre shiny object, similar to an egg, from which in the film "Alien" hatched "facehugger". Experts were unable to identify the find and admitted that they had never seen anything like it!





The found object has a golden color, it has hole, it is shiny, and soft to the touch, like leather or soft fabric.

What is this thing? The shell of the fetal egg or the remains of the marine sponges? Laboratory analyzes should show more, but so far a clear Scientists have no answer.



The "Golden Egg" was found at a depth of 3 km during expeditions led by NOAA (National Oceanic and Oceanic Administration) US Atmospheric Research). The event was streamed online.



Using a remotely controlled manipulator removed from the rock and dragged to the shore. Laboratory tests are likely will help to reveal its mysterious essence.



Experts have not come to a unanimous conclusion about what has become the cause of the gaping hole in front. Perhaps this is the result of a quarrel with other sea creature.

"Something was trying to get in... or out," one of the researchers said during a live stream.

And another added, "I really hope that when we poke into this, something doesn't decide to come out."

They added that the discovery process reminded them of the beginning horror film, referring to the iconic scene from the Ridley Scott film "Alien", in which John Hurt's character encounters a facehugger on another planet.



“When our collective knowledge fails to identify object, it's something strange, the researchers are surprised. - Which could an animal make such a fetal membrane?”

Considering that approximately two thirds of deep-sea organisms not studied by science, the find could mean an exciting new discovery.

Kerry Howell, Professor of Deep Sea Ecology at Plymouth University, agreed that the object is very unusual. "For 20 years I haven’t seen anything like this in deep sea research,” she said. It's always interesting to see something new and I'm looking forward to it. analysis of the sample to understand what it really is.”

Murray Roberts Professor of Marine Biology at Edinburgh university, agreed with the hypothesis that it could be a shell germ.

“Some species, including vulnerable deep sea fish, such as sharks and rays lay their eggs on seamounts or in cold water coral habitats,” he said. - hence and hole - something hatched and floated away.

The "Golden Egg" was found on the eighth day of the NOAA expedition Seascape Alaska 5, which will run from August 23 to September 16. Tasks expeditions - mapping the area and diving remotely guided vehicles to depths of more than 200 meters for exploration of deep sea habitats of corals and sponges.

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