Anonymous3 days ago
A mysterious golden sphere discovered 3,250 meters deep in the Gulf of Alaska in August 2023 has been identified after nearly three years of investigation as a remnant cuticle from Relicanthus daphneae, a giant deep-sea anemone with tentacles nearly seven feet long. The identification, published in April 2026 by a team of nine researchers from NOAA, the Smithsonian, and other institutions, required whole-genome sequencing after initial DNA barcoding failed — and it highlights both how much of the deep ocean remains unexplored and how threatened that exploration is by proposed federal budget cuts.