Trending Now - Deep-sea Golden Orb Discovered in 2023 Finally Identified

WHO:

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) identified the golden orb.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - Allen Collins, director of NOAA Fisheries' National Systematics Laboratory and a zoologist, was involved in the identification process.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - William Mowitt, acting director of NOAA Ocean Exploration, commented on the exploration efforts.

WHAT:

[April 23rd, 2026] - CBS News - The orb was described as a "strange, golden, mound-shaped object with a hole in it" that was stuck to a rock.

[April 23rd, 2026] - ScienceAlert - The orb was found to be a "chunk of 'skin'" left by a giant sea anemone, possibly discarded when the animal either picked up and moved or tried to reproduce.

[April 23rd, 2026] - Newsweek - The identity of the "golden orb" has been revealed as dead cells that anchored a deep-sea creature to the ocean floor.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - The orb was found to be a "chunk of 'skin'" left by a giant sea anemone, which was initially thought to be an egg case or a dead sponge or coral.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The orb was described as a "shining blob of tissue" that was a cuticle left behind by the anemone, possibly discarded during movement or reproduction.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The orb's main ingredient is chitin, a tough, fibrous material that is also found in the hard parts of other organisms.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - The orb was collected and sent to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History for study.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - The orb was found to be a chunk of 'skin' left by a giant sea anemone, possibly discarded when the animal either picked up and moved or tried to reproduce.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The orb is a cuticle, a thin, multilayered coating secreted by the outer tissues of some anemones, forming flexible, sheet-like structures that can detach and remain on the seafloor.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The main ingredient of the cuticle is chitin, a tough, fibrous material.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - The golden orb is identified as a cuticle left by a giant sea anemone, which is part of the species Relicanthus daphneae, and it is noted that the orb "had once been part of the base of a giant sea anemone."

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - The full anemone can grow to up to three feet across, and its tentacles can reach lengths of up to six feet.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The cuticle is primarily composed of chitin, a tough, fibrous material.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - A "golden orb" found in 2023 was identified as a cuticle left by a giant sea anemone, specifically the species Relicanthus daphneae.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - The orb measured approximately 10 centimeters (4 inches) across and had a hole in one side.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The orb was found to be fibrous and covered with stinging cells called spirocysts, which are characteristic of cnidarians.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the orb was genetically almost identical to Relicanthus daphneae.

WHERE:

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - The orb was discovered in the Gulf of Alaska, approximately 3,250 meters (about 2 miles) below the ocean's surface.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The orb was found stuck to a rock at the bottom of the Gulf of Alaska.

WHEN:

[April 30th, 2023] - Yahoo - The mysterious object was first spotted on August 30th, 2023, during the Seascape Alaska expedition led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - The orb was discovered in 2023.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The species Relicanthus daphneae was first described in 2006.

WHY:

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The abandoned cuticle may provide insights into the reproductive processes of the anemone, specifically regarding asexual reproduction methods like pedal laceration.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - The identification of the orb was necessary to understand its biological significance and the mysteries of deep-sea ecosystems.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The orb may provide insights into the reproductive processes of deep-sea anemones.

HOW:

[April 23rd, 2026] - ScienceAlert - The researchers found that the specimen did not have the typical anatomy expected in an animal, as it was fibrous and packed with stinging cells called cnidocytes that are typically seen in corals and anemones.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The researchers utilized whole-genome sequencing to confirm the orb's identity, which was complicated by the presence of other microscopic organisms.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - The orb was collected using the ROV's robotic arm and sent to a laboratory for testing, where it was found to be fibrous and packed with stinging cells called cnidocytes.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The researchers found that the specimen did not have the typical anatomy expected in an animal, as it was fibrous and packed with stinging cells called cnidocytes.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The investigation ran into a snag with superficial DNA testing being inconclusive due to the presence of other microscopic organisms. Whole-genome sequencing was necessary to confirm the identity of the orb.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - The researchers utilized whole-genome sequencing to confirm the identity of the orb, which was initially complicated by the presence of other microscopic organisms.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - The orb was collected using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) called Deep Discoverer.

[10:41 AM EDT] - CBS News - Scientists employed morphological, genetic, deep-sea, and bioinformatics expertise to identify the orb.

[10:41 AM EDT] - ScienceAlert - Initial DNA testing was inconclusive, but whole-genome sequencing ultimately confirmed the orb's identity.

(UPDATED April 24, 2026 09:26 UTC)

Researchers have identified a mysterious golden orb discovered during the Seascape Alaska expedition, which was first spotted August 30thth, 2023. This peculiar object, described as a mound-shaped item with a hole, turned out to be a chunk of skin left by a giant sea anemone, likely discarded during its movement or reproduction. The orb's structure was unusual, lacking typical animal anatomy and instead being fibrous and filled with stinging cells commonly found in corals and anemones.

(UPDATED April 24, 2026 01:23 UTC)

Researchers have identified a mysterious orb found in the ocean as a chunk of skin left by a giant sea anemone, which was initially mistaken for an egg case or a dead sponge. The orb, described as a shining blob of tissue, is primarily made of chitin and was collected using a robotic arm before being sent to a laboratory for further analysis, where it revealed fibrous characteristics and stinging cells known as cnidocytes. Whole-genome sequencing helped confirm its identity, despite the presence of other microscopic organisms complicating the process.

(UPDATED April 23, 2026 23:17 UTC)

Researchers have collected a mysterious orb, which has been sent to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History for further study. This orb is identified as a chunk of 'skin' from a giant sea anemone, likely discarded during movement or reproduction, and is primarily made of chitin, a tough fibrous material. Initial DNA testing was inconclusive due to contamination from other microscopic organisms, prompting scientists to conduct whole-genome sequencing to accurately determine the orb's identity.

(UPDATED April 23, 2026 19:22 UTC)

Researchers have identified a golden orb as a cuticle from a giant sea anemone, specifically the species Relicanthus daphneae, which can grow up to three feet across with tentacles reaching six feet in length. This cuticle, primarily made of chitin, may offer valuable insights into the anemone's reproductive processes, particularly its asexual reproduction methods like pedal laceration. To confirm the orb's identity, scientists employed whole-genome sequencing, a task made challenging by the presence of other microscopic organisms.

(UPDATED April 23, 2026 15:38 UTC)

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, including Allen Collins, have identified a "golden orb" discovered in the Gulf of Alaska as a cuticle from a giant sea anemone species known as Relicanthus daphneae. The orb, measuring about 10 centimeters across and found stuck to a rock nearly two miles below the ocean's surface, was confirmed through whole-genome sequencing to be genetically similar to the species first described in 2006. This identification is crucial for understanding the biological significance of the orb and the reproductive processes of deep-sea anemones, shedding light on the mysteries of deep-sea ecosystems.