Golden Orb (blob)

In August 2023, researchers exploring the seafloor off Alaska found a strange golden object attached to a rock roughly two miles below the surface. The four-inch structure was clearly biological, but scientists initially could not determine whether it was an egg case, sponge or something entirely different. After microscopic examination and genetic analysis, researchers linked it to tissue from the large sea anemone Relicanthus daphneae. The identification solved its origin, although the transcript notes that scientists still do not fully understand the biological function of the tissue.