Recently, a shocking thing happened in the Alaska waters of the United States, a mysterious "golden egg" was discovered during the NOAA Alaska Seaview 5 expedition of the US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The expedition, which took place from August 23 to September 16, saw observers diving to the bottom of the ocean in a research ship and spotting strange golden objects.
First, the mysterious golden egg is now on the bottom of Alaska, USA
According to media reports, the research ship of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA found this "golden egg" on the seabed 3200 meters underwater off the coast of Alaska, which is not large. The surface is smooth and exudes a metallic sheen. What exactly is this golden orb? Is it naturally formed or man-made?
After discovering this strange "golden egg", marine scientists used collection instruments to fish out this strange golden object from the seabed off the coast of Alaska and assessed its identity. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this shiny object is delicate to the touch, just like skin tissue.
Experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration compared it to scenes from "horror movies", referring to the scene in Alien where John Hurt's character finds the "face huler" on another planet. But some oceanographers point out that it may just be the remains of an eggshell or sponge, and DNA testing may reveal an entirely new marine animal completely unknown to science.
Dr Tammy Horton of the National Oceanographic Centre in Southampton could not reveal what the mysterious object was, but agreed it "could be a new species". In an interview with the Daily Mail, Dr Horton said: "It is not uncommon to find unknown things in the deep sea, and humans still have a lot to explore. By taking this sample, it will be possible to study it more closely and, most importantly, perhaps some genetic analysis to at least determine which animal it comes from or is closely related to those organisms.
Many scholars have pointed out that it is worth noting that there is a large hole in the front of the object, indicating that something was born from it. Dr. Horton explained that this phenomenon suggests that it may indeed be some kind of eggshell or egg sheath, the hole from which the organism "hatches" or "escapes".
Dr Lucy Woodall, associate professor of marine conservation at the University of Exeter, said the golden egg looked like some kind of sponge. According to Dr. Woodall, the hole may have simply suffered damage from some outside factors, but it could give us fresh insights into how deep-sea life survives and thrives.
Kerry Howell, a professor of deep-sea ecology at the University of Plymouth, said the object was "strange" and unlike any other marine life she had been exposed to before. In an interview, he said: "In the 20 years I have been exploring the deep sea, I have never seen anything like this. So the care of seeing this new creature excited and thrilled her, looking forward to the analysis of the sample to understand what it really was. After all, there are many, many undiscovered species in the deep sea, so this is easily associated with new species. Professor Howell pointed out that if the creature is likely to be a sponge, the hole may be where other organisms living in symbiosis of the sponge breathe in and out, a reference to another sponge creature "old man in the same cave".
Second, Japan's nuclear sewage crystallized?
After this news came out, some netizens complained: Is the nuclear sewage discharged by Japan crystallized on the bottom of Alaska, USA? At present, there is no basis for this claim. Japanese nuclear wastewater refers to the large amount of radioactive wastewater produced after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011, which the Japanese government began discharging into the Pacific Ocean in 2023. This decision has aroused strong opposition and concern from the international community, believing that it will have serious impacts on marine ecology and human health.
However, there is no causal relationship between Japanese nuclear sewage and this "golden egg". Because a photograph taken in the lab after the object was brought ashore shows that it has a light brownish-yellow color, close to the hue of many other organic organisms, rather than the crystallization of inorganic matter.
Dr Pierre Joso, a research scientist at the British Geological Survey, said the object was "interesting, but not really surprising". He told the Daily Mail that because the seafloor is rarely explored, we discover new biological structures or species during most diving expeditions. Especially in the past decade, as the exploration of the deep sea has become more rigorous than ever, new species, or remains of known and unknown stages of development, have been cataloged more and more rapidly. Therefore, it is too early to draw conclusions about its origin, function, and the reasons for the appearance of holes in the structure. ”
Dr. Josso noted that while the "golden" appearance is striking, it is mainly due to the glow from the headlights of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that removed it from the rock. When it is picked up from the sea, its color changes from metallic gold to light brownish yellow.
To sum up, we can conclude that the mysterious golden egg on the bottom of Alaska, USA, is not crystallized by Japanese nuclear sewage, but is more likely to be an unknown marine life. Although these "golden eggs" look beautiful, they are not valuable, but more scientific research value, and there is no harm to humans and marine life. They are just a kind of wonder under the sea, showcasing the magic and charm of nature.