cnidarians

A mysterious 'golden orb' discovered 2 miles deep in the Gulf of Alaska in 2023 has been identified as a remnant of a rare giant deep-sea anemone, Relicanthus daphneae, through a collaborative scientific investigation by NOAA and the Smithsonian. The object, initially sparking speculation as an alien egg or unknown species, was analyzed using morphological, genetic, and bioinformatics methods.