Mysterious sea orb
With
those words, scientists aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus
uncovered a marine mystery: a small purple orb tucked halfway under a
rock off the coast of California. Researchers are so far stumped as to
what … 42 minutes ago
Story from: FOX News
|
CNet
|
The Christian Science Monitor
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A
mysterious purple orb sucked off the sea bed during a live-streamed
Nautilus exploration has stumped scientists, and naturally the internet
too. …
Has a new form of life been discovered at the bottom of the ocean? Mysterious glowing purple orb has scientists and the internet stumped
- Purple orb was sucked off the sea bed during a live Nautilus exploration
- Researchers say they don't know what it is and could take years to find out
- Scientists' best guess so far is that it is a colourful type of marine mollusc
- Internet's best guess is that it is an 'alien egg' or a new breed of Pokemon
A
mysterious purple orb sucked off the sea bed during a live-streamed
Nautilus exploration has stumped scientists, and naturally the internet
too.
Inquisitive viewers of the YouTube video have made multiple guesses as to its origins, ranging from an 'alien egg' to a brand new species of Pokemon.
In fact it is more likely the bright orb, found by the Channel Islands of California, is a type of marine mollusc.
Mysterious: Live-stream footage from the underwater explorer Nautilus captures a strange purple orb
At
least that is the current view of scientists who in all honesty are not
completely sure, and it could take several years before they find out.
In
the video a team of researchers with the Ocean Exploration Trust are
seen scouring the seabed with the floating laboratory Nautilus.
'Can we have a look at that dark purple blob on the left there,' says a female member of the team.
Zooming in the camera picks up the bizarre glowing orb hanging from a rock shelf.
One scientist says 'Ooh what is that?' Another responds: 'I actually have no idea.'
The globe, which looks like a squidgy stress ball, also attracts the attention of a curious crab.
The red crustacean crawls over and strokes the orb, which also has a soft red centre.
Operating
the machine the researchers decide the take the specimen in for a
closer examination, deciding upon suction as the most appropriate
method.
Controlling a robotic hoover, notably wrapped up with duct tape, they move closer.
Can you spot it? A member of the research team asks to zoom in on the orb seen here in the top left corner
'Can we have a look at that dark purple blob on the left there:' They zoom in for a closer look near California
After some minor adjustments they successfully suck the sphere into the laboratory before the footage cuts out.
Underneath the footage viewers have eagerly begun posting their thoughts on what it could be.
One wrote: 'Is it an alien egg?'
And along a similar line another posted: 'They didn't tell us because it was aliens.'
While
one user wrote: 'My dog's chew toy! We lost it at the beach some time
ago! My dog says she'd like it returned please.... just throw it, she
said.'
The purple globe, which looks like a squidgy stress ball, also attracts the attention of a curious crab
My precious: The red crustacean crawls over and strokes the orb, which also has a soft red centre
Multiple
viewers have also joked that it could be a Pokemon, one suggesting:
'These Pokemon Go locations are getting ridiculous.'
Currently the best rational guess is that it 'could possibly be a new species of nudibranch,' according to the Nautilus Live website.
'This
unidentified purple orb stumped our scientists on-board. After
sampling, it began to unfold to reveal two distinct lobes,' it added on
the page.
A
nudibranch is a mollusc that has a soft body and is noted for its
amazing range of colours and forms. There are over 2,000 species
currently known to man.
Controlling a robotic hoover, notably rapped up with duct tape, the team moves up to suck the orb off the floor
Yet
on their YouTube channel the researchers wrote: 'We won't know
definitively what it is for a while. It could possibly take years for
scientists to determine if it's a new species.
'Our team preserved the sampled specimen and it will be sent off to a lab for further investigation.'
In
response to troll comments about the team who operated Nautilus they
added: 'Each team in our ship's rotation have different missions and
goals, and most definitely have different personalities.
'We love that these personalities shine through in our videos! With the right attitude, anyone can be a scientist!'
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