In this month's Oddities in the News:
Purple orb of unknown origin found in the ocean by the Exploration Vessel Nautilus
IN THE ODDITIES ARCHIVES
Hairball
Lost Girl
Sixteen Toes
Poo
Brain Eaters
KFC
Embalmed Hearts
A scientist says he is "stumped" after a purple orb is spotted on the floor of the Pacific by a remote-controlled rover.
Sky News, August 5, 2016 -- A mysterious purple orb spotted on the sea bed during a live-streamed ocean exploration temporarily stumped scientists.
The colorful orb was seen near the Channel Islands of California by the Exploration Vessel Nautilus, a scientific expedition equipped with a live broadcasting studio.
The lifeform was spotted in a rocky crevasse by a remote-controlled rover, and scientists scratched their heads for several minutes during the live broadcast, trying to explain what viewers could see.
One said: "What is that? I actually have no idea."
Another said: "I'm stumped, I have no idea. What if it's an egg sac of some sort?"
They directed the vessel to use its suction tool to capture orb for a closer look.
But as the suction tool moved in, a large red crab appeared to take an interest in the purple curiosity.
It began stroking the orb, which has a light pink center.
The vessel triumphed and captured the orb in its on-board laboratory, and scientists were quick to conclude that it is likely to be a new form of the nudibranch marine mollusk.
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."
See the entire article HERE and a related article HERE
Scientists collected the orb (below) to bring it aboard the Nautilus
See a video of the orb HERE
About the Exporation Vessel Nautilus
Go to their Home Page HERE
E/V Nautilus is a 64-meter exploration vessel with 17 permanent crew and berthing for a 31-member rotating Corps of Exploration. The ship carries with it two Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) named Hercules and Argus that explore the seafloor in real-time online via our telepresence technology. A new hulled-mounted multibeam system will be installed this winter. The ship also has a Data Lab and Wet Lab for processing digital data and physical samples. As part of our effort to share our expeditions with students and colleagues, we stream video from our ROVs and various locations on the ship live on our Nautilus Live website.
Call sign
J8B3605
Deck Equipment
A-frame, 6-ton capacity; Knuckle-boom crane, 4.2-ton capacity with 2 extensions; Dynacon 421 oceanographic winch, 8.8-ton capacity with 4300m 0.68” cable; Hatlapa oceanographic winch, 2.1-ton capacity with 3000m 0.322” cable.
On deck (below)
