New glowing jelly discovered in Marianas Trench

Ongoing mission of the deep-sea Okeanos Explorer has also discovered new octopus
ufo-glowing-jelly The newly discovered U.F.O. jelly swims peacefully in deep ocean. (Courtesy of NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas)


There are scientists who love to say that we know more about outer space than we do about the deep sea. Whether or not that's actually true, the point is that there is still a lot about what goes on at the bottom of the ocean that we don't understand. A big reason why? Well, it's very dark, very deep, we can't breathe there, and the pressure from all of that water above you would crush you like a... um, yeah. Let's not go there!

Perhaps then no place is as mysterious as the Marianas Trench, aka the deepest point on Earth. This trench in the Pacific is 10,994 metres (6.8 miles) deep. It's like Mount Everest in reverse! But incredibly, life still exists here. In many cases, the animals are as delicate and beautiful as anything else on the planet. And now thanks to the Okeanos Explorer (a deep sea diving expedition in and around the Marianas), not only are many of these species being seen for the first time, people like you and I are able to see these discoveries in real time as it happens!

Alien jellies!

Case in point, this amazing jelly! Though not in the actual trench, it was still found about 3,700 metres (2.3 miles) down. The scientists who discovered it have called it for now the U.F.O. jelly, and it's easy to see why. They think that the glowing parts of the animal are likely its reproductive and digestive glands. Check it out below!

Isn't that great? As an added bonus, have a look at this cute little "ghost octopus" that same team discovered back in February. It lives at a similar ocean depth to this jelly, but near Hawaii. I love him.

And if you want to make sure you don't miss out on what this crew finds next, just go here between April 20 to July 10 where their cameras will live stream the ocean floor from 4:30PM to 12:30AM EST.

Okay, crew... dive, dive, dive!


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  2. Love getting your emails…It is great to have access to see and have explained the wonders in our universe. …I especially enjoy the live video clips ..Thank you

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