A close-up of a white, porous sponge-like structure against a black background.
"Magnificent Alien"
Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2025 Beyond the Blue. Download larger version (jpg, 1.19 MB).
In 2020, scientists identified and named a new genus and species of sponge: Advhena magnifica, Latin for “magnificent alien.” It was first sampled and seen during missions in the Pacific on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer in 2016. We were lucky enough to catch another glimpse of this “E.T. sponge” during Dive 14 of the Papahānaumokuākea ROV and Mapping expedition.