Woman discovers rare 'doomsday' fish on remote beach: 'It was so bizarre ... like something from the deep sea'
The oarfish, a rarely seen species believed to dwell hundreds of feet below sea level, was spotted by a local woman, Sybil Robertson, on Ocean Beach near the town of Strahan.
Measuring roughly 10 feet long and gleaming silver, the animal was so unusual in appearance that the woman who found it was in awe.
"It was so bizarre," Australian marine biologist Jorja Gilmore said when talking about her own encounter with an oarfish in 2022, "like something from the deep sea."
The discovery was reported by the Guardian, which notes that oarfish are "phenomenally big fish" with long, ribbon-like bodies and delicate dorsal fins. Marine ecologist Neville Barrett of the University of Tasmania explained that these animals are usually found between 500 and 1,640 feet deep and rarely come close to shore.
In Japanese folklore, oarfish are known as "Ryūgū-no-tsukai," or messengers from the sea god's palace, and their appearance is sometimes interpreted as a warning of earthquakes. While there's no evidence this creature's appearance is tied to any seismic event, its presence near the surface is still highly unusual.
A similar incident occurred earlier this year when a live oarfish was spotted on a beach in Baja California Sur, Mexico, as reported by People. The animal appeared injured and disoriented. These increasingly visible encounters have left people wondering whether something deeper is going on, literally.
The deep sea remains one of the most under-monitored ecosystems on Earth, yet it plays a crucial role in maintaining the planet's temperature, food supply, and biodiversity.
Warmer waters are shifting migration patterns for countless species, which is pushing animals like jellyfish, sharks, and even oarfish into areas where they aren't typically found. At the same time, plastic pollution is being ingested by deep-sea creatures, and larger debris can entangle or injure them. Overfishing and acidification are also disrupting the ocean's food web, leaving some animals without enough resources to survive.
While the cause of this particular oarfish's appearance is unknown, marine scientists have warned that what we don't know about the deep ocean may be just as concerning as what we do.
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"It's just so interesting what you can find if you just keep your eyes open whilst you're looking around. It's just amazing," Robertson said. These moments can feel extraordinary but might also be signs of distress that are in need of attention.
Efforts to better understand and protect the ocean are underway, but there's a long way to go. Projects like the Ocean Census, which is a global initiative to discover and document 100,000 new marine species in the next decade, are designed to fill some of the knowledge gaps. Meanwhile, countries like the U.S. have recently committed to expanding marine protected areas, which can help preserve deep-sea habitats and biodiversity.
To help on an individual level, reducing plastic use, eating lower on the seafood chain, and supporting sustainable fishing practices all contribute to healthier oceans. And pushing for stronger ocean policy and funding for marine research ensures that the deep sea (and its rarely seen residents) don't stay out of sight, out of mind.
Solutions like floating solar panels on reservoirs, which reduce pollution output while minimizing pressure on land and aquatic systems, and efforts to combat invasive species, can help restore balance in fragile ecosystems. Each of these steps brings us closer to a future where rare animals like the oarfish don't have to show up onshore to be considered.
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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Science Officially Confirmed That The 10,000 Steps Rule Is Outdated. Here's The New Number To Target.
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3 days ago
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Okra for Glucose Control: Ancient Practice or Pseudoscience?
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Newsweek
3 days ago
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Doctor Raises Concerns Over Medical Cannabis Use With Cancer Treatment
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Despite its growing popularity among cancer patients for managing symptoms like nausea, pain and reduced appetite, a new study has warned that the use of medicinal cannabis could make immunotherapy less effective. This is the warning of Australian medical cannabis advocate Dr. Ben Jansen, whose newly-published review paper poses the question: "Are cannabinoids with cancer immunotherapy contributing to early death?" "As both a physician involved in the medicinal cannabis industry and an advocate for patient care, I find the discussion and patient informed consent around this interaction critical," Jansen wrote in his study. "Three key studies on this topic offer preliminary data suggesting a potential reduction in immunotherapy efficacy from cannabis use," he continued. "Though the results remain limited and controversial, warranting caution and additional research." Medical marijuana over official looking subscription document. Medical marijuana over official looking subscription document. thegoodphoto/Getty Images The first study looked into patients receiving the immunotherapy drug nivolumab for advanced cancers, including lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma and melanoma. It compared those on nivolumab alone (89 patients) and those on both nivolumab and cannabis (51 patients). The findings, Jansen noted, showed a significantly lower treatment response rate in patients using cannabis than in those on just nivolumab (15.9 vs. 37.5 percent.) The analysis excluded patients with advanced disease with survival of less than two months. "This suggests that patients using cannabis were approximately three times more likely to have a poor response to immunotherapy. Notably, cannabis use did not significantly impact progression-free survival or overall survival," Jansen wrote. Building on this, the second study compared 34 patients prescribed both immunotherapy and cannabis with 68 patients receiving the cancer treatment alone. That study found that tumors tended to take less than three-and-a-half months to grow or spread in the patients taking cannabis, as compared to more than a year for patients on immunotherapy alone. It also found the median overall survival time for cannabis users was 6.4 months compared to 28.5 months for non-users. A colourful illustration representing immune cells and white blood cells. A colourful illustration representing immune cells and white blood cells. quantic69/Getty Images It should be noted that both studies had inherent limitations—including small sample sizes and a focus on inhaled cannabis, rather than the orally-administered versions Jansen notes is favored in his experience with patients. Jansen added: "Factors such as smoking and other lifestyle elements, which heavily influence cancer risk and treatment outcomes, should be carefully considered when assessing cannabis' role in immunotherapy efficacy and cancer progression, and when interpreting the studies." The third study looked at 105 patients with tumors developing in solid organs—e.g. the breast, lung or prostate—receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors, and cannabis use primarily in the form of prescribed dronabinol. (Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a form of immunotherapy treatment that works by blocking proteins that prevent the immune system from attacking cancer cells.) Cannabis use was associated with significantly worse outcomes in patients receiving immunotherapy, including a shorter median overall survival time (6.7 vs 17.3 months), a reduced progression-free survival tune (4.8 vs 9.7 months) and a markedly lower disease control rate (10.7 percent vs 37.7 percent) compared with non-users. "Notably, these negative outcomes were most evident in white patients, raising the possibility of ethnicity-related pharmacogenetic variability in cannabinoid metabolism or immune response," Jansen wrote. Other potentially important factors like performance status, comorbidities and socio-economic status may have also been unaccounted for, and though tobacco was more common among cannabis users, it may still have influenced outcomes. Dropper with medical cannabis CBD hemp oil for oral use. Dropper with medical cannabis CBD hemp oil for oral use. 24K-Production/Getty Images "One of the challenges in interpreting these studies is the inherent complexity of cannabis as a therapeutic agent," wrote Jansen. Past research, Jansen notes, has found that cannabis can suppress the immune system through its active compounds: CBD, THC and other minor cannabinoids. At the same time, however, studies undertaken both in vitro and in living organisms have suggested that cannabinoids can both kill cancer cells and stop from spreading. "These findings hold particular relevance for patients considering, or currently using, medical cannabis during immunotherapy," the doctor said. "As medical practitioners, we must weigh the benefits of cannabis in managing cancer-related symptoms (such as pain, nausea and anorexia) against its potential to compromise treatment efficacy." "While cancer has a promising role in supportive cancer care, these early findings support careful consideration when patients are concurrently undergoing immunotherapy." Jansen emphasized how important it is that clinicians ensure patients are well informed of potential interactions, particularly until we have a clearer understanding of the situation, and has called for more thorough research and trials. "Future studies should aim to control for variables such as cancer type, cannabis dosage, socio-economic status and patient lifestyle factors, particularly tobacco use, which may confound results," he concluded. Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about cancer? Let us know via health@ References Bar-Sela, G., Cohen, I., Campisi-Pinto, S., Lewitus, G. M., Oz-Ari, L., Jehassi, A., Peer, A., Turgeman, I., Vernicova, O., Berman, P., Wollner, M., Moskovitz, M., & Meiri, D. (2020). Cannabis Consumption Used by Cancer Patients during Immunotherapy Correlates with Poor Clinical Outcome. Cancers, 12(9), Article 9. Hadid, T., Biedny, A., Mamdani, H., Azmi, A., Kim, S., Jang, H., Uprety, D., Al Hallak, M. N., & Sukari, A. (2024). Association between cannabis use and clinical outcomes in patients with solid malignancies receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. Therapeutic Advances in Vaccines and Immunotherapy, 12, 25151355241309095. Jansen, B. (2025). Are cannabinoids with cancer immunotherapy contributing to early death? A call for caution and further study. New Zealand Medical Journal, 138(1619). Taha, T., Meiri, D., Talhamy, S., Wollner, M., Peer, A., & Bar‐Sela, G. (2019). Cannabis Impacts Tumor Response Rate to Nivolumab in Patients with Advanced Malignancies. The Oncologist, 24(4), 549–554.
