
Residents of Oklahoma found a mysterious hard sac-like ‘egg’ hanging from the tree roots at the lake, but scientists are now calming the locals, who immediately jumped to conclusions of alien proportions, by explaining that it’s an ancient creature

These creatures have found the right space and environment, so its likely they’ll be around a lot this summer.
Locals in Oklahoma discovered large, jelly-like sacs with a hard exterior hanging from tree roots; they immediately thought the answer was extraterrestrial. Or at least not good news.
But scientists, reassuring the public, have said that the locals in the area got a rare treat – the glimpse of the reproductive system of an ancient animal that’s been around since before the dinosaurs.
Immediately, locals put it up online, and spectators began commenting on the extraterrestrial-looking eggs. But scientists say that the creatures were simple bryozoans. They’ve been around for hundreds of millions of years, before the first dinosaurs roamed the planet. The animals may actually be good news for the lake.

These bizarre creatures are actually hundreds of tiny bryozoans.

Officials reassured the public that the animals are absolutely supposed to be there
Bryozoans clone themselves into large masses to filter tiny particles out of the water for food, cleaning up the lake. The critters normally reside in ponds and lakes. This time, it was found in McGee Creek Reservoir, located on the southwest edge of the Ouachita Mountain Range.
Bryozoan clumps aren’t an egg or just one animal at all. They form this hard shell as they are hundreds of creatures banded together. The pods, known as zooids, are each a fraction of a millimeter long. They lack any respiratory or circulatory systems, but their central nerve ganglion allows the animal to respond to stimuli.

These pods are hanging from tree roots, and actually help clean the lake
The tiny invertebrates possess both male and female reproductive organs, allowing them to self-clone and spread through clumps of cells on the organism known as statoblasts.
Each statoblast can reproduce asexually. They do this by breaking off from a colony, allowing the animal to reproduce rapidly if the space and the weather are suitable. The animals eat phytoplankton and bacteria lurking in water.
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Fossil records suggest they may have evolved from an ancient marine worm. Their grandparents, ancient bryozoans, date back as far as 470 million years. For perspective, dinosaurs came around 245 million years ago.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) shared the photos on social media. “What is that??? If you’re out boating somewhere like McGee Creek Reservoir you may notice these strange jelly-like balls hanging from submerged tree limbs,” begins the post.
“These are Bryozoans, and they’ll likely show up in large numbers this summer. Don’t be alarmed these microorganisms are native and are of no danger to you or wildlife. In fact, they are an indicator of good environmental quality and clear water!”
A woman is getting a lot of praise for refusing to give up her first-class plane seat for a child.
It wasn’t her problem that they couldn’t plan ahead.
A woman who decided not to give up her first-class seat on a flight, even though she was traveling with a toddler, has gotten a lot of support on social media for her choice.
Dr. Sabra, who goes by @lifewithdrsabra on TikTok, shared her experience in a recent video.
She was asked to change her seat, 1A, to help another passenger.
In her video, Dr. Sabra added some text on the screen that said:

“From my point of view: The flight attendant asks me if I want to give up my seat 1A so a child can sit with their family.”
She had a big smile while sharing this message, showing she was happy to keep the seat she had paid for.
She even added a popular TikTok audio in the background where someone says, “Girl, forget those kids and forget you too.”
This clip is often used in videos where people refuse to give up something for someone else’s children.
The 1A seat, usually found in first class at the front of the plane, is a very desirable spot for travelers.

Dr. Sabra shared more details in the caption of her video.
She said she chose to keep her seat and that the family was able to “find a solution” to their seating problem without her having to move.
In her caption, she wrote: “That’s a no from me, would you have given up your seat?
“Plus, they found a solution, so I’m not a terrible person. Also, the child was about 13.”
The video has gone viral, getting 4.9 million views, and many viewers are supporting her choice in the comments.
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