Echoes from the Deep: Unidentified Underwater Phenomena – Education Section
Welcome to the Echoes from the Deep: Unidentified Underwater Phenomena – Education Section of stellarcontact.net inspired by my Close Encounters, the Maritime section and all information is © 2025 Anthony Topping. All rights reserved.
It was a serene morning, in 1997 just before 5:30 am, when I found myself immersed in an extraordinary dream that felt more vivid than any experience I had encountered before. It appears it was the start of Echoes from the Deep: Unidentified Underwater Phenomena.
In this dream, I was inexplicably transported to my old, dilapidated home in Yorkshire. As I glanced around, I noticed a figure with lustrous auburn hair while seated at my late mother’s 1930s dresser. To my astonishment, she revealed herself to be an otherworldly being – an alien woman with a Scandinavian-like appearance. Copper coloured type skin, Her countenance was remarkable; her face slightly triangular, her flawless skin exuded an unearthly radiance, and her eyes held an unmistakably non-human quality they glowed blue will never forget it.
As I observed in awe, she turned to me and posed a question that left me speechless. “How do I look?” she inquired, seemingly seeking validation of her appearance. It was then that she divulged her affiliation with a maritime group capable of traversing between our world and a parallel dimension, utilizing the similarity of water in both realms as a conduit for their travels.
In the ensuing years, I felt compelled to recreate her likeness. It entailed months of dedicated effort, but eventually, I captured an almost identical image. As of the time of this post, she feels undeniably real, her skin tone and hair color beautifully depicted. However, the most astonishing aspect of this interdimensional encounter transpired in 2017 when she reappeared, visibly aged. It was evident that she had purposely undergone the aging process, expressing her outrage over covert activities occurring around me while I tended to my mother. She remarked that it had been a considerable period since she last saw me, and her aging, despite her kin possessing the ability to control it, left me astounded.
Biological Basis of Copper-Hued Skin
An alien with copper-colored skin might use a copper-based blood pigment called hemocyanin instead of our iron-based hemoglobin. Many marine invertebrates—such as horseshoe crabs and some octopus species—carry oxygen with hemocyanin, which turns their blood blue in its deoxygenated state and colorless when oxygenated; in high concentrations, it can impart a greenish or even coppery tint to tissues. An evolutionary path on an aquatic world could favor hemocyanin-rich blood, especially in cold or low-oxygen environments, creating a striking metallic sheen that protects against UV radiation and adds camouflage among coral reefs.
The Science of Auburn Hair
Auburn hair represents a high concentration of pheomelanin, a red-yellow pigment variant, mixed with eumelanin. On Earth, people with red or auburn hair produce more pheomelanin relative to eumelanin; a similar mechanism in an alien could evolve under selective pressures—like signaling fertility or blending with kelp beds in shallow waters[2]. Melanin pigments also protect against ultraviolet light, so a shimmering auburn mane could be both functional and ornamental in a sunlit oceanic world.
Bright Blue, Glowing Eyes
Glowing blue eyes could arise from internal bioluminescent organelles or a reflective layer called the tapetum lucidum. Many deep-sea fishes and squids use luciferin-luciferase chemistry to produce bioluminescence for communication or camouflage. Alternatively, reflective tapeta—found in nocturnal terrestrial animals—amplify low light by reflecting it back through the retina, and could similarly create an eerie blue glow when illuminated. An alien life form might blend both strategies for vision in murky depths and signaling to conspecifics.
Oceanic Origins and Multiple Worlds
A water-world origin suggests adaptations for both aquatic and terrestrial life, such as webbed extremities and hydrophobic skin, plus the ability to breath air or water. Amphibious mammals here on Earth—like seals and dolphins—offer models: they have modified limbs, blubber for insulation, and can hold their breath for long dives yet surface to breathe air On other worlds, these features could combine with exotic gill-like structures or osmotic pumps to transition between sea and land.
Fascinating Implications
- Alien Biochemistry: Copper-based blood and bioluminescence show that life elsewhere could use elements differently.
- Pigment Science: Understanding pheomelanin vs eumelanin bridges genetics with evolutionary biology.
- Vision Adaptations: Learning about real tapeta and luciferins makes alien biology tangible.
- Evolutionary Innovation: Spotting Earth analogues (octopuses, dolphins) to imagine new life forms sparks creative thinking.
By connecting these traits to real marine and terrestrial examples, teenagers can appreciate the rich diversity of life’s possibilities—both on Earth and in science fiction worlds.