News

Mysterious Illness Decimating Sea Stars Finally Identified
A devastating bacterium has decimated populations of sunflower sea stars, predators that play a crucial role in their environment
Scientists Finally Identify Killer Microbe Behind ‘Terrifying’ Sea Star Disease
A mysterious epidemic has wiped out billions of sea stars in recent years. A new study finally identifies the bacterium responsible.
Scientists say they have solved the mystery of what killed more than 5 billion sea stars
Scientists have solved the mystery of what killed over 5 billion sea stars — also known as starfish — off the Pacific coast of North America.
Mystery of why sea stars keep turning into goo finally solved — and it's not what scientists thought
Researchers have discovered the cause of a mysterious marine epidemic that has turned billions of sea stars into goo along the West Coast — and it's not what they expected.Sea star wasting disease has been killing sea stars since 2013,
The Great Starfish Mystery: Solving a Decade-Long Environmental Crisis
Scientists have identified bacteria as the culprit behind a mass sea star die-off along North America's Pacific coast, marking a significant breakthrough in understanding the mysterious disease. The discovery offers a chance to save these crucial marine creatures and restore balance to marine ecosystems threatened by overpopulated sea urchins.
In 12 years, 5 billion starfish ‘wasted away’ from a mysterious disease: How culprit was finally found
Why do starfish matter, and why were so many of them dropping dead? Why did it take 12 years to find the cause of the disease? We explain.
Bay Area scientists work to restore sea star population devastated by pathogen
Scientists have determined the cause of an epidemic that has devastated a species of starfish, wiping out billions over the last decade, and a Bay Area team is at the forefront of an effort to restore their population.
Starfish Epidemic That Killed 5 Billion Is Finally Solved
Scientists have finally solved the mystery behind the devastating starfish wasting disease that has killed over 5 billion starfish across the Pacific Ocean since 2013. The culprit behind this massive starfish die-off affecting more than 20 species from Mexico to Alaska has been identified as a deadly bacteria called Vibrio pentenicida,
Scientists identify the bacterium behind billions of sea star deaths
By Shreya Dasgupta More than a decade ago, a mysterious illness killed billions of sea stars, particularly along the North American Pacific coast. The sea star wasting disease caused the stars to develop lesions,
Researchers say they have identified the mysterious killer of more than 5 billion sea stars
Scientists say they have at last solved the mystery of what killed more than 5 billion sea stars off the Pacific coast of North America in a decade-long epidemic.
5 Billion Sea Stars Have Shattered and Died Over the Past 10 Years, Scientists May Finally Know Why
An estimated 95% of sunflower sea stars died during the 10-year epidemic After an estimated 5 billion sea stars died due to a wasting disease in oceans globally, scientists have identified the root cause of the disease.
Vibrio pectenicida Identified as Cause of Sea Star Wasting Disease Affecting Billions
A mysterious illness has killed billions of sea stars in the past decade. After a four-year search, scientists have uncovered ...
Billions of starfish deaths traced back to bacterial culprit in largest marine epidemic
Sea star wasting disease has devastated starfish populations in North America, driving some species to the brink of ...
Smithsonian Magazine on MSN4d
Researchers Discover the Culprit Behind a Gruesome Disease That Makes Sea Stars Lose Their Limbs and Melt
A new study points a finger at a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida, which belongs to the same genus as Vibrio ...
Mystery solved: Scientists pinpoint bacteria behind sea star die-off on West Coast
Researchers at the Hakai Institute have identified the culprit as a bacterium called Vibrio pectenicida, known as "V-peck" ...
What led to the death of billions of starfish in over a decade? Scientists might finally have the answer
After a decade-long search, scientists have identified a bacterium, Vibrio pectenicida, as the cause of the devastating sea ...
Discovery of sea star wasting disease cause sheds light on kelp forest collapse and recovery
In Nature Ecology & Evolution, a group of researchers reveal the cause of sea star wasting disease (SSWD). This discovery ...
5 Billion Starfish Dead and Melting: Bizarre Ocean Plague Traced to Killer Vibrio Bacteria
For more than ten years, the Pacific Ocean has played host to a chilling marine mystery. Arms twist violently, limbs tear ...