After years of scientific sleuthing, a team of West Coast researchers reported that they have identified a particular strain of ocean bacteria that has killed more than 6 billion sea stars since 2013. In a paper published Monday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, they said the die-off was caused by a type of Vibrio bacteria that was previously only known as a pathogen in some shellfish larvae.

Vibrio bacteria are more frequently causing problems in a warming world. The bacteria sometimes cause dangerous infections and intestinal illnesses in humans, including cholera.

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