Finding a cause for sea star wasting disease has been a goal for scientists, in part because the animals are a keystone species

Identifying the bacteria that causes the disease spells hope for West Coast kelp forests, decimated by unchecked “zombie” urchins that the sea stars prey on

A study published Monday offers long-awaited clarity on a more than decade-long marine mystery: What has been killing the sunflower sea star?

In 2013, something began ravaging sea stars along the West Coast, turning them into decaying, fragmented carcasses. Over the next few years, the wasting disease (SSWD) killed billions of animals along the shore, transforming entire marine ecosystems.

One species was hit especially hard: Pycnopodia helianthoides , more commonly known as the sunflower sea star. S

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