Billions of sea stars have wasted away in recent years, their crustose, spiny bodies melted to goop by a mysterious illness known as sea star wasting disease .

The culprit behind this epidemic has evaded detection, until now. Four years of gene sequencing and lab experiments have finally revealed the exact pathogen behind this devastating starfish plague – a bacterium called

The outbreak, which was first reported in November 2013, rattled ecosystems across the west coast of North America, while similar reports of wasting events extend across the globe, affecting more than 40 species worldwide.

Related: Mysterious Syndrome Turning Sea Stars Into Goo Reveals Another Strange Twist

The disease begins with lesions on their bumpy exteriors. Then the muscles begin to disintegrate, th

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