For 12 years, researchers in Washington and British Columbia have been tracking down a mystery. 

Along the Pacific coast, sea stars were dissolving into goo. This phenomenon was given a name: sea star wasting disease and it killed billions of these marine creatures. 

For more than a decade, scientists studied the wasting disease but couldn’t figure out why it was happening. 

A new paper published this week in Nature Ecology and Evolution details a likely culprit. 

Guest:

John Ryan, KUOW environment reporter

Relevant Links:

KUOW: Scientists crack the case of the melting sea stars. It only took a decade

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.