Unmasking the Sea Star Killer
7 comments
·August 5, 2025steve_adams_86
My coworkers worked on this research! I wasn't involved in this project, but I'm so stoked to see this making the rounds. Everyone involved is deservedly proud of this one.
A big part of what makes me happy is that this seems quite niche to me, but it's getting a ton of attention which suggests people care about this more than I realized. That feels good! This is a huge deal for biodiversity in a huge swath of the Pacific Ocean.
philiplu
It’s been really sad to watch the decline of sea stars the past 10+ years. Tide-pooling just hasn’t been the same at Cannon Beach or the San Juan Islands. It’s very encouraging to pin down the culprit.
throwup238
Well that’s fun. The seastars are ravaged by Vibrio pectenicida in the same genus that includes human pathogens like the bacteria that causes cholera and various flesh eating bacteria that can infect through undercooked seafood. The latter have even begun to eat plastic and multiply in sargassum [1] so watch those cuts when swimming in Florida!
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sans_souse
Couldn't they just do the initial test with 5? Maybe 10.. Why we gotta disintegrate 19 more of these fuzzy little guys? :|
rediguanayum
[dead]
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vibrio-pectenicid...