Scientists finally solve the mystery of melting sea stars
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:
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John Ryan, KUOW environment reporter
Relevant Links:
KUOW: Scientists crack the case of the melting sea stars. It only took a decade
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Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington, and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
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John Ryan
Environment Reporter
John Ryan joined KUOW as its first full-time investigative reporter in 2009 and became its environment reporter in 2018. He focuses on climate change, energy, and the ecosystems of the Puget Sound region.
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Hans Anderson
Producer, Soundside
Hans Anderson is a producer on KUOW’s Soundside, where he covers a diverse range of topics from conflicts over how to use busy streets to how the open spaces of the Palouse inspire modern musical compositions. He primarily produces segments about politics, arts and transportation.
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