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Mysterious disease turns starfish to slime


Still Waters

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Scientists are struggling to find the trigger for a disease that appears to be ravaging starfish in record numbers along the U.S. West Coast, causing the sea creatures to lose their limbs and turn to slime in a matter of days.

Marine biologists and ecologists will launch an extensive survey this week along the coasts of California, Washington state and Oregon to determine the reach and source of the deadly syndrome, known as "star wasting disease,"

http://www.thestar.c...h_to_slime.html

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In March 2013, researchers from the Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station issued a report on Bluefin tuna caught off the California coast and tested for radioactive cesium. The report found that Bluefin tuna were 100 per cent contaminated, that not one was cesium-free. The report did not address such questions as whether cesium would continue to accumulate in tuna or whether it was appearing in other fish species.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/fukushima-2013-remaining-radioactive-mass-dangerous-leaking-radioactive-water-all-four-reactors-are-getting-worse/5342466

It seems is may very well be appearing in other sea life.

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  • 2 months later...

Here's another article about the starfish disease, which includes a video.

http://www.latinpost...es-then-die.htm

It is super creepy how the feet on the arms crawl away from the main body. Like having the fingers of your hand trying to pull your own arm away from you.

They still have absolutely no idea what is causing this.

Edited by DieChecker
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The formics are beginning their invasion.... LOL

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In March 2013, researchers from the Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station issued a report on Bluefin tuna caught off the California coast and tested for radioactive cesium. The report found that Bluefin tuna were 100 per cent contaminated, that not one was cesium-free. The report did not address such questions as whether cesium would continue to accumulate in tuna or whether it was appearing in other fish species.

http://www.globalres...g-worse/5342466

It seems is may very well be appearing in other sea life.

very interesting...

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  • 9 months later...

In March 2013, researchers from the Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station issued a report on Bluefin tuna caught off the California coast and tested for radioactive cesium. The report found that Bluefin tuna were 100 per cent contaminated, that not one was cesium-free. The report did not address such questions as whether cesium would continue to accumulate in tuna or whether it was appearing in other fish species.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/fukushima-2013-remaining-radioactive-mass-dangerous-leaking-radioactive-water-all-four-reactors-are-getting-worse/5342466

It seems is may very well be appearing in other sea life.

Best not to get "news" from conspiracy sites. Here's the release on the study from Stanford directly:

Basically while cesium was present, it was in such low amounts that it is not harmful to humans (actually the mercury in tuna is much more harmful over the long run) and the researchers were using it to track the migration of the tuna more than anything.

From the study:

Not a public health concern

"All living things are radioactive," said Fisher, "primarily attributable to the naturally occurring potassium-40. The potassium-40 radioactivity in the bluefin tuna was over 30 times higher than that from the radioactive cesium. So, the radioactivity from the spill really only adds 3 percent more radioactivity than the background level."

This study opens up the door for radioactivity from the Fukushima disaster to serve as a valuable tool in mapping the paths of little-understood migratory

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I just hope this doesn't come as a result of oil spill and cleaning 'efforts'. We will see even more results of pollution in years to come.

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The virus in question is related to parvo and has been around for quite some time:

Museum specimens from the 1940s have tested positive for the virus, and it lurks in ocean sediments and in seawater. It has even been found in sea star relatives like sea urchins and sea cucumbers.

http://news.national...-ocean-science/

Edited by Rafterman
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I just hope this doesn't come as a result of oil spill and cleaning 'efforts'. We will see even more results of pollution in years to come.

The article said that the virus got out of natural control, because the starfish population exploded (Due to lack of predators, perhaps?) and allowed for virus transfer much more efficiently then otherwise would have happened.

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http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/11/18/mystery-of-why-millions-of-star-fish-dissolved-into-goo-off-pacific-coast-solved/

VANCOUVER — Scientists have cracked the mystery of what has killed millions of sea stars in waters off the Pacific coast, from British Columbia to Mexico.

Microbiology Prof. Ian Hewson of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., said the culprit is densovirus, commonly found in invertebrates.

He said the virus literally made what are commonly called star fish dissolve within two to 10 days after infection, leaving them in a pile of goo on the ocean floor.

Hewson is the lead author of a study along with Ben Miner of Western Washington University that was published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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The article said that the virus got out of natural control, because the starfish population exploded (Due to lack of predators, perhaps?) and allowed for virus transfer much more efficiently then otherwise would have happened.

It's also quite common for an overgrown population to suffer some type of mass die off.

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The article said that the virus got out of natural control, because the starfish population exploded (Due to lack of predators, perhaps?) and allowed for virus transfer much more efficiently then otherwise would have happened.

I see, but still i can't stop thinking about link between this and oil spill. This virus was found in 1942 but wasn't active until now?

Just read about it here, answers from some microbiologists - http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/finding-culprit-virus-starfish-deaths-researchers-look-environmental-causes/

I do believe that pollution is playing big role here and who knows, maybe it was just oil spill and all those chemicals which were used to 'fight' oil that made things this bad. Millions of starfish dying, it's terrible.

I can't find link about chemicals which are used to stop oil spill, it seems that bottom of the ocean is covered in it over very large area. I was reading about it few days ago but now can't find article about it.

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Scientists are struggling to find the trigger for a disease that appears to be ravaging starfish in record numbers along the U.S. West Coast, causing the sea creatures to lose their limbs and turn to slime in a matter of days.

Marine biologists and ecologists will launch an extensive survey this week along the coasts of California, Washington state and Oregon to determine the reach and source of the deadly syndrome, known as "star wasting disease,"

http://www.thestar.c...h_to_slime.html

I wonder what the odds are that whatever the cause it is man-made?

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