In my mind, the Sea Star was always the most rugged and indestructible organism imaginable; chop one into 5 pieces and you have 5 new sea stars. They were ubiquitous, as common as dirt. In less than a year, 80% of the Sea Stars on the West coast have been wiped out by a mysterious disease known only as the "Sea Star Wasting Syndrome", and the rest are in peril. Extinction is possible. The cause is unknown, but probably related to something we have done to the ocean. Increased temperature is suspected. The ecological consequences of this phenomenon are being debated, but already the number of Sea Urchins is exploding. Sea Urchins feed on kelp, which was already in decline. A vast number of creatures depend on kelp for their existence.

The world is changing faster than we can comprehend. If an organism this robust can be sent to the brink in a year, what does the future hold for us?