The human pandemic can make us forget that diseases can move like wildfire through other animal populations.
That's what happened to sea stars ("starfish") on the West Coast several years ago. Sea Star Wasting Syndrome made the animals dissolve over a short period of time.
There's been some comeback among some species of sea stars, but the Sunflower Sea Star is now considered critically endangered.
Research from Oregon State University played a role in the designation; marine ecologist Sarah Gravem from OSU's Department of Integrative Biology talks to us about the animal's fate.