Did you know that UW researchers finally figured out why sea stars are rapidly dying? That includes more than 90% of the once-common sunflower sea stars, which support kelp forests by eating their biggest predators, kelp-eating sea urchins. Read on for research on sea stars, dark matter, stroke rehabilitation and more. Sea star trackingA marine heat wave hit the West Coast 10 years ago, contributing to the collapse of the sunflower sea star in the waters off California. Without sea stars to keep their population in check, native purple sea urchins surged in numbers, devastating kelp forests.