Mystery pathogen is stripping sea urchins of their flesh and turning them to skeletons — and it’s spreading fast



A sudden and lethal epidemic sweeping throughout the Crimson Sea has killed a complete species of sea urchin, stripping their flesh and turning them into skeletons. 

Simply two months in the past, hundreds of black sea urchins (Diadema setosum) lived within the Gulf of Aqaba, within the northern tip of the Crimson Sea, retaining the corals there wholesome by snacking on extra algae. Now, solely their skeletons stay, after their tissue was consumed by a mysterious pathogen.