Starfish: A warning from the past regarding polarization in Science and Society

Sea-urchins and starfish both belong to Phylum Echinodermata and while early research on the fertilization reaction was conducted by Rothschild and Swann (1949) on sea-urchins, the conclusions regarding egg fertilization and proximity of spawning individuals were just as applicable to starfish.
Human collection of the Giant Triton and other predators was suggested by Endean (1969) as a causative factor in starfish outbreaks, but this Predator Control Hypothesis was generally disregarded due ...