Lava, floating rocks and the Blob: the mystery behind the deaths of millions of seabirds

Almost a decade ago 3 million shearwaters arrived on Australian beaches and died. Now researchers know why

Scientists finally know why millions of seabirds wound up dead on Australian beaches after unravelling a complex tale involving floating rocks, an underwater volcano and possibly something called the Blob.

Back in 2013, the carcasses of short-tailed shearwaters, commonly known as muttonbirds, were found en masse along Australia's east coast.