In Australia and beyond, some researchers believe that harmful blooms of blue-green algae are linked to increasingly high rates of motor neuron disease, a condition which causes paralysis and early death.

Folks in the US might be familiar with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, which is the most common type of motor neuron disease.

Motor neuron diseases progressively attack nerve cells, reducing one's ability to speak, move, and breathe and typically killing patients within two to fours years after diagnosis, researchers told the Sydney Morning Herald. .