Hunting down the eagle killer: Vacuolar myelinopathy is a neurological disease affecting wildlife — including the iconic bald eagle — in the United States. Its cause has been elusive for decades, but its occurrence has been linked to the cyanobacterium Aetokthonos hydrillicola colonizing the invasive aquatic plant Hydrilla verticillata. In a recent study, we found that A. hydrillicola produces a novel highly toxic biindole alkaloid (aetokthonotoxin), and proved that it is causing the disease. © 2021, Die Autoren.