New study of DNA suggests generations of bears are ‘moving towards areas with more persistent year-round sea ice’
Darryl Fears for the Washington Post
Saturday 17 January 2015 10.00 GMT
It was just a theory, but for years scientists believed what years of observation were telling them. As Arctic sea ice melted because of climate change, polar bears appeared to be creeping their way toward a final refuge in the icy Canadian archipelago.
Now a study of polar bear DNA backs that up. Scientists who research the animals across the Arctic teamed up to produce a paper showing that the “directional gene flow” of recent polar bear generations is “moving towards areas with more persistent year-round sea ice”.
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