A University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher has launched a study of cognitive decline in older Alaska dogs. Canine cognitive disorder, or CCD, presents similarly to Alzheimer’s disease in humans, with symptoms including disorientation, failure to recognize family members, inability to retain control over basic bodily functions, and changes in personality. Dr. Greg Pietsch, a veterinarian […]
SAN FRANCISCO — In December 2006, I sat in a similar carpeted room in this city and listened to scientists talk about an Alaska-size chunk of sea ice that was no longer floating on the northern oceans compared to previous years. That meant that the “refrigerator of the northern hemisphere” was much less powerful than […]
CLIMATE DNA from Greenlandic polar bears shed light on how their numbers have been dramatically influenced by changes in climate over the last several thousand years. Relatively small increases in sea temperature have had big consequences for the polar bear. It is nothing new that polar bears in Greenland are threatened. A study just published […]
The small size and isolation of the endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales in the Pacific Northwest have led to high levels of inbreeding. This inbreeding has contributed to their decline, which has continued as surrounding killer whale populations expand, according to research published in Nature Ecology and Evolution. The groundbreaking new study combined modern genomics […]