Five Revolutionary Technologies Helping Scientists Study Polar Bears

Photo caption: Researchers are using novel technologies to study polar bears, which live in the rapidly warming Arctic. Photo credit: Kieran McIver / Polar Bears International. Article by Sarah Kuta. Smithsonian Magazine – January 13, 2023.

When they’re born, polar bears are toothless and blind, and they weigh roughly a pound. But over time—thanks to lots of fat-rich milk and protection from their mother—these helpless cubs grow to become large, powerful predators that are perfectly adapted for their Arctic environment. Though temperatures can dip to minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, the massive marine mammals—which live in Canada, Norway, Russia, Greenland and Alaska—stay warm with a thick layer of body fat and two coats of fur. […]

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