Scientists looked at blood samples from bears in the Chukchi Sea, which is between Alaska and Russia, in a study that has shown hints about how polar bear sickness may be connected to ice loss.
Three decades later, from 2008 to 2017, they collected and examined samples that had been collected between 1987 and 1994.
More recent blood samples exhibited chemical indicators indicating bears had contracted one of five viruses, germs, or parasites, the researchers discovered.
To keep an eye on the health of the animals, wildlife researcher Karyn Rode (shown above with a sedated wild polar bear) and her colleagues took blood samples from wild bears.
Blood tests make it hard to determine how the bears’ physical health was impacted, but according to US Geological Survey wildlife researcher Dr. Karyn Rode, they did indicate that the entire Arctic environment was changing.
The researchers studied six pathogens, which are viruses, bacteria, or parasites that are primarily associated with terrestrial animals but have been found in marine animals, including species that polar bears hunt.
