\n Published on
\n 13\/12\/2025 – 8:00 GMT+1\n <\/p>\n
Polar bears are rapidly undergoing \u201cfundamental genetic changes\u201d in a desperate attempt to adapt to the climate crisis.<\/p>\n
Human-caused climate change is warming the Arctic<\/a> at an accelerated rate, two to four times the global average. This significantly reduces vital platforms of sea ice that polar bears use to hunt seals, resulting in severe food scarcity and isolation. <\/p>\n As a result, more than two-thirds of polar bears are predicted to become extinct by 2050, with researchers warning of “total extinction\u201d by the end of this century.<\/p>\n However, scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have found that polar bear DNA is playing a \u201ckey role\u201d in helping populations adapt to changing climates and diets.<\/p>\n How polar bears are changing their DNA<\/p>\n The study, published in the journal Springer Nature<\/a>, analysed blood samples from 17 polar bears in northeastern and southeastern Greenland to compare the activity of \u2018jumping genes\u2019, their relationship with temperature in the two regions, and changes in gene expression.<\/p>\n Jumping genes are small pieces of the genome that can influence how other genes work.<\/p>\n Researchers found that rising temperatures appeared to have caused a \u201cdramatic increase\u201d in the activity of jumping genes within bears in southeastern Greenland<\/a>, where temperatures are significantly warmer than in the north. <\/p>\n They argue that these changes in DNA, which can impact a bear\u2019s metabolism and how it deals with heat stress, may signal a \u201cdesperate survival mechanism against melting sea ice\u201d.<\/p>\n Changes were also found in gene expression areas of DNA linked to fat processing, which is important when food is scarce. <\/p>\n The study argues this could mean that the southeastern bears are slowly adapting to the rougher plant-based diets that can be found in the warmer regions, compared to the mainly fatty, seal-based diets of the northern population.<\/p>\n Are polar bears still at risk of extinction?<\/p>\n Lead researcher Dr Alice Godden says the findings provide a \u201cgenetic blueprint\u201d for how polar bears might be able to adapt quickly to climate change, arguing they should shape the focus of future conservation efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, we cannot be complacent,\u201d Dr Godden adds. \u201cThis offers some hope, but does not mean that polar bears are at any less risk of extinction.<\/p>\n