Spring wake up: Researchers unlocking secrets of seasonal change at WSU Bear Center

When Heiko Jansen’s familiar face approaches, Kio and Peeka are all attention, their big bear muzzles filling the pen door. A few days ago, the 11-year-old, 400-pound female grizzlies spent 95 percent of their time in a lethargic state—just lying around. But with the coming of spring, everything has changed. After five months of hibernation, […]

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Cool baths help bears adapt to warm summers

Learn how joint work between WSU and U Idaho is contributing to a better understanding of grizzly bear thermoregulation and their ability to meet environmental challenges and its implications regarding climate change. The research was part of a joint effort by researchers at Washington State University, the University of Idaho, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S. […]

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What can the hibernation of bears teach humans?

WSU researchers continue to explore the amazing biological adaptation that is hibernation. See how our WSU bears offer a unique opportunity to observe this natural phenomena annually and its implications for better understanding human metabolic diseases. See some of the work highlighted in the CBS News Sunday Morning piece.

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