ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 26, 2022
Greater reliance on genetic testing of baby whales and their mothers can provide more accurate information about a rare species and increase the chances of saving them from extinction, according to the authors of a new scientific study. The scientists, led by researchers at the New England Aquarium, studied critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, of which there are fewer than 340 in the world. Their numbers have dropped precipitously in recent years because of high mortality and poor reproduction. The study’s authors analyzed decades of data about the whales and found they had more success tracking the animals’ survival, growth rates and life histories when they had access to genetic samples.