This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
When the presidential nominees verbally duked it out during their first televised debate Friday night, many people -- including perhaps Democrat Barack Obama -- were flummoxed when Republican John McCain started railing about forking over funds to study bear DNA.
What's up with that? Check out this ScientificAmerican.com article from earlier this year for the answer.
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(iStockPhoto of grizzly bears by Paul Tessie)