Penn State Altoona
02/12/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 02/12/2026 07:50
Penn State Altoona professor co-authors bear genomics study
Carolyn Mahan, professor of biology and environmental studies at Penn State Altoona, has co-authored a paper published in the journal "Molecular Biology and Evolution."
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February 12, 2026
ALTOONA, Pa. - Carolyn Mahan, professor of biology and environmental studies at Penn State Altoona, has co-authored a paper published in the journal "Molecular Biology and Evolution."
In "Coexisting With Humans: Genomic and Behavioral Consequences in a Small and Isolated Bear Population" Mahan and her Italian co-authors attempt to show that coexisting with humans in Central Italy for millennia has caused genetic changes in the small Apennine brown bear population resulting in less aggressive behavior than other brown bears.
An article about the paper also appeared in "Smithsonian Magazine."
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