Polar bear grease repels ice

Polar bears live in the Arctic, where temperatures can drop below-30° C in winter. Even though it’s very cold, their fur usually appears to be free from ice. A new study has found that the secret to their ice-free fur is that it is covered in grease. A team of researchers studied hairs from six polar bears living in the wild. The hairs were covered in a type of grease known as sebum. The team washed some of the samples so they could test whether ice was more likely to stick to non-greasy fur. They also tested how well ice stuck to greasy human hair. To provide the material for the test, one of the researchers didn’t wash his hair for six days, and then shaved it off and handed…

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The Week Junior (UK) (Digital) - 1 Issue, 480

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