B.C. Cancer says the loss of a beluga whale and her daughter at the Vancouver Aquarium has led to an advance in whale conservation science.
It says the beluga genome has been sequenced for the first time thanks to genetic material from whales Qila and Aurora, who died last year.
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Dr. Stephen Jones of Genome B.C. led the research with colleagues from the University of British Columbia and Fisheries and Oceans Canada that discovered what he describes as “one of the most complete mammalian genomes in the scientific world.”
The aquarium's head veterinarian, Martin Haulena, says the research will allow scientists to better understand how the at-risk species is faring in a quickly changing environment.
