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A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 30 March 2019

This photo provided by NASA, astronauts Nick Hague and Chris-
tina Koch float outside the International Space Station, Friday,
March 29, 2019, a week after the first spacewalk to install new
and stronger batteries for the station’s solar power grid.
Associated Press
Spacewalking In this June 13, 2017 file photo, a red wolf female peers back at her 7-week old pup in their habitat

astronauts install at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, N.C. Associated Press

better batteries Government-funded study says

red wolves are distinct species

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — arrived at the space sta-
(AP) — Spacewalking as- tion two weeks ago along By JONATHAN DREW and Red wolves once occupied "There's clearly been intro-
tronauts hustled through with Hague. McClain, who MATTHEW BROWN much of the Eastern U.S. duction of coyote genes
battery hookups outside last week became the Associated Press but were driven to near ex- and gray wolf genes into
the International Space 13th female spacewalker, DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — A tinction by trapping, hunt- red wolves. But they also
Station on Friday in a major has been on board since panel of top scientists con- ing and habitat loss. Some have genes not seen in
upgrade of the solar power December. More than cluded Thursday that the of the last red wolves in the coyotes and gray wolves,"
grid. 200 men have walked in endangered red wolf of wild were removed from Travis said in an interview.
NASA's Christina Koch and space. the southeastern U.S. is a portions of Louisiana and "They must have continuity
Nick Hague successfully The space station's outdat- species unto itself, giving Texas in 1980 and used in a with some ancestor which
installed a set of new and ed nickel-hydrogen bat- the beleaguered canine captive breeding program. was not a gray wolf or coy-
stronger batteries, continu- teries are being replaced a scientific and political Their descendants were lat- ote."
ing replacement work that with lithium-ion batteries, a boost as its numbers plum- er reintroduced to a wildlife Ron Sutherland, a biolo-
began a week ago. lengthy process spanning met in the wild. refuge along North Caro- gist with the nonprofit Wild-
It wasn't the team NASA years. These batteries store The government-fund- lina's coast. lands Network, said he had
envisioned. Koch was sup- power collected by the so- ed study by the National An estimated 35 wild red been waiting on "pins and
posed to go out with as- lar wings and keep the out- Academy of Sciences also wolves remained as of late needles" to see what the
tronaut Anne McClain for post running when it's on found that the Mexican 2018, down from about 120 panel decided.
the first all-female space- the night side of Earth. The gray wolf of New Mexico a decade ago. Their range "That should be a kick in the
walk. But the lineup was big robot arm at the space and Arizona is a subspe- is currently limited to five butt for the Fish and Wildlife
changed because there station took care of the cies, which advocates say North Carolina counties. Service to stop the quiet
weren't two medium suits heavy lifting in advance, should support conserva- Another 200 live in captive negligence of letting the
readily available for the removing the old batteries tion efforts. breeding programs. species go extinct in the
women. After NASA took and placing the new ones Another wolf species, the Acknowledging longstand- wild," he said.
heat for the switch, Mc- in the empty slots earlier Western gray wolf, is thriv- ing questions among some A government plan to
Clain explained that the this week. ing in the Northern Rockies scientists about red wolf further shrink the territory
decision was based on her Besides attaching three and Great Lakes and could ancestry, federal wildlife where red wolves roam
recommendation. fresh batteries, Koch and lose federal protections un- officials said last year they stalled last year when a
"Safety of the crew and Hague disconnected one der a proposal released would treat it as a distinct judge ruled officials were
execution of the mission of the three installed last earlier this month. species while awaiting neglecting their duty to
come first," McClain, an week because of higher For red wolves, the affirma- Thursday's report. protect the animals under
Army aviator, said via Twit- voltage than expected. tion of their genetic unique- The nine-member national the Endangered Species
ter this week. It will be replaced by two ness comes after some academy panel found Act. That same plan would
Koch — the 14th woman old-style batteries until a North Carolina officials and that the red wolf is unique have allowed landown-
to conduct a spacewalk spare arrives. q a small but vocal group based on its DNA, its be- ers to kill any wolves that
of landowners pushed the havior and its size, which is strayed from the proposed
government to abandon larger than a coyote and smaller territory consist-
recovery efforts, arguing smaller than a gray wolf. ing of federal land in two
the animal is a coyote hy- While the red wolf appears counties.
brid. more closely related to coy- Conservationists accused
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service otes than gray wolves, red the federal agency of ne-
spokeswoman Laury Par- wolves diverged as their glecting the animals un-
ramore declined to com- own species long ago, said der political pressure and
ment on the agency-fund- Joseph Travis, chair of the abandoning proven con-
ed study beyond a state- national academy panel servation techniques, such
ment saying it was under and a biology professor as releasing captive bred
review. at Florida State University. pups.q