The Weddell Sea and the Ross Sea are separated by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, one of the biggest in the world, covering some 530,000 cubic miles. That means that creatures on one side of the ice sheet should be as different as they would be from those in another ocean. However a recent DNA analysis of octopuses from each side has surprised scientists, as they appear to share a relatively recent common ancestor.
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00:00The Waddell Sea and the Ross Sea are separated by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, one of the
00:08biggest in the world, covering some 530,000 cubic miles.
00:13That means that creatures on one side of the ice sheet should be as different as they would
00:16be from those in another ocean.
00:17However, a recent DNA analysis of octopuses from each side has surprised scientists, as
00:22they appear to share a relatively recent common ancestor, which experts say means that around
00:27125,000 years ago, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet melted into the sea.
00:32And now the researchers say this should be worrying, as our planet is reaching a temperature
00:35threshold similar to the one at that time again.
00:39Scientists haven't been sure whether or not this particular ice sheet would collapse during
00:42a warming event like our current one.
00:43However, this new octopus DNA evidence suggests that under basically the same conditions,
00:48there's a really good chance it will.
00:50And this sort of backs up what we've been seeing over the last couple of years in the
00:52area.
00:53A giant 598 square mile London-sized section of ice broke off of the Antarctic ice shelf
00:58earlier this year, with experts warning that if just the Doomsday Glacier breaks off, one
01:03which climate scientists describe as hanging on by its fingernails, the world would see
01:07a more than two-foot sea level rise.