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The mystery surrounding the investigation into Charles Monnett, the wildlife biologist who was suspended for undisclosed reasons, has deepened, ScienceInsider reports.
Initial media reports claimed the biologist had been suspended by his employer, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), and was being investigated because of a 2006 paper which tied an increase in Arctic polar bear deaths to climate change.
And though the director of BOEMRE, Michael Bromwich, had previously claimed the investigation has nothing to do with Monnett’s scientific work, auditor questions in a three-hour interview yesterday largely focused on the peer-review process behind the acceptance of the article.
In response to the investigation, James Inhofe, a Republican Senator from Oklahoma and the ranking member on the Senate Committee ...