Today the BBC reports that the number of deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) – the narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries that causes angina and triggers heart attacks - in Europe halved during the 30 years from 1980 to 2009. This is a major medical achievement, and one to which animal research has … Continue reading Animal research helps to halve deaths from coronary heart disease
Month: June 2013
Time for a change?
Scientists and the scientific community receive some fairly standard advice when it comes to direct response to some animal rights groups’ stunts and campaigns. What is it? Typically some variant of: Ignore it. Don’t give them free publicity, the attention just helps them grow. Don’t acknowledge that their campaigns affect us, it will just reinforce … Continue reading Time for a change?
PETA’s poor defence for beating up scientists
Last week we wrote about PETA’s new video game where you take the role of a famous Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter and travel around university and pharmaceutical labs assaulting scientists. PETA have been promoting this game for a while on Twitter with messages like: https://twitter.com/peta/status/344105252007596033 and https://twitter.com/peta/status/344122922073456640 posted at brief intervals over the past … Continue reading PETA’s poor defence for beating up scientists
The Day Italy United for Science – 8 June 2013
It seemed like a crazy plan when we first heard about it from our friends in Pro-Test Italia at the end of April, to organize a day of events in cities across Italy to campaign for correct scientific information, and to do so in less than 6 weeks...and with a starting budget of precisely nothing. … Continue reading The Day Italy United for Science – 8 June 2013
PETA’s Mixed Martial Assault on Scientists
Video games have had their fair share of controversies over the past few decades. Games like Manhunt, Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 have all caused some measure of public outrage for their depictions of violence. However all three games had two things in common – they do not suggest they … Continue reading PETA’s Mixed Martial Assault on Scientists
Fair partners in dialogue: Starting assumptions matter and they should be spelled out
Editors' note: Because the issue of starting assumptions remains in any dialogue about animal-based research, this post has been updated (December 2018) to include more recent anti-animal research organizations, and to provide up-to-date links. The importance and need for civil, open dialogue about the complex set of issues involved in use of animals is among … Continue reading Fair partners in dialogue: Starting assumptions matter and they should be spelled out
Charities doing animal research outreach right
A while ago we assessed the five biggest medical research charities in the US for the strength of their position statements on animal research. None got more than 1 star our of 4. Yet good practise by charities for discussing animal research does exist. Take this example: Alzheimer’s Research UK has just produced a fantastic … Continue reading Charities doing animal research outreach right
What if animals could tweet?
Georgianne Nienaber, a political and investigative reporter for the Huffington Post, posted an article entitled “What if Lab Animals Could Tweet?” The article was prompted by a recent Gallup poll showing an increase disparity in the moral acceptability of “medical testing on animals”. Younger people, in the 18-34 years bracket, showed a decline of about 19% … Continue reading What if animals could tweet?
Speaking of Research 