A sympathetic judge sentenced confessed arsonist Rebecca Rubin to 5 years in prison for her role in four fire bombings in the name of the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front. The judge also ordered Rubin to make monthly restitution payments totaling $13 million. Rubin was on the run for 6 years before … Continue reading Reflections of an Animal Rights Arsonist
Month: January 2014
Guest Post: Characterising high fructose corn syrup self-administration in laboratory rats
It's January, and across the country millions of people have promised themselves that they will eat less, loose weight and become healthier. But why do some people eat more than others? No matter what they try there seems to be no way to stop their overeating. Public education is a powerful tool to combat some … Continue reading Guest Post: Characterising high fructose corn syrup self-administration in laboratory rats
Oxford University Opens its Doors
Oxford University has opened its doors to the BBC to allow them to film the animals in its facility. This is a giant step for a university which has a long history of being a target for animal rights extremism. Oxford University was the subject of a 4-year sustained campaign (activists do still turn even … Continue reading Oxford University Opens its Doors
Outreach, Not Out-of-Reach
This article updates an original article entitled: Time for a change? This weekend’s counter-demonstration at UCLA is another sign of a growing movement and change in the approach the research community is taking towards defending public interests in scientific research. The actions and growth of Pro-Test, Pro-Test for Science, and Pro-Test Italia have all provided … Continue reading Outreach, Not Out-of-Reach
‘Progress for Science’ finds itself on the receiving end
Harassment and intimidation are not forms of progressive, social activism. Regrettably, it is common for animal right activists, who consistently fail to articulate a cogent argument to the public, to recruit such tactics with the goal of imposing their views on those they disagree with. This past weekend, the animal rights group ‘Progress for Science,’ … Continue reading ‘Progress for Science’ finds itself on the receiving end
Public opinion on animal research in Italy 2014
Ipsos Public Affairs has recently published a follow-up poll on Italians’ opinions about animal testing; Ipsos did the first survey on this subject in 2011, and the results were discussed in the Italian Senate the following year: many politicians were surprised to discover that opposition to animal research was considerably lower than animal rights groups … Continue reading Public opinion on animal research in Italy 2014
Visionary Science: Gene therapy saves sight thanks to animal research
Yesterday the BBC News and Guardian Newspaper reported that a team led by surgeon Professor Robert Maclaren at the Oxford Eye Hospital had succeeded in using gene therapy to halt the decline in vision in six patients with the progressive eye disorder choroideremia. All six patients were taking part in a clinical trial, and what was … Continue reading Visionary Science: Gene therapy saves sight thanks to animal research
Addressing the crisis in transporting research animals
Articles in Nature ("Activists ground primate flights" and "Lab animal flights squeezed") and other publications have reported on campaigns by animal rights activists to convince airlines to cease transporting animals for research. Although these groups heralded their victories to supporters, an analysis of the facts indicates that the current animal transportation policies of passenger airlines … Continue reading Addressing the crisis in transporting research animals
Speaking of Research 