Opponents of animal research often portray two of the pioneers of experimental physiology, François Magendie (1783-1855) and his student Claude Bernard (1813-1878), as deranged, vicious, and sadistic individuals who derived pleasure in harming animals. Moral philosophers Peter Singer and Lori Gruen convey this sort of message in their book “Animal Liberation: A graphic guide”. A … Continue reading Crash course in medical history
Month: August 2014
Birth of Pro-Test Israel
The following guest post is written by Shaul Peretz, a former Israeli investigative journalist and founder of Pro-Test Israel. Three years ago I learned about Mazor Farm, a small farm located in Moshav Mazor, in central Israel, and the country’s only farm breeding monkeys for biomedical research. All the information about the farm on the … Continue reading Birth of Pro-Test Israel
Animal rights fanatics offer stunts, not real solutions
This post is simulposted with the Unlikely Activist blog, run by this post's author, David Jentsch. Fanatical animal rights groups in the US love attention-getting stunts. PeTA creates video games extolling violence and propagates advertisements that exude adolescent sexuality. White Coat Waste uses Tea party rhetoric to insist federal investment in research is tantamount to borrowing money from … Continue reading Animal rights fanatics offer stunts, not real solutions
Responsible Antibody Production
Antibodies Part 2 (read Part 1 here) As noted in our previous post, there are many promising uses for antibodies. Therefore, it is no wonder that antibody production is big business. The Scientist reported that revenues from antibody sales were over $1.6 billion in 2011. In the United States, antibody producers that use regulated species … Continue reading Responsible Antibody Production
Pregnancy Kits to Ebola Treatment: Medical Tests & Disease Treatments Depend on Animal Products
Antibodies Part 1 There has been considerable discussion on this website about the use of animal studies to develop new medical treatments. But some animal-derived products such as antibodies also play a crucial role in diagnostic tests for some diseases and targeted treatments for others. In the last week, antibodies hit the front pages of … Continue reading Pregnancy Kits to Ebola Treatment: Medical Tests & Disease Treatments Depend on Animal Products
Behaviourists Defend Basic Science
Basic science is the foundation of all applied science. Because we cannot predict which basic science projects will turn into an application, we must cast a wide net
Harlow Dead, Bioethicists Outraged
The philosophy and bioethics community was rocked and in turmoil Friday when they learned that groundbreaking experimental psychologist Professor Harry Harlow had died over 30 years ago. Harlow's iconic studies of mother and infant monkeys have endured for decades as the centerpiece of philosophical debate and animal rights campaigns. With news of his death, philosophers … Continue reading Harlow Dead, Bioethicists Outraged
Tweet for Science!
We have written thousands of tweets about animal research since we opened our accounts a little over five years ago. Now we want you to help us spread our Twitter messages. We have created a list of short, tweet-able, facts on our new “Arguments For Animal Research” page. Each fact is followed by a “Tweet … Continue reading Tweet for Science!
Speaking of Research 