Growing concerns about NIH’s plan for retired research chimpanzees summarized in a WIRED article last week continue to provoke more questions than answers. These questions fall into three general areas discussed below. In many cases, they are questions that could stem simply from a lack of transparent, public information. One example of this is found … Continue reading Public dialogue about US research chimpanzee retirement: Unanswered questions
Month: August 2016
Hungary publishes 2015 animal research statistics
Hungary has published its annual statistics showing the number of procedures carried out on animals for scientific purposes in 2015. This post has translated much of the statistics into English and aims to interpret the data as a whole. In 2015, Hungary conducted 184,648 animal procedures on animals – all regulated under EU Directive 2010/63. … Continue reading Hungary publishes 2015 animal research statistics
Research using sheep leads to a new device to record and stimulate the brain
A group of Australian and American researchers have used sheep to develop and test a new device (original paper) – the stentrode - for recording electrical signals from inside the brain. The research was published in Nature Biotechnology. This new technology removes one of the main obstacles to developing efficient brain-computer interfaces: the need for invasive … Continue reading Research using sheep leads to a new device to record and stimulate the brain
Switzerland’s animal research in numbers for 2015
The statistics for animal research conducted in Switzerland in 2015 were released last week. We have translated these tables to English and these data are summarized below. Overall, there were 682,333 animals (not including invertebrates except Cephalopoda and lobsters) used in research and animal testing in Switzerland in 2015. Most of these animals were involved … Continue reading Switzerland’s animal research in numbers for 2015
A New Culture of Openness in Animal Research
Animal research has been credited with improving human health and leading to many medical breakthroughs. However, animal research still remains a controversial topic, with many animal rights groups believing that animal research is wasteful and pointless. One way to improve the public opinion of animal research is through education and openness. Openness can be achieved … Continue reading A New Culture of Openness in Animal Research
What is science?
We learned today from an NIH announcement about a new plan by the federal agency to relocate and transfer all of the NIH-owned chimpanzees to the federally-funded sanctuary, Chimp Haven, by 2021 or later. The announcement was quickly the subject of announcements and proclamations of victory by PETA, HSUS, and some associated with Chimp Haven. … Continue reading What is science?
Heat or light? An Analysis of Chimp Haven’s Message
Earlier this week the president of Chimp Haven, Cathy Willis Spraetz, issued a rebuttal to “a number of articles and blog posts focusing on the retirement of federally-owned chimpanzees to Chimp Haven.” She identifies the goal of the open message as a response to address the “concerns and resistance from some in the laboratory community,” … Continue reading Heat or light? An Analysis of Chimp Haven’s Message
Sanctuary, Zoo, Lab: Name Games or Core Differences?
The announcement of a research partnership between Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago) and Chimp Haven (a federally funded sanctuary for NIH retired chimpanzees) has led to increased dialogue, particularly in regards to what this means for the chimpanzees' well-being and importantly, the kinds of activities that a sanctuary is allowed to engage with the animals under … Continue reading Sanctuary, Zoo, Lab: Name Games or Core Differences?
Speaking of Research 