Shortage of primates slows research
The first audit of non-human primates used in global research has found that not enough apes and monkeys are being bred for research, that the shortfall could be slowing scientific advances and that lack of information about the animals in papers makes it difficult to gauge their validity. A group at the University of Uppsala in Sweden conducted the survey. It estimates that in 2001 3,000 research papers were published based on experiments on primates, with 4,411 studies on 41,000 animals. However, the real number of animals used is likely to be 200,000, as many government studies are never published.
However large this may seem, it actually masks a shortage of primates, which are the only suitable animals for some types of research. Some grant proposals are being turned down because there are not enough animals to study. One sign of the shortage is that researchers, especially in the US, often have to perform successive independent studies on the same animals — sometimes as many as six or seven times — a practice which is criticised by animal defence groups.
- Prescribe morning-after pills to young teenagers, say US pediatric group - November 30, 2012
- Bahrain sentences protest docs to prison - November 28, 2012
- Terry Pratchett assisted suicide documentary wins International Emmy - November 27, 2012
More Stories
After 49 years, SCOTUS strikes down Roe v Wade, abolishing a constitutional right to abortion
The US Supreme Court has struck down two of the most famous decisions in American history, Roe v. Wade and...
Fallen stem cell hero convicted in Swedish court
Once hailed as a stem cell technology pioneer, Italian surgeon Paolo Macchiarini has been convicted of causing bodily harm and...
Hollywood actress explains why she chose surrogacy: ‘I was terrified’
Hollywood starlet Jamie Chung, 39, surprised her fans last year when she and her husband announced the birth of twins....
First legal assisted suicide in Italy
Italy’s parliament is still debating the details of legal assisted suicide. However, last Thursday the first Italian to take advantage...
Re-examining autonomy
The buzzword cutting through the noisy controversy over the US Supreme Court’s repeal of Roe v. Wade is “reproductive autonomy”....
World swimming authority takes conservative stand on gender inclusion
Swimming's world governing body, FINA, has backed a new policy on gender inclusion which will stop most trans women swimmers...