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Scientists or veterinary workers doing experiments in lab with experimental animals biological genetic engineering research
Addressing the Problematic Past of Animal Behavior Research
Some of the foundational studies in the field were neither ethical by today’s standards nor replicable. But we can do better.
Addressing the Problematic Past of Animal Behavior Research
Addressing the Problematic Past of Animal Behavior Research

Some of the foundational studies in the field were neither ethical by today’s standards nor replicable. But we can do better.

Some of the foundational studies in the field were neither ethical by today’s standards nor replicable. But we can do better.

lab animals

Brightly colored intersecting lines, creating a chaotic pattern that resembles a subway map.
Monkeys Look for Patterns that Aren’t There—Just Like Humans Do
Dan Robitzski | Aug 31, 2022 | 4 min read
Macaques continued to search for answers to an unsolvable laboratory task, seemingly refusing to believe that the correct answers were random and inconsistent.
Chinook salmon swimming in the water
Probable Chlorine Exposure Kills 21,000 Fish at UC Davis
Catherine Offord | Aug 16, 2022 | 2 min read
Threatened and endangered species were among the dead, likely poisoned overnight by a chlorination system used to decontaminate the animals’ tank water.
beagle
Research Beagle Facility Ordered to Clean Up, Halt Breeding
Andy Carstens | Jun 20, 2022 | 2 min read
A federal judge ruled that Envigo can finalize the sales for 500 of its remaining 3,000 research dogs, but it needs to improve the safety and health of the animals remaining at its facilities while federal officials decide their fate.
mouse nose peeking out from between two yellow objects
Not-so-Mellow Yellow: Pregnant Mice’s Urine Stresses Out Males
Sophie Fessl, PhD | Jun 20, 2022 | 3 min read
An odorant found in the pee of pregnant mice—and in bananas—induces stress but also relieves pain in male mice, a study shows.
Octopus in tank lined with black dots
Do Invertebrates Have Emotions?
Natalia Mesa, PhD | May 26, 2022 | 10+ min read
And how do scientists go about answering that question?
a long room lined with metal cages with chinchillas
Chinchilla Supplier Loses License over Animal Welfare Violations
Shawna Williams | Oct 11, 2021 | 1 min read
Moulton Chinchilla Ranch, the main US source of the animals for research, had a years-long history of disturbing findings in USDA inspections.
black mice in clear plastic cages with bedding
Australian Research Faces Impending Scarcity of Lab Rodents
Bianca Nogrady | Jul 20, 2021 | 7 min read
The Australian biomedical research community is stunned by the announced wind-down of the country’s biggest supplier of mice and rats.
White rabbit in a cage
USDA Only Carries Out Partial Inspections of Some Animal Labs
Catherine Offord | May 5, 2021 | 2 min read
The agency moved to scale back its monitoring in 2019 in a way that experts in animal welfare law say was secretive, Science reveals.
FDA Now Allows Certain Lab Animals to Be Retired and Adopted
Lisa Winter | Feb 11, 2020 | 2 min read
Current bills in Congress would apply similar provisions to all federal agencies.
schwann cells
Special Schwann Cells in Mice Play Unsung Role in Pain
Nicoletta Lanese | Aug 16, 2019 | 2 min read
The glia seem to make up part of a newly described sensory organ, the discoverers suggest.
mouse in grass microbiome
New Mouse Model Predicts Two Clinical Trial Failures in Humans
Emma Yasinski | Aug 1, 2019 | 4 min read
The lab animals had more natural microbiomes seeded by wild mice, unlike conventional models that are kept in sterile conditions.
USDA Cited 60 Percent Fewer Animal Welfare Violations in 2018
Carolyn Wilke | Feb 27, 2019 | 2 min read
The drop may be due to fewer inspections, but critics say the USDA also appears to be avoiding documenting the violations.
When Should Service Dogs Be Admitted into the Lab?
Jef Akst | Nov 1, 2018 | 10+ min read
Becoming a neuroscientist with a service dog by your side presents numerous challenges. Joey Ramp, who went back to college to study her own post-traumatic stress disorder, is learning this the hard way.
Researchers Take Action to End Airlines’ Restrictions on Lab Animals
Katarina Zimmer | Sep 21, 2018 | 2 min read
United Airlines, British Airways, China Southern Airlines, and Qatar Airways face a formal complaint over their refusal to transport animals for scientific research.
The Challenges of Bringing Service Dogs into the Lab
Jef Akst | Sep 18, 2018 | 10+ min read
Joey Ramp went back to college to study post-traumatic stress disorder. But the dogs that help her manage her own PTSD complicate her research career.
Lab Animal Use in the UK Dips Below 2010 Levels
Katarina Zimmer | Jul 27, 2018 | 3 min read
A report finds a decline in the number of experiments involving animals in 2017, noting a particular decrease in procedures on dogs and primates.
US Scientistsā€™ Letter Calls for Transparency in Animal Research
Ashley Yeager | Jun 21, 2018 | 2 min read
Nearly 600 signatories, including four Nobel Prize winners, urge openness about animal experiments.
USDA to Warn Some Facilities Ahead of Animal Welfare Inspections
Jim Daley | May 18, 2018 | 2 min read
A pilot program announced last month will consider combining announced and surprise inspections.
Want to Boost Reproducibility? Get Another Lab Involved
Jim Daley | Feb 22, 2018 | 4 min read
Including as few as two labs in a study improved the odds of getting the true effect size by as much as 23 percentage points, according to a replication model.
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