Transcript Biology Around Us (Part 1)

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What is animal testing?
Over 3 million animals are used for scientific procedures in the
UK every year. These procedures include medical research,
such as testing new medicines.
Mice, rats and other
rodents are the most
commonly used animals
– approximately 83% of
all animals used are
rodents.
Other animals
commonly used
include fish and birds.
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Why test medical drugs on animals?
In the UK, the law states that any new drug used in medicine
must be tested on at least two different types of mammal.
Drugs are often tested on
human cells; however this
cannot recreate the conditions
of a whole system or organism.
Many mammals have systems
that are similar to those of
humans, so tests can give early
indications of what the drug
might do to the human body.
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How has animal testing been used?
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Do animals feel pain?
All vertebrates have a nervous system. Sensory receptors
in the eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin allow an animal to
detect changes in its environment.
If pressure receptors in the
skin are stimulated, an
electrical impulse is
produced, which travels to
the brain. This indicates
that animals have the
physical ability to feel pain.
It is thought that some testing procedures can cause pain,
fear and stress for animals involved. However, anaesthetics
can sometimes be used to minimize the suffering caused.
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What type of tests are used?
In scientific research, a wide variety of
different types of tests are carried out
on animals. These can include painful
and fatal procedures.
Some animals are given drugs that
may have harmful or fatal effects.
Scientists can breed animals that have
harmful genetic mutations, which may
result in suffering for the organism.
Animals are often killed in order to examine the effects of a
procedure on their organs or when the experiment has ended.
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What are the ethical and moral implications?
There are ethical and moral implications involved in testing on
animals for scientific research, including questions such as:

Should humans be allowed to use animals in this way?

What rights should animals have?

Are human needs more important than animal needs?

Is a human life worth more than an animal’s?
What are the arguments for and against continuing to use
animals in medical research?
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Why is it important to use animals?
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