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The Forum > Article Comments > Australia is no place for monkey business > Comments

Australia is no place for monkey business : Comments

By Helen Marston, published 27/4/2015

We use around 7 million animals in research and teaching every year, including cats, dogs, rats mice, farm animals, wildlife and our closest relatives – primates.

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Don't know if the 7 million animals is correct, but I'd take that anytime when you look at the human lives that have been saved.

I always ask people if faced with a burning building and you can only save, 20 monkeys or one human which one would you choose to save?

Only a monster would try to save the monkey's.
Posted by Cobber the hound, Monday, 27 April 2015 9:12:41 AM
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Maybe they should use illegal immigrants and criminals instead of primates.
Posted by Sparkyq, Monday, 27 April 2015 9:47:46 AM
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Might Helen Marston not offer herself for experiments that save human lives?

It's fair enough for people to have opinions against certain things; but what about an alternative. Nah. They never think of what it would mean if the experiments were banned.
Posted by ttbn, Monday, 27 April 2015 1:54:12 PM
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I mostly agree Helen, given we can do all the requisite tests and far more accurately and reliably, with a few harvested human cells?

Think, just this much and a few harvested nasal stem cells have promised an exciting breakthrough in treating formerly untreatable spinal injuries.

Had we been stuck with the animal testing, we might still be a century away from a viable treatment?

And there's nothing that can't be trialed in a petrie dish using harvested human cells? Otherwise completely wasted and routinely flushed spare eggs/embryos?
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Monday, 27 April 2015 5:39:53 PM
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Dear Cobber,

<<Only a monster would try to save the monkey's.>>

Merriam-Webster: "Monster"

1. a legendary animal combining features of animal and human form or having the forms of various animals in combination, as a centaur, griffin, or sphinx.
2. any creature so ugly or monstrous as to frighten people.
3. any animal or human grotesquely deviating from the normal shape, behavior, or character.
4. a person who excites horror by wickedness, cruelty, etc.
5. any animal or thing huge in size.

I presume you probably refer to #3?

How would you call someone who chooses instead to save their purse, their family's photo album or their hard disk?

How would you call someone who chooses instead to save their own pet?

How would you call someone who chooses instead to save 10 Neanderthals?

How would you call someone who chooses instead to save 5 aborigines and 4 Negroes?

May I suggest, an "Unpatriotic Homo-Sapient"?
Posted by Yuyutsu, Monday, 27 April 2015 10:10:42 PM
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My background is in medial research, and I have used both animals and cell culture extensively throughout my research career.

I have never met a scientist who actually wants to use animals for research, it involves a huge burden of time and effort gaining regulatory approval for our studies, it is time consuming, expensive, and inaccurate predictors of disease and treatment success. So why do we do it? It is simply because we have no better alternatives.

We completely understand the limitations of animal research, and it is very annoying that ignorant people like Helen and Rhosty seem to claim that there are suitable alternative methods, even though they seem to have no idea what they're talking about.

The use of standard cell culture cannot replicate the complex interactions that exist between the organs, tissues and over 200 cell types present in our bodies. In fact, to address this major limitation, one project that our group is currently working on is the body-on-a-chip project, which aims to develop better human cell/organ models, and hopefully reach a level that can replicate human tissue functions and remove the need for animal studies. However, this system is many, many years away from coming close to this aim, and until that point animal studies will still be needed.

Here is a link to the project for those that are interested.
http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewpage/461/
Posted by Stezza, Monday, 27 April 2015 11:39:25 PM
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