Over 120 million laboratory rats and mice are used worldwide each year. Many are used to study distressing conditions like cancer, arthritis and chronic pain, and nearly all spend their lives in small, empty box-like cages: a kind of permanent lockdo
. This raises worrying questions about their welfare – and about how well they represent typical human patients.
We identified this impact of housing by extracting data from over 200 studies that investigated the effects of cage design on health outcomes known to be stress-sensitive in humans, such as mortality rates and the severity of illnesses like cardiovascular disease, cancer and stroke.
Across the board, the animals in conventional cages became sicker than ones in better-resourced housing. For example, if given cancer, they developed larger tumors. Conventionally housed animals were also at greater risk of dying, their average lifespans reduced by about 9 percent. Scientists have known for decades that rats and mice want, and that conventional cages therefore induce abnormal behavior and anxiety.
But this is the first evidence that they also cause chronic distress severe enough to compromise animals' health.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Did Kendrick Lamar Just Reveal Major Personal News On His New Album Cover?The rapper shared another clue about 'Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers' ahead of its release.
Read more »
Luna ETP Comes Close to Setting Major RecordA Swiss ETP tracking the embattled LUNA cryptocurrency came close to a record-breaking one-day drop
Read more »
Report shows America’s major cities are pricing out Black residents - New York Amsterdam NewsAt the onset of the pandemic, there wasn’t a single state, region, or county in America where a full-time worker earning the minimum wage could afford a two-bedroom rental home, and nearly half of Black and Latinx renters (and more than a third of all renters) were paying unaffordable rent, a new report has revealed.
Read more »
Kevin Spacey, Accused Sexual Harasser, Creeps Back Into Film With Major Role in Historical DramaKevin Spacey has booked another movie role as the actor — who was accused of sexual harassment and unwanted advances by multiple men — continues to creep back into the film industry.
Read more »
MIT joins a major startup backed by Bill Gates to build a viable fusion machineMIIT has signed a new five-year agreement with Commonwealth Fusion System to continue their collaboration on fusion energy research.
Read more »
Overturning Roe could have major repercussions for IVF treatments, fertility experts warnNews that the Supreme Court is on the cusp of overturning Roe v. Wade is sounding alarms for an unexpected part of the population: people looking to get pregnant and the doctors who are helping them.
Read more »