HOW MANY AND WHAT KINDS OF ANIMALS ARE USED IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH?
(Taken from Unit II, Chapter 4 of the Rx for Science Literacy teacher manual.) Research studies are carefully designed and conducted to yield scientifically reliable results, using as few animals as possible. The most frequently cited estimate of the total number of animals used in research and testing in this country is between 17 and 22 million. More than 90 percent of these animals are rodents, whose short life span, ease of breeding and similarity to human biology fit many scientific purposes. Moreover, scientists can now breed mice and rats with genetic alterations that mimic human diseases, which have revolutionized medical research. Genetically altered rodents have allowed researchers to observe what happens during the progression of Parkinson’s disease, cancer, cystic fibrosis, heart disease, memory loss, muscular dystrophy and spinal cord injuries. Other animals used in research come from many different species — fish, sheep, cows, horses, pigs, armadillos, goats, etc. — depen
