Why can’t alternatives like computers replace animals?
In many cases they have, but while computers provide fantastic resources to scientists all over the world, they do have limitations. For instance, computers are only able to provide information or models of known “phenomenon.” Because research consistently seeks answers to unknowns, a computer is unable to simulate how a particular cell might interact or react with a medical compound, or for example, how a particular human system such as the circulatory system will react to a new drug directed to improve organ functionality. A single living cell is many times more complex than even the most sophisticated computer program. There are an estimated 50 -100 trillion cells in the human body, all of which communicate and interact using a complicated biochemical language – language scientists have only just begun to learn. To fully understand the effect of a new chemical, such as a new medicine, scientists must use whole systems, like those in animals, to understand the impact of a drug and th
