NEWS

The NSW Government has set up a Non-Animal Technologies Network (NAT-Net) to develop and promote alternative methods for research in medicine and health. A $4.5 million research budget is part of this very welcome initiative.

In a survey of thousands of studies into animal research the results were alarming: Just 5% of therapies tested on animals are approved for human use The Economist, 14th June, 2024.

New books
Peter Singer Animal Liberation Now, Random House, U.K., 2023

Richard J. Miller The Rise and Fall of Animal Experimentation: Empathy, Science and the Future of Research, Oxford University Press, 2023.

Changes to laws and regulations in relation to animal experimentation are leading to bans and restrictions in the EU, India and Columbia. The FDA no longer requires all drugs to be tested on animal before human trials.

The Human Brain Project is coming to an end. It failed to achieve massive conceptual breakthroughs but it did produce 3D maps of 200 brain structures. A Human Brain Atlas was created, accessible through EBRAINS depicting multilevel organization of the brain. ( A little like Google Maps but for the brain) Clinical applications of the new findings have led to improved treatments for epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.

Andrew Knight, author of the ground-breaking book, The costs and benefits of animal experiments has developed a website: HumaneLearning.info which provides resources to guide students who wish to conscientiously object to harmful animal use in this education.

A new section has been added to Educational Courses below to highlight where Artificial Intelligence can be studied.