Animal experiments in research

Essay from the year 2010 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Other, grade: 1,7, University of Bayreuth, course: Essay writing II, language: English, abstract: The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) estimates 100 million vertebrates are used for experiments around the world every year . This paper deals with the necessity of animal experiments in research and possible alternatives which could replace them completely. With focus on the history of animal experiments, as for instance the birth of Dolly the sheep which was the first cloned mammal from an adult cell, the areas in which the animal experiments are used, the transferability of the results from these tests to human and the question according to alternatives to animal testing, the paper shows if it is possible to dispense with animal experiments. Information has been collected from technical literature, reports and internet articles. It is argued that animal experiments are necessary and current research has so far not been able to find alternatives which could replace them. However alternatives are described which reduce the number of animal experiments and avoid that animals suffer unnecessarily.