Insects sporting tiny helmets. Penguins wearing trackers. These are some of the ways critters serve in studies extending far beyond the lab rat.
Animal research provides uncountable benefits to humankind, including helping us understand sleep, stress and fear.
Sleep is universal “even though it’s actually very risky,” said Paul-Antoine Libourel, an animal researcher in France. Some animals do crazy things for a little sleep.
Penguins, for example, sleep a total of about 11 hours per day, according to a Korean research institute biologist. Amazingly, this is accomplished by taking thousands of “microsleeps” a day, each averaging about 4 seconds.
Some animals reduce sleeping risk by resting just half a brain. Flying frigatebirds and swimming dolphins can sleep with half their brain at a time. The other half remains alert, so they’re still watching for obstacles in their path.
Typically, the animals can’t perform fancy maneuvers while they are half-sleeping but are alert enough to detect the presence of predators or other dangers.
Horses take a more standard approach to sleep, but they have an adaptation which may not surprise you. They can detect fear in humans by smell, becoming more likely to startle. They are warier of people who are scared.
The scientists’ work, which involved presenting horses with cotton swabs from volunteer subjects’ armpits. The volunteers watched scary movies to produce the experimental scent.
Researcher Plotine Jardat found that, “The fearful odors from humans amplify the reactions of horses.”
I recalled this study as I sat in my orthopedist’s office. Despite my periodic visits for injections and Dr. Eli Kupperman’s expertise in providing a nearly painless experience, I still felt a pang of anxiety.
As the doctor approached with the needle, and the nurse hovered attentively, I wondered, can they smell my fear?
Some can smell fear while other animals – even insects – sense stress. Plants stressed by dehydration emit a “cry” in the ultrasonic range.
The sound is caused by air bubbles expanding and collapsing in the xylem tissue from lack of water, producing a vibration. Insect studies show a significant dining preference for non-stressed plants.
“It’s important to clarify that we observed an interaction – not communication,” said Rya Seltzer, an entomologist and doctoral student in Israel. But the insects’ responses could be useful in designing non-chemical agricultural pest control methods.
Humanity gains cancer cures, sleep insights, more benign pest control, and more from animal research.
Lab mice gain a life they wouldn’t have had. Dolphins and frigate birds get free hats, plus the knowledge that they are helping humankind. Hmmm …
People’s attitudes toward animal research have evolved in the last few decades.
A 2018 Pew Research Center survey found just 47% in favor of animal research. Some more recent reports show a growing percentage want it phased out.
Dr. Amanda Sparkman, a local biology professor and author, explores the ethics of animal research in her novel “A Safer Place.”
Beyond controlled research, wildlife is subjected to global experimentation merely by living on our polluted planet. California wildlife officials recently found blood-thinning poisons in 95% of tested mountain lions.
Tony Tucci, chair of Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife, opines in the L.A. Times that more than 69% of wildlife tested suffer from environmental exposure to rodenticide.
Despite this, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation has a proposal to roll back existing restrictions on usage. The new rules would allow the most toxic rat poisons at roadways, parks and wildlife areas.
As our actions shrink the world, we must protect the critters as they protect us. Read about animal research and its alternatives. Rodent-proof your home and garbage cans. If you see a bee wearing a helmet, thank her for her service.