I’m not a supporter of PETA or other extremist animal welfare groups, but I have to admit that In Defense Of Animals (IDA) has a point when they highlight what they call ‘Real Ridiculous Research‘ on animals. Examples they cite include, amongst others:
- Drug-induced arthritis in rats makes exercise harder;
- Dieting hamsters choose food over sex;
- Labs are stressful places for monkeys.
As I read through each experiment they listed, I could only shake my head in disbelief and mutter, “No s***, Sherlock!” How anybody could even obtain, let alone waste, appropriations money on such pointless ‘experiments’ just boggles my mind!
In this case at least, a heartfelt “Well done and thank you!” to IDA for publicizing these travesties of scientific research. Let’s hope the publicity helps to reduce their number in future!
Peter
Hey, I've got a study on how excessive amounts of government will inhibit the progress of humanity…but that just falls into the No Sh!t Sherlock category as well.
😉
Sham Science goes hand in hand with bigger donations for "Dear Leader. "
May I suggest a re-reading of Richard Feynman's essay on "Cargo Cult Science"? This is the exact kind of thing he recommends doing in experiments to remove unseen variables.
Where's the links to the research itself?
I've seen these kinds of groups "report" on research before, and when you read the actual research it was very different from what the group claimed it was. And in some cases it was one of their own sympathizers that had made the original study just to get ammunition for their agenda.
I'm not saying that's necessarily the case here, but I'm not taking anything these kinds of groups say without verifying it with original sources.
As a more-than-semantic aside, PETA and that ilk are not "animal welfare" group — they're animal rights groups, and they place animal rights on par with, or above, human rights — all the while believing that "dead" is better than "in a shelter awaiting a home". (See http://www.petakillsanimals.com/ )
Local SPCAs and shelters actually care about animal *welfare*.