There are a lot of reasons I’m opposed to the opposition to cloning, one of which is the possibilities it would have in cosmetics testing not to mention organ donation. It’s possible to clone specific tissues: grow a fresh liver, say, or a canvas of skin to test cosmetics on. Yes, it’s still a little bit macabre, but much better than torturing living beings to see whether that lipstick may cause a rash, death, or dismemberment. I know that science fiction has had us scared for years over the implications, but that’s what science fiction is supposed to do. On its better days, science reality removes the scary or at least puts it to good use.
So Engadget’s post about the coming use of robots over rabbits intrigues me. The National Institute of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency have come together to fund and guide this plan. According to the Guardian UK, this may also have implications for the EU’s reach legislation which right now requires such testing of all synthetic chemicals.1
This has potential to replace the ex vivo testing model where pig skin is used from animals slaughtered for food use, which while slightly better than using live animals, still violates the principles of many vegans and some vegetarians.2
- US to replace animals with robots in toxic chemical tests Alok Jha. The Guardian. London (UK): Feb 15, 2008. pg. 15 [↩]
- Ex Vivo Animal Testing Alternative Introduced. Global Cosmetic Industry (1523-9470) 1/1/2008. Vol.176,Iss.1;p.8-8 [↩]
