Crab research（カニの研究）
Yesterday,
I started a crab research project and there is always a learning curve. That's what makes science great - there is
always something new to discover. These
are mangrove crabs and their claws are very powerful.
昨日、私はカニの研究プロジェクトを開始しましたそして学習曲線が常に存在する。つまり、科学は素晴らしい作るものです- 発見する新しい何かが常にある。これらは、マングローブのカニですそして彼らの爪は非常に強力です。
- Just
a peasant
posted by Just a peasant at Thursday, March 13, 2014
4 Comments:
Hi Just-a-Peasant,
You are lucky that on Pohnei the regulations for animal experiments are less restrictive. In Germany, any experiment done on verterbrae requires a permission by the gouvernment, and since 2 years they also included Octopus and Crabs in the list of organisms with "higher mental developmental stage". Since both are known to have good memory and learning abilities, they are also considered to experience pain, almost as mammals do. I am wondering if boiling life crabs or lobster will finally be banned ?
regards
Michael
Hi Michael, It's true, there are no regulations here to prevent that. These crabs I bought at the market. Memory and learning abilities yes; empathy and self-awareness no. You know how I feel about government. I find these 'ethical' governmental decisions absurd and hypocritical given how readily they endorse military actions and security initiatives. If only they were as strict when it came to women and children. I will become a vegetarian the day they stop making guns and dropping bombs on human beings. Until then I am a biologist, omnivore and foodie.
Hi Just-a-Peasant, You took the words right out of my mouth, concerning the hypocrite gouvernent clerks. They are all 120% opportunistic, and whatever they do is only intended to keep themself busy with pro-forma jobs and make the uneducated public belive that they fulfill an important and skilled function. In this sense, I was absolutely fascinated how they regulate animal experiments in Japan. The regulations are rather liberal, but because of the traditional faith (either Buddhism or Shintoism), people feel bad if they have to sacrifice a living creature. And therefore, at each universities medical college or public institutes involved in animal experiments, there is a dedicated shrine to commemorate the animals which lost their life for the sake of biomedical progress. And the scientist go there once a year to held a sort of mourning service and ask for forgiveness. It sounds very weired to many westerners, but in essence it inflicts to the scientists a particular mental awareness (or empathy) for the animals, so that usually people try automatically to minimize the number of treated animals. It is very efficent, and reasonable.
best reagrds
Michael
Hey Michael,
Wow! I didn't know that about the Japanese institutes. Very interesting. I certainly advocate humane treatment for research animals for both ethical and research-related reasons. I don't think a stressed or immunologically-compromised subject is an accurate provider of data. I also don't bear these animals any ill will - except for marmosets - man are they mean. I'm not sure I would need to leave something at the shrine though. But you are right - an empathetic approach does place value on life and force us to think though our experimental protocols a bit more carefully.
I'm still stunned by the idea of all those little shrines.
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