Okay, so we're looking at the possibility of transplanting neurons into a human brain....so why are other animals important? See, the thing is, we actually owe a lot to animals. First of all, we would not know much about biology if not for research on animals. This is especially true when considering the research on the brain, where it is ethically impossible to conduct many experiments on humans. We must also consider the current use of animals as donors of organs to humans. With these considerations in mind, I'd like to explore the importance of animals in research, particularly in the realm of stem cell research.

Pretty fierce monkey, eh? I sure wouldn't want to try to cut his skull open...what, with that low brow and all. As a matter of fact, I couldn't see myself cutting any monkey open. I would probably feel a little uncomfortable trying to kill and extract a rat's brain, and I hate rats. Basically, my point is that as uncomfortable as I am with personally killing animals, I still value the work that has resulted from the study of animal biology.

In this "post-modern" era in Western society, most of us could fare quite well without using animals. We certainly have learned from the vast population of vegetarians that we do NOT need to eat animals to stay healthy; we do NOT need to keep animals to plow the land, and we certainly do NOT need to keep animals as pets. The ONLY indispensable use we have for animals is biological research. On a systematic level, most mammals have indredibly similar nervous systems to those of humans. Because of this, a study of animal biology is very relevant to the understanding of how the human machine works. Obviously, ethical concerns prohibit us from performing experiments on humans to the extent that we do on animals. Now, some might ask why it is okay to do experiments on animals if it is not okay to do it on humans. I really can't give you that answer, it is more a matter of where you personally stand on the subject.

I have never had to extract tissue from a rodent or any other animal in lab, but I eventually might have to, and I think I could get comfortable enough on a professional level to do so. However, it has not been necessary for me to, and so I stand.

One more thing, here at Macalester College, our lab rats are treated very well, and after their lives have been sacrificed in the name of science, we send their remains to the Raptor Center here in the Twin Cities as nourishment for injured birds of prey. So their lives are really important and valuable. I only wish my life could be so well served. If I'm going to even come close to what these honored rodents have accomplished in their short lives, I guess I'll start here, teaching all of you out there about stem cells.