Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit is the first…
We can no longer allow this, we humans can no longer allow this extreme cruelty to continue…
Advances in biotechnology may replicate human biology better than animal models, in many cases
Lab animals have been an essential part of life-altering and lifesaving scientific research and discovery. But a growing number of scientists are calling for an end to their use, and pushing for new methods that can better replicate human biology instead.
This article is part of Times Opinion’s Holiday Giving Guide 2021. For other ideas on where to donate this year, please see the rest of our guide here.
It’s hard to know where your charitable dollars will do the most good. This year, I’ll focus most of my giving on GiveDirectly, which does exactly what it promises: Gives money to the world’s poorest people, without attaching strings, conditions or complexity.
We can no longer allow this, we humans can no longer allow this extreme cruelty to continue…
12 Horrifying Factory Farming Practices That’ll Keep You Up at Night
Every second the counter ticks and several hundred more animals have lost their lives.
The Animal Kill Clock serves as an eerie reminder of the lives and possibilities that are lost with every moment that passes. All around the world animals are dying in order to feed people.
Clearly, the controlled use of fire to cook food was an extremely important element in the biological and social evolution of early humans, whether it started 400,000 or 2 million years ago.
The lack of physical evidence suggests early humans did little to modify the control and use of fire for cooking for hundreds of thousands of years, which is quite surprising, given that they developed fairly elaborate tools for hunting during this time, as well as creating some of the first examples of cave art about 64,000 years ago.
Many investors want to ensure they put their money in companies that share their values or, at a minimum, don’t conduct activities that are against their values. Analyzing companies for investment return is relatively straightforward, with various objective measures to consider: past returns, dividend rate, price to earnings ratio, etc. But ensuring companies are aligned with your values isn’t as straightforward.
How can you determine what investments to avoid if you want to make the world a better place? This is an extremely complex question, and one that is inherently subjective. How do you compare a company that produces and promotes cigarettes to one that torments and slaughters hundreds of millions of animals? How would you rank a company that releases toxic sludge in rivers versus a company that boils macaque monkeys alive? (Charles River Labs, one of the companies on our Ten Worst list below, does this.)
The United States raises and slaughters almost 10 times more birds than any other type of animal. Approximately 9 billion chickens are killed for their meat every year, while another 300 million chickens are used in egg production. All birds—meat chickens, egg-laying hens, turkeys, ducks, geese and others—are excluded from all federal animal protection laws. By sheer number, these are the animals most urgently in need of protection. The ASPCA is working actively with companies that buy or raise chickens to encourage the adoption of higher-welfare practices. Read more…
The U.S. raises around 120 million pigs for food each year, the vast majority [PDF] of whom are raised in barren crates or pens at industrial-scale facilities without fresh air or sunlight. They live on hard, slatted floors that do not accommodate their natural urge to root. Ammonia fumes rise to dangerous, uncomfortable levels due to high concentrations of waste. The ASPCA is working actively with companies that buy pork or raise pigs to encourage the adoption of higher-welfare practices. Read more…
Cattle are raised and processed across several distinct industries with differing practices and welfare concerns.The ASPCA is working actively with companies that raise cattle or buy their products (beef, dairy or veal) to encourage the adoption of higher-welfare practices. Read more…
Approximately 240 million turkeys [PDF] are raised for meat in the U.S. annually. Like chickens, turkeys suffer from growth-related lameness and are housed in groups on the floors of long sheds where they are denied fresh air, sunshine and pasture. Turkeys also develop abnormal behaviors in these environments, which can result in cannibalism. The ASPCA is working actively with companies that raise turkeys or buy turkey to encourage the adoption of higher-welfare practices.
There is a common misconception that fish and other aquatic vertebrates do not feel pain; however, studies demonstrate that they are sentient and capable of both fear and suffering [PDF]. Aquaculture—the farming of fish and other aquatic species—is one of the fastest-growing areas of food production, surpassing global beef production. About half of all consumed fish—namely salmon, tuna, cod, trout and halibut—are raised in artificial environments, as opposed to being wild-caught, creating a number of welfare concerns. Read more…
