“Everyone in the experimental life sciences should read this book: it may well challenge some of your most fundamental assumptions.”
Todd M. Preuss, Emory University
“In this honest, erudite, and accessible book, Striedter provides an antidote for what ails biomedical research. A must-read for those who care about the future of the life sciences and the debt of service it owes society.”
Susan M. Fitzpatrick, President, James S. McDonnell Foundation
“This book will help scientists think critically about why and how they use particular models. Striedter leverages philosophy, history, and science to analyze the common failure of animal research to translate to humans, and suggests how we can do better.”
Jessica Bolker, Professor of Zoology, University of New Hampshire
“This book provides a useful synthesis for scientists about some of the key issues associated with model choice and use in biology, including glimpses at why models go wrong, and a good starting point for those early in their careers who wish to think more about the implicit strategies and assumptions embedded in contemporary biological research practices.”
Rachel A. Ankeny, Professor of History and Philosophy, University of Adelaide; coauthor of Model Organisms
“An excellent source of references to a number of intriguing cases from the history of translational research which may inform philosophical discussions of modeling and experimentation in biology.”
History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences
There is an important tension that runs throughout the book and is probably recognized by all of us even if we don't do invasive animal research: how do we alleviate human suffering while minimizing animal suffering? There is no satisfactory answer, but we should probably never stop thinking about the question. What are laid out in this book are the multiple dimensions that should inform such questioning. If you are concerned and/or curious about how animals are used in research — whether you are an advocate or an opponent of such work — this book provides a compelling overview of where we are in the 21st century.
Current Biology
