Plant and animal testing encompasses experimental methods that use whole organisms or their tissues to assess biological responses to chemicals, drugs, genetic modifications, environmental stressors, or other interventions under controlled conditions. In plants, testing commonly involves growth assays, phytotoxicity and ecotoxicological evaluations, and phenotypic or molecular analyses following exposure or genetic manipulation. In animals, it includes in vivo toxicology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy studies, and behavioral or physiological assessments, often guided by standardized protocols and regulatory frameworks. These methods aim to elucidate mechanisms of action, dose–response relationships, safety margins, and translational relevance to ecosystems or human health, while increasingly integrating refinement, reduction, and replacement strategies.
Do insectivorous animals perceive green, caterpillar-shaped clay as a tasty meal? Ecologists sometimes use plasticine models mimicking natural prey, such as caterpillars, fruit, bird eggs, snakes, and frogs, to record attack ...
Ecology
Oct 23, 2025
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46
Most environmental scientists believe that chemical pollution can and is negatively affecting people and wildlife, according to my team's recent survey.
Environment
Oct 10, 2025
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European rabbits have plagued the Australian environment since 1859, when they were introduced to Australia near Geelong in Victoria.
Ecology
Sep 10, 2025
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18
A new study from the University of Missouri is helping veterinarians and pet owners better understand how to treat thyroid cancer in dogs by studying how to improve treatment with a type of therapy called radioactive iodine. ...
Veterinary medicine
Sep 9, 2025
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19
Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have collaborated with the SILVACX project group at Heidelberg University to develop a therapeutic vaccination concept that can mobilize the immune system to target ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 2, 2025
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40
Researchers examine how the use of animal testing to identify endocrine-disrupting substances in the EU can be reduced. Although it is, in principle, possible to identify such substances without using animals, non-animal ...
Biotechnology
Jul 2, 2025
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18
If you haven't heard of a tardigrade before, prepare to be wowed. These clumsy, eight-legged creatures, nicknamed water bears, are about half a millimeter long and can survive practically anything: freezing temperatures, ...
Bio & Medicine
Apr 23, 2025
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710
A laboratory-grown mini liver model uniquely created with liver cells and a synthetic nanoscaffold has shown to be effective in mimicking the liver, promising a new and more effective testing method for medicines that is ...
Bio & Medicine
Jun 20, 2024
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89
An experimental treatment made from a plant virus is effective at protecting against a broad range of metastatic cancers in mice, according to a new study from the University of California San Diego.
Bio & Medicine
May 13, 2024
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77
Human mini-lungs grown by University of Manchester scientists can mimic the response of animals when exposed to certain nanomaterials. The study is published in Nano Today.
Bio & Medicine
Apr 18, 2024
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