We have learnt throughout our lives that mice are used for experiments around the world, but do we really know why mice are used. Is it because they are hated around the world? They is actually a variety of reasons for this. Did you know that mice are 85% genetically similar to humans? Some other features that make them the perfect experimental animals are as follows:-
- Adult mice multiply quickly.
They can reproduce as often as every three weeks (they mate on the day they give birth), so scientists have lots of mice to work with. The time between a mouse being born and giving birth (generation time) is short, usually around 10 weeks. This means several generations can be observed at once.
2. The mouse has a short lifespan
The mouse has a short lifespan (one mouse year equals about 30 human years) which means scientists can easily measure the effects of ageing.
3. It is easy to manipulate the mouse genome
It is relatively easy to manipulate the mouse genome, for example, adding or removing a gene to better understand its role in the body. This provides a powerful tool for modelling specific diseases when a mutated gene is known to play a role in the disease.
4. Mice are cost effective
Mice are cost effective because they are cheap and easy to look after. Also the mouse is small, so convenient to house.
But ultimately a mouse is a living thing so there is a lot of controversy surrounding whether mice should be used for experiments or not.
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