The UK unveiled plans to reduce animal testing in research.
Science Minister Patrick Vallance said the government hopes to end some test types this year, and reduce the use of dogs and monkeys in testing by 35% by 2030, replacing animal experimentation with computer modeling and in-vitro testing. The number of animals used in UK research is already down 30% from its 2015 peak of 4.14 million.
The US this year dropped some animal testing requirements, and the EU revealed a “roadmap” toward ending the practice. But scientists foresee difficulties: Vallance himself said we can’t “eliminate animal use in the foreseeable future,” and another scientist told the BBC that alternatives will “never replace the complexity” of animal testing.