On the 3R’s “bullshit”

Controversial take:

Publicly, 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) are a priority for every facility manager and institution we’ve spoken to.

Privately, researchers often just don’t care. It’s another checkbox and statement to add to protocols and grant applications.

And it’s not their fault. If your success is measured in papers published - and your life is overwhelmed by running your courses, grant deadlines, paper reviews, committee duties and family, there’s little mental space left for anything else. Sometimes, even institutions view it as a cost-leader for good PR.

But thinking about 3R as a charity effort to benefit animals is the wrong angle.

Next time your colleague sneers at 3R, tell them this:

Stressed animals = variable data

Stressed animals = confounding factors

Stressed animals = higher N required

Stressed animals = lower reproducibility

This means: statistical significance is harder to get and your next paper takes longer.

Animal testing is a lot like quantum physics in this regard. Observation changes the outcome. At least when done by hand.

Another reason to automate.

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