welfare

In a first, state bill would require nearly perfect welfare record for research dog and cat suppliers | Science

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A major supplier of dogs and other animals for academic and corporate research, which was cited last year for dozens of Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations at its Virginia beagle-breeding facility, was targeted by the state’s lawmakers this week. On 7 and 8 March, both houses of the Virginia General Assembly unanimously passed a bill … Read more

Brain development: Giving low-income US families $4000 a year boosts child brain activity

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Poverty has been linked with changes in child brain development, and a scheme to give $333 a month to low-income families improved brain activity in a child’s first year Health 24 January 2022 By Jason Arunn Murugesu Improvements in brain activity related to increased family income can be seen in children as young as 1 … Read more

Welfare: Children’s brains are bigger if they receive more generous benefits

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The size of a child’s hippocampus can be limited by stress, and US state welfare schemes that give families $500 a month or more are linked to a reduction in this association Humans 20 December 2021 By Jason Arunn Murugesu Illustration of the hippocampus in a child’s brain Science Photo Library / Alamy Higher payments … Read more

Animal research: Tips from pet rat owners could improve lab rat welfare

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Owners’ insights on the behaviour of their pet rats could help researchers improve the welfare of rats in the laboratory Life 20 December 2021 By Christa Lesté-Lasserre A rat in a research laboratory fotografixx/Getty Images Laboratory rats might live better lives if they had cages that let them stand up, climb and romp about, according … Read more

Gene-edited food: UK plans to embrace technology shouldn’t harm animal welfare, say ethicists

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Gene-edited foods may one day be sold in UK shops, but ethicists warn that using the technology in livestock may exacerbate animal welfare issues if, for example, it leads to the creation of disease-resistant animals that can be housed together more densely Environment 1 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan Gene editing could exacerbate animal welfare … Read more