ELi5: Rats seem to be the gold standard for behavioral lab experiments – why? Other than quantity, what makes rats good test subjects in relation to humans?
In: Biology
There are lots of different animals used as models for humans. A primate is closest to a human, but presents certain logistical difficulties. A fruit fly is much easier to work with, but less closely resembles humans.
Depending on what research you’re working on, you may want to use different animal models to suit your needs. Some things to consider include cost, maintenance, the time it takes to generate progeny, and in what ways the animal may or may not resemble what happens in humans. If you’re just looking at some genes which most animals share, it might make sense to work with fruit flies as they’re cheap and easy to maintain, it’s easy to work with their DNA, and they reproduce very quickly which is good for crossing genes into progeny. If you’re researching hearts or kidneys though for example, you may want a vertebrate animal like a fish or mouse or something. If you’re looking at behavior, you may want an animal that’s capable of more complex behaviors like a rat. If you need a much more complex model that very closely resembles humans, you may need a primate.
Latest Answers