Cephalopods as lab animals

In this month’s Technology Feature, meet a unique group of invertebrate animals making their way into the lab: the cephalopods. They have a number of unique abilities and evolutionary features that make them intriguing to researchers, such as their complex brains and behaviors, their distinctive abilities to change the patterns and colors of their skin and even edit their own RNA. In general though, the animals can be challenging to keep in captivity.

Efforts to understand and improve cephalopod culture and care and make at least a few candidates better lab animals are underway.

See page 19

Amphibian welfare: a workshop recap

Last October, the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) brought together academics and members of the zoo and conservation community to talk about amphibians and their welfare when used as lab animals. In a new Comment, representatives from the NC3Rs and the ZSL recap what the workshop covered: what are the current practices for caring for and working with amphibians, what are the gaps, and what research priorities should the field focus on next to improve husbandry and welfare?

See page 16