The world of science, numerous studies in various fields, with work continues to contribute to humanity together. These studies, which positively and profoundly affect our daily lives, are usually: on mice we see it happen. There are several reasons for this, some big and some small.

These reasons are not related to reasons such as the fact that mice are small creatures, but rather their relationship with humans. to their agreements based on. Without further ado, let’s take a look at why these animals are so popular, using Elizabeth Bryda’s academic paper.

Let’s start with the convenience they provide in a lab setting:

mice small animals Because they are very easy to store in the lab. Moreover, their rapid adaptation to the environment prevents the stressor to a great extent. If they have to be bought cheap Because they are sold out, the researchers are not in a difficult situation.

But 2-3 years Although they have a lifespan, they do not always need to be purchased. Because they are fast growing animals. So much so that in mice there is a gestation period of 19 to 21 days. Puppies born after this period are born within 5 or 6 weeks. able to reproduce they can become.

When they give birth, between 5 and 13 cubs are born:

Also take care of mice not difficult an advantage in the care of both the mice in the hand and the offspring.

These mice, which are produced especially for the lab, have much more important properties than we have mentioned:

The genes of us humans and mice are largely comparable† For this reason, mice are highly preferred for human disease experiments. Especially for mixed discomforts compared to normal. solution They play a vital role in finding Let’s take an example to make this clearer.

Hearing loss according to the article by Bryda more than 100 genes in question. But figuring out whether this is due to a hereditary gene or to an environmental cause such as loud noise becomes very difficult when experimenting with humans. Because for such an experiment it will be necessary to examine other people with hearing loss in the family tree. This is where mice come into play:

Mice played a huge role in studying these genes:

from different mice by mating In these experiments, in which the combination of different genes can be investigated, both the effect of the gene on the situation and the effect it exhibits in different life stages (youth, old age, etc.) can be examined in a short time. † Since the environment can be controlled in the laboratory setting, it is very certain that the result will be related to the genes. In addition Which gene is associated with which disease? also seems to play a role.

It is an undeniable fact that rats play an important role in important diseases that are curable today.

Why do we see white rats the most?

Researchers don’t select mice by color. More characteristics is in the foreground. The white-colored, red-eyed mice we know on television are albinos. For this reason, their unique genetic features are monitored in such mice. A white mouse of course is always albino There is no such rule.

Hamsters and guinea pigs, which look a lot like mice and are sometimes confused, are also used in the experiments:

Guinea pig These animals, also called rats, resemble us humans. The solutions we find to many common health problems, from cancer to metabolic diseases, from infectious diseases to many common health problems that we are used to seeing, are largely thanks to these animals exists today.

In other words, mice are very rich in genetic diversity, it is very easy to manage their genes according to need, they are very similar to humans in bodily functions, and their care is not difficult:

Yes, that’s how we can sum it up. When were the mice for these experiments? will be considered unnecessary unknown, but for now it is clear that they play a very crucial role in human ailments.

The mouse monument in Akademgorodok, Russia, built for the rodents that unfortunately did not survive the experiments: they helped save millions of human lives

It should be noted that in presenting this content we exclude ethical discussions about the use of animals in experiments. What we’re talking about here are just the reasons why the scientific world loves rats so much.

sources: Live Science, Your Genome, Canadian Blood Services, Science Elephant, NCBI