lab rats
Maze-running research animals
Lab rats are rats bred and kept for scientific experiments—the white rats of medical and psychological research.
The term extends to any experimental subjects, including humans who feel they're being tested or observed: We're just lab rats for the new software rollout.
The implication is being subjected to trials without much say in the matter.
Moral claims for fauna
- cruelty-freeUntested on animals
- welfareComfort and prosperity
- bioethicsMoral philosophy for medicine
- humane treatmentKind consideration for welfare
ethics committee · sentience · three Rs · animal advocacy · pain management · veterinary care · alternatives · suffering
Small rodent, pet or test subject
- expendableAble to be sacrificed
- test caseLawsuit establishing legal precedent
- pawnUnwitting tool of another
- subjectMatter under discussion
unwitting · exploited · disposable · experiment · manipulation · corporate · employee · sacrifice
Untreated subjects for comparison
- experimentationSystematic testing of ideas
- trialsFormal legal proceedings
- protocolsEstablished codes of conduct
- data collectionSystematic accumulation of facts
variables · placebo · biomedical · genetics · toxicology · pharmacology · dosage · tissue culture
Barred confinement structure
- enclosureConfined, bordered space
- captivityState of being confined
- isolationComplete separation from others
- quarantineIsolation preventing disease transmission
pen · cell · containment · captured · housing · bedding · wheel · water bottle
Deliberate death for relief
- necropsyAnimal postmortem examination
- terminalAt the endpoint
- cullingSelective population reduction
- post-mortemAnalysis after conclusion
animal rights
Moral claims for fauna
- cruelty-freeUntested on animals
- welfareComfort and prosperity
- bioethicsMoral philosophy for medicine
humane treatment · ethics committee · sentience · three Rs · animal advocacy · pain management · veterinary care · alternatives · suffering · consent
guinea pig
Small rodent, pet or test subject
- expendableAble to be sacrificed
- test caseLawsuit establishing legal precedent
- pawnUnwitting tool of another
subject · unwitting · exploited · disposable · experiment · manipulation · corporate · employee · sacrifice · scapegoat
control group
Untreated subjects for comparison
- experimentationSystematic testing of ideas
- trialsFormal legal proceedings
- protocolsEstablished codes of conduct
data collection · variables · placebo · biomedical · genetics · toxicology · pharmacology · dosage · tissue culture · cell lines
cage
Barred confinement structure
- enclosureConfined, bordered space
- captivityState of being confined
- isolationComplete separation from others
quarantine · pen · cell · containment · captured · housing · bedding · wheel · water bottle · feeding
euthanasia
Deliberate death for relief
- Laboratoriesflasks, beakers, pipettes, fume hoods, test tubes
- animal testinganimal testing, vivisection, experimentation, medical experimentation, biomedical research
- test subjectshuman subjects, guinea pigs, experimental group, control group, participants
- experimentsexperiment, experiments, test, tests, trials
- student typesjocks, kindergartners, nerds, first graders, geeks
- medical researchmedical research, clinical trial, drug trial, biomedical research, cancer research
lab ratsexperimenters
Those conducting trials
researchers · scientists · decision-makers · lab technicians · puppet masters
rat, lab, rats, laboratory, laboratories, rattish, lab rat