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Here is a New York Times story that is sure to stun you:

For decades, mice have been the species of choice in the study of human diseases. But now, researchers report evidence that the mouse model has been totally misleading for at least three major killers — sepsis, burns and trauma. As a result, years and billions of dollars have been wasted following false leads, they say.

I am sure that some defenders of “science” are going to tell us that this is how “science” is really done, so it’s really not all that startling.

Medical experts not associated with the study said that the findings should change the course of research worldwide for a deadly and frustrating condition. Sepsis, a potentially deadly reaction that occurs as the body tries to fight an infection, afflicts 750,000 patients a year in the United States, kills one-fourth to one-half of them, and costs the nation $17 billion a year. It is the leading cause of death in intensive-care units.

One wonders how this could have gone on for so long:

The group had tried to publish its findings in several papers. One objection, Dr. Davis said, was that the researchers had not shown the same gene response had happened in mice.

“They were so used to doing mouse studies that they thought that was how you validate things,” he said. “They are so ingrained in trying to cure mice that they forget we are trying to cure humans.”

And this is something you’d think the leading journals would want to chime in on:

The study’s investigators tried for more than a year to publish their paper, which showed that there was no relationship between the genetic responses of mice and those of humans. They submitted it to the publications Science and Nature, hoping to reach a wide audience. It was rejected from both.

Those journals have become famous lately for the way they have proceeded with Climate papers. Here is more:

Still, Dr. Davis said, reviewers did not point out scientific errors. Instead, he said, “the most common response was, ‘It has to be wrong. I don’t know why it is wrong, but it has to be wrong.’

Yup, it just HAS to be wrong. You know the rest.

One Response to “It’s Just Mice Right, Just Mice”

  1. chuck martel says:

    The other day I ran into a guy that I hadn’t seen for awhile that worked on the ag campus. He had been sick and when he came back to work they gave him a new job. He is now the official mouse euthanasia technician for the university. When they’ve served their purpose, he puts them to sleep. Beyond the job description of the researchers themselves. I guess.

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