The vast majority of mammalian biology research is based on mice. So many ‘in mice’ studies cross this forum, but this is the first time I’ve seen the ethical aspect raised. To that end, while I was reading the article I was thinking about how quantifiable pain measurement actually opens the door for more humane animal practices

Maybe mice well being is so unimportant for the majority of people that people don't typically talk about it, even when talking about experiments designed to deliberately inflict pain on them.

> even when talking about experiments designed to deliberately inflict pain on them.

I know someone on the ethics board at a university and the experiments here aren’t so terrible

> First, we verified that a stimulus deemed innocuous, like the touch of a soft makeup brush, activated touch neurons in the animal’s skin, and that a needle pricking the skin activated pain neurons. Then we recorded the animal’s response movements to each stimulus.

Human experiments on pain usually involve sticking a hand in a bucket of ice water. People taking their daily diabetes medication, prick skin multiple times a day without complaint, though it might be unpleasant.

But I’ll agree there’s a lack of sensitivity to the needless suffering of animals inflicted by humans. e.g., labs and factory farms have a lot to answer for. Though if we wanted to end suffering of all beings, we’d probably just want to terminate life completely such that a living being can never contrive to hurt another.. or somehow reengineer the biosphere to eliminate r-selection, and predation, an even more absurd proposition.