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Scientists have finally “asked” lab mice their preferred ambient temperature. They discovered the mice prefer warmer temperatures than have been traditionally provided, and that, furthermore, their bodies behave differently at their preferred, warmer, temperatures. (Here’s the original article, by Kathleen M. Kokolus et. al., published in Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.)
I think the scariest thing about this paper is that it mentions that it has already been shown that mice prefer warmer temperatures than currently mandated, and that the colder temperatures in which they are currently kept induce “cold stress” and accompanying biological changes (references 3-7 in original article, dated from 2009-2012). Has anyone been fighting to raise the standard ambient temperature for laboratory mice since 2009? It seems to be taking the threat of these issues affecting the results of research to make scientists care whether or not the mice are in temperatures they’d prefer.
Beyond that — for how many years have we been doing research on mice at these recommended temperatures? How much research has already been done with populations of mice affected by chronic cold stress? Would we have gotten the same results in labs kept at 86 degrees Fahrenheit? What results which we currently take for granted might be wrong?
What other variables might be sub-par for our research animals, and what effect might those things have on their responses to, say, cancer-causing chemicals?
Animalfeasance 