Labanimal

February https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-021-01184-0https://doi.org/10.1177/00236772211065920https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04502-2It’s the 3rd Thursday of February, and you’re listening to 3 Minute 3Rs. This month, we’re bringing you 3 refinement papers. Let’s start with rodent housing.Research rodents are conventionally housed in shoebox sized cages that limit their ability to perform natural behaviors such as nesting and burrowing. These restrictions are known to impair welfare, but could they even increase disease risk and shorten lifespans? A new meta-analysis compares the morbidity and mortality of rodents in conventional vs enriched housing. Conventional housing was found to significantly worsen disease severity for cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, anxiety, and depression. Conventional housing also increased all-cause mortality. In conclusion, conventional housing appears to be distressing enough to compromise rodent health in a biologically significant manner. This lends more evidence to the