Calif. School First to Ban Dissections in Software Deal

More pupils duck dissections by doing them virtually

(NEWSER) - More biology students are ducking icky frog and fetal pig dissections by doing them on computers, the AP reports. Animal rights activists, thrilled that 14 states let kids skip dissections, are helping get the interactive programs to schools. One West Virginia group donated software to a high school that spends about $1,000 a year on frogs and $40 a pop for hogs. More»

City aims to stamp out sales of 'puppy-mill' pets

(NEWSER) - The animal-rights trailblazers on West Hollywood's City Council have passed an ordinance banning pet shops from selling cats and dogs. No stores in the city currently sell the animals, but council leaders hope the move will set an example to other cities and help put "puppy mills" and "kitten factories" out of business, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Electing a black man president wasn’t the only historic thing voters did last November, writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times. California voted, by nearly a 2-1 margin, for an animal-rights initiative that bars farms from keeping calves, pregnant hogs, or hens in cages too small for them. And such ethical-treatment initiatives are gaining momentum across the US and Europe, 30 years after Princeton philosopher Peter Singer raised the issue of our moral obligations to animals. More»

Attack targeted professor who used primates to study addiction

(NEWSER) - An federal anti-terror task force is probing the firebombing of a UCLA neuroscientist's car, the Los Angeles Times reports. An animal rights group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place outside the researcher’s house and caused no injuries. The professor targeted has been using primates for research into schizophrenia and drug addiction. More»

(NEWSER) - A 19-year-old girl in Asheville, NC, has legally changed her name to CutoutDissection.com (call her Cutout for short) to protest animal dissection in the classroom, the Citizen-Times reports. The former Jennifer Thornburg’s name is the address for PETA's web site on the practice. Cutout is now a PETA intern and hopes her decision (Dad is on board after a little convincing) won't one day hurt her job prospects. More»