Biology Project >> Is it just me or...?

Question

So we have to do a bug collection for Biology. We have to capture bugs and then kill them before we disect them...by either suffocating them with nail polish remover or freezing them in the freezer. Erm...isn't that a little inhumane? I mean, I know they're just bugs, but its pretty horrible if you think about it. Why isn't there some kind of rule against doing it? I know it must sound stupid, but heck, I wouldn't want to die by being frozen or suffocated... ok, maybe I'm weird, but it sounds pretty cruel.

Answer 1

There are two sides to the issue of using real animals in any school project; (1) besides the accuracy of using a real animal compared to a plastic or computer model, using a real animal carries a “grossness” factor that makes you more likely to remember what you have learned, but (2) as you noted, using real animals carries a ethical issue as well.

Bugs don’t have much of a nervous system so they don’t really sense pain. They react to stimuli, but pain is a conscious sensation that requires a brain. Most people (though not all) would say that since bugs don’t feel pain that the educational issues outweigh the moral issues.

In real biological experiments, real animals are required because models simply don’t respond to unknown conditions being tested in the experiment. If you go further in a biology career, you will likely need to do more animal experiments in order to learn how animals actually work.

Answer 2

I think your response is fair enough, and you should say so to your teacher. There are plentiful collections in museums, and very good photgraphic and drawn studies in both books and on the web.

In the great scheme of things, the few you collect will be as nothing compared to those sprayed with insecticide, splattered by cars or eaten. But, that is not the point. We should not be mindlessly killing animals.

Try suggesting that you "collect" by digital camera. To be honest, you will not learn anything from a dissection you could not see better in a book.

Answer 3

How else would u propose to kill it without keeping it in good condition?

On the humane part, stepping on it to crunch is just as bad for any human. And they are bugs...they reproduce like crazy. Actually, Id say freezing or suffocating is best way becuase they would probably fall asleep first before dying.

Answer 4

Well, you can put them to sleep with chloroform or ethyl acetate, if you can get your hands on this kind of chemicals. This way, at least, they'll die feeling high. Use a jar with a piece of cotton (moistened with the anesthetic) attached to the lid, so your bugs won't get wet. Ethyl acetate makes butterflies open their wings before dying, which saves you the effort of having to straighten the wings by hand on a special board.

Answer 5

That is the lamest excuse I have ever here for not doing your home work.