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This week the UK government outlined its vision of a world in which the use of animals in science ends in all but exceptional circumstances. Animal experimentation in the UK peaked at 4.14 million in 2015, mainly due to a significant increase in genetic modification experiments at the time. By 2020, this number had dropped sharply to 2.88 million as alternative methods and technologies were developed. But the decline has since stopped. Could we see the end of the use of animals in scientific laboratories? Speaker Tom Whipple is joined by Dr Chris Powell, Director of Cambridge BioPharma Consultants Ltd. and Honorary Visiting Scientist at the University of Cambridge, and Dr Natalie Burden, Head of New Approaches Methodologies at the National Center for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). And as world leaders gather for the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, we speak to glaciologist Dr Matthias Huss. His data showed that over the past decade, a quarter of Swiss ice has been lost and hundreds of glaciers have disappeared completely. But part of one of those glaciers remains in his basement freezer… Penny Sarchet, editor-in-chief of New Scientist, also gives us her views on the new science that matters this week. To discover more great science content, visit bbc.co.uk, search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to the Open University. Presenter: Tom Whipple Producers: Claire Salisbury, Tim Dodd, Alex Mansfield, Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Martin Smith Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Hulsworth
