The primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall will today propose that a Nobel prize be set up for advancing medical knowledge without experimentation on animals. The scientist, who pioneered research on chimpanzees in the wild, says moving away from animal research is a ""goal towards which all civilized nations should be moving"".

She will speak at an event organized by animal rights groups and MEPs to put pressure on the European commission to review directive 86/609, which governs animal research across the EU.
""As we move into the 21st century we need a new mind-set,"" she said. ""We should admit that the infliction of suffering on beings who are capable of feeling is ethically problematic and that the amazing human brain should set to work to find new ways of testing and experimenting that will not involve the use of live, sentient beings.
""The scientific establishment should actively encourage such research. More funding should be made available for it. And rewards - such as a Nobel prize - should be given for it.""
She will also advocate a centre of excellence to develop alternatives to animal research. About 12m animals were used in experiments in 2005. The vast majority were mice and rats.
Goodall's suggestion of a Nobel prize looks unlikely to succeed. Only one has been added - the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1968 - since the scientific accolades were first awarded in 1901.
About 15 years ago the former U.S. vice-president Al Gore approached the Nobel Foundation to suggest an award for contributions to environmentalism. Michael Sohlman, president of the foundation, said the organization politely turned him down. Adding a prize for alternatives to animal testing was ""out of the question"", Sohlman said.
(Source: Guardian)