The Animal-Free Science Advocacy podcast interviews leading experts, animal advocates, healthcare consumers and leaders in the areas of scientific research, animal sentience, animal law, animal ethics, animal law and conservation to gain a diverse range of perspectives on the critical issue of using animals in research in Australia.
The podcast discusses the urgent necessity to phase out animal use in research and teaching and highlights alternative methods to using animals which deliver more accurate research results, without the unnecessary suffering of animals.Â
You can find the Animal-Free Science Advocacy podcast on a number of different podcast playersÂ
Spotify
Podomatic
I Heart Radio
Tune In
Nicole Groch: Cruelty-Free Beauty
Nicole Groch, Australian Programs Manager at Cruelty Free International and a vegan hair and makeup artist, shares insights on ending animal testing globally, the rigorous Leaping Bunny certification process, and the evolution of cruelty-free and vegan products. She discusses the transformative impact of major Australian brands like Kmart and Sukin committing to cruelty-free practices. Nicole’s personal and professional journey highlights the power of consumer choices in driving industry change, and offers practical tips for identifying genuinely cruelty-free products. Tune in to learn how your choices can support a cruelty-free future.
Search for Cruelty free products | Cruelty Free International
Nicole Groch Cruelty Free, Vegan Hair & Makeup
Andrew Costello: IMRA
Andrew Costello, Strategic Consultant to the International Medical Robotics Academy (IMRA) discusses the benefits of non-animal surgical training methods and outlines IMRA’s world-leading training programs and high-fidelity synthetic models.
Find out more about IMRA on their website.
Read AFSA’s web resource on surgical training.
Â
Maddie Krasno: Justify
Maddie holds a master’s degree in Humane Education and has worked in animal protection for over a decade. During her undergraduate education, Maddie worked for two years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Harlow Primate Research Laboratory and was later diagnosed with PTSD as a result. Maddie discusses her experiences and the organisation she has co-founded, Justify. Maddie hopes Justify will establish greater transparency in the animal research industry and become the community she wishes she had when she left the primate lab in 2013.
Dr Pandora Pound: Research Director Safer Medicines Trust
Dr Pandora Pound is Research Director at the Safer Medicines Trust. Dr Pound has written numerous influential papers on the scientific drawbacks of using animals as models for humans. Her newly published book ‘Rat Trap’ is a must-read.
Safer Medicines Trust: https://safermedicines.org
The Rat Trap: www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/computing-science-education/rat-trap
Listen to this episode on podomatic
Savita Nutan: Former Researcher, Educator and Founder of Medicine Without Cruelty
Savita Nutan is a science communicator, educator and former scientist who founded Medicine Without Cruelty in the UK. We interviewed her for the Animal-Free Science Advocacy podcast all about why medical research needs to urgently transition away from using obsolete and cruel animal methods towards far superior animal-free methods of research.Â
Savita Nutan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/savitanutanÂ
Medicine Without Cruelty: https://medicinewithoutcruelty.com/Â
HRA podcast episode on PodomaticÂ
View on YouTube
Sarah Margo interview: "This space feels hopeful"
Animal-Free Science Advocacy CEO Rachel Smith interviews Sarah Margo, an expert in animal law on her perspective of the failings of the Australian regulatory system surrounding animals in science.
Sarah is Policy Advisor to the Hon. Emma Hurst MLC of the Animal Justice Party, Animal Law Teaching Fellow at UNSW and Director of Voiceless, the Animal Protection Institute and an Animal Law and Policy Consultant.
Watch the episode on YouTube.
Clinical Researcher Nisha Narang: On ending animal-derived medical products ​
Animal-Free Science Advocacy CEO Rachel Smith interviews Nisha Narang, the CEO and founder of Leorah Clinical, a clinical research company with the mission is to bring sustainable, animal derivative-free medical products to people everywhere.
More about Leorah Clinical: https://www.leorahclinical.com/
Dr Hugo Morandini: A vision for clinical neuroscience without animals
Animal-Free Science Advocacy speaks with AFSA member and clinical neuroscience researcher Hugo Morandini about his research and reflections on the use of animals in research.
Watch the podcast episode on YouTube
Dr Denise Russell: Are Animal Ethics Committees effective?
Animal-Free Science Advocacy interviews Dr Denise Russell, an academic and independent researcher who specialises in animal ethics about her research on the effectiveness of animal ethics committees.
Denise was the founding editor and managing editor of Animal Issues, a journal covering a wide range of topics related to human/animal interactions, now incorporated into Society & Animals published by Brill.
She is the author of Who Rules the Waves: piracy, overfishing and mining the oceans
Dr Denise Russell: Australasian Animal Studies Association
Russell, D. (2012). Why animal ethics committees don’t work. Between the Species: an online journal for the study of philosophy and animals, 15 (1), 127-142.
Rosemary Lavin: "What I've learned over 50 years as an animal advocate"
Rosemary has spent the vast majority of her life fighting for animals in a personal and professional capacity. In this podcast, she speaks with Animal-Free Science Advocacy about what she has learned throughout her long and diverse history in animal advocacy.
Animal-free alternatives to cruel animal dissection in Australian schools
In this podcast, learn about the practice of dissection in Australian high schools, the alternatives available, and what educators can do to transition to cruelty-free teaching methods.
Animal-Free Science Advocacy offer a loans of educational resources called the Humane Education Loan Program (HELP). This aims to provide educators and students with current, cruelty-free alternatives to animal use in teaching.
Belinda: Living with a life-threatening illness and remaining opposed to animal experimentation
In this episode of the Animal-Free Science Advocacy podcast, we chat with Animal-Free Science Advocacy supporter Belinda who is a passionate animal advocate. She shares her perspective on animal experimentation and her experiences living through cancer.
Animal-Free Science Advocacy's CEO Rachel: The questionable ethics behind the forced smoke inhalation tests
For several years, Animal-Free Science Advocacy has been closely monitoring the use of forced inhalation studies in Australian Institutions.
This led to the development of our report:Â “Optimising Inhalation Research: Transitioning to Human-relevant Science.”
In this episode, we learn from HRA’s CEO Rachel Smith about the questionable ethics that surround the use of animals in smoke inhalation studies. These obsolete tests continue to be used in some Australian universities and research institutes.
There are safe, precise and animal-free methods that can be used instead of these tests.
Read our report:Â Optimising Inhalation Research: Transitioning to Human-relevant Science
Learn more about our Forced to Smoke campaign.
Animal-Free Science Advocacy's Science Consultant Natalie: Why we need to transition away from forced inhalation tests
For several years, Animal-Free Science Advocacy has been closely monitoring the use of forced inhalation studies in Australian Institutions.
This led to the development of our report:Â “Optimising Inhalation Research: Transitioning to Human-relevant Science.”
In this episode we interview the report’s author, Natalie Anderson, a respiratory research scientist, who also works as Animal-Free Science Advocacy Science Outreach Consultant. Natalie is in her final year of her PhD at Curtin University investigating the health effects of e-cigarette aerosols and medical aerosol delivery through artificial airways with computational fluid dynamics.
In this podcast episode, she’ll be stepping us through the key findings from our report and sharing her insights as a scientist who specialises in this field of research.
There are safe, precise and animal-free methods that can be used instead of these tests.
Read our report:Â Optimising Inhalation Research: Transitioning to Human-relevant Science
Learn more about our Forced to Smoke campaign.
A short history of the courageous Anti-Vivisection Movement
In this Animal-Free Science Advocacy podcast, we take a look at the obscure and courageous history of the anti-vivisection movement throughout the world. Learn about the trailblazing Australian organisations that paved the way for Animal-Free Science Advocacy’s work in Australia today.
The scientifically-obsolete Forced Swim Test: What is it and why should it be banned?
In this episode of the Animal-Free Science Advocacy podcast, we learn about the Forced Swim Test and why it is considered to be cruel and unnecessary. Learn about the scientific validity of the test and whether or not its results are applicable to human health.
Are there any plans to phase out this cruel and unnecessary test in Australia in favour of more scientifically robust animal-free alternatives? Have a listen to find out.
Learn more about our campaign to end the Forced Swim Test in Australia. Â
Learn what you can do to not purchase cosmetics tested on animals
Is there a ban on Cosmetic testing on animals in Australia? What can consumers do to ensure their purchase has not been tested on animals?
Read the full episode transcript here: Cosmetics-and-animal-testing-in-Australia-AFSA-Podcast-Transcript-.pdf
Â
Â
Can Freedom of Information (FOI) requests help when advocating for animals in labs?
In this episode of the Animal-Free Science Advocacy podcast we look at the effectiveness of Australia’s current laws regarding freedom of information requests (FOI’s). Is this an effective advocacy tool for organisations in the USA, Australia and the United Kingdom to uncover animal experimentation in secretive laboratory settings?