Background

The Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) "Magnetoreception and Navigation in Vertebrates: from Biophysics to Brain and Behaviour", funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), investigates the orientation ability of vertebrates. The DFG recently decided to fund the project for a further four years.

Research on birds, bats and fish has been criticised by animal welfare organisations.

The University of Oldenburg is aware of the ethical issues surrounding animal experiments and is involved in the social dialogue on this topic. With the facts that we have compiled on this page, we would like to contribute to an objective and constructive discussion.

After a brief preliminary remark, references to the Animal Welfare Act and background information on the SFB, we take a concrete position on the accusations.

The University of Oldenburg takes the discussion about animal welfare and animal experiments very seriously. No one at the university treats animal experiments lightly.

The university minimises the number of animals used in teaching and research. For many years, we have adopted the so-called 3R principle as our guiding principle: the three Rs stand for replacing animal experiments with animal-free methods whenever possible, using as few animals as possible (reduce) and treating them as gently as possible (refine). Intensive research ensures that we can introduce more and more alternatives to animal testing.

Even if we already use animal-free methods whenever possible, we cannot completely dispense with animal testing for the time being according to the current state of science.

The German Animal Welfare Act stipulates that animal experiments may only be carried out if no alternative methods can be used. The competent authority only authorises an animal experiment application if the scientist can provide evidence: He/she must prove that the research project cannot do without animal experiments and that the expected benefits of the experiment ethically justify the possible suffering of the animal. The University of Oldenburg has all the necessary official authorisations.

Researchers from neurobiology, quantum physics, biochemistry, computer modelling and behavioural biology are working together in the Collaborative Research Centre "Magnetoreception". The aim is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the magnetic sense of vertebrates and their navigational abilities - starting with the proteins that "recognise" the magnetic signal, via signalling pathways within nerve cells and the transmission of the stimulus to the brain, through to the animals' behaviour and migration routes. The results should help to protect endangered animal species that migrate over long distances.

In addition to the University of Oldenburg, the Institute for Bird Research "Vogelwarte Helgoland" (IfV) in Wilhelmshaven, the Free University of Berlin, the University of Bochum and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot (Israel) are involved in the large-scale project, which is scheduled to run for a total of twelve years. Three researchers from the University of Oxford (UK) are associated with the CRC as Mercator Fellows.

The accusation:

"The songbird research in Oldenburg is to be seen as pure curiosity research without any benefit."

Our response:

The research in the CRC and associated studies make an important contribution to understanding how migratory birds perceive the Earth's magnetic field and use it for orientation. For example, the scientists found a completely new neural connection that most likely forms the beginning of a magnetic map processing pathway in the brain. This finding helps to understand how the magnetic map of migratory birds works. They were also able to gain groundbreaking insights into the disruptive effects of electrosmog on the magnetic compass of birds.

This knowledge is of great importance for bird conservation: it can help to protect endangered and rare migratory bird species.

Example 1:
There have been and still are attempts worldwide to relocate migratory birds for their protection if their breeding, staging or wintering areas are threatened. The cause of the threat is often human influence. Such relocations are usually very difficult, as migratory birds quickly return to their usual areas thanks to their excellent orientation. Fully understanding how the birds navigate and find their way can effectively support relocation projects, the navigation systems can be "tricked".

Example 2:
Electrosmog has a negative impact on migratory birds: it disturbs their orientation because their magnetic compass no longer works. Our research proved this years ago. It is an important result of our navigation research for bird conservation.
More at: www.presse.uni-oldenburg.de/mit/2014/173.html

Example 3:
Migratory birds normally learn to navigate in the first few months of their lives, later it is no longer possible - this is the common assumption. Our research has shown that even injured migratory birds raised indoors by humans can learn to navigate - they simply learn later. A significant result for the reintroduction of birds into the wild.
More at: www.presse.uni-oldenburg.de/mit/2015/358.html

Example 4:
There is increasing evidence that the magnetic compass of migratory birds - i.e. the ability to orientate themselves by the Earth's magnetic field - is based on a quantum chemical reaction in the eye. A certain light-sensitive protein recently discovered by researchers in Oldenburg is responsible for this. The hypothesis is that this mechanism makes the animals sensitive to environmental stimuli that are six orders of magnitude below the threshold that was previously considered perceptible.
More at: www.presse.uni-oldenburg.de/mit/2021/109.html

The accusation:

"The university has been publicly criticised for years for its distressing experiments on wild-caught robins and other birds."

Our response:

The studies on birds carried out at the University of Oldenburg consist primarily of behavioural observations. One of the scientific and ethical principles of our scientists is that as few birds as possible are killed for research purposes.

Series of experiments in which animals are killed are only carried out if statistically verifiable results with small samples can be expected. Researchers deliberately forego scientifically promising experiments if the number of animals required is too high.

Our scientists invest a lot of time and effort in finding new ways to reduce the number of animal experiments and killings.

Example 1:
Research is being conducted into the navigational behaviour of complex organisms. It is not easy to do without experiments involving animals. However, our researchers have already made great progress in this area. For the first time, a protein found in the eyes of birds has been produced in large quantities in the laboratory using bacterial cultures. Its pronounced sensitivity to magnetic fields has now been proven and published in the renowned journal Nature(www.presse.uni-oldenburg.de/mit/2021/109.html). Further investigations into magnetically sensitive proteins that are specifically produced in cell cultures are to follow in the future. The team wants to understand, both experimentally and with the help of computer simulations, which parts of the molecules are important for magnetic perception.

Example 2:
In the CRC, model calculations are carried out with the aim of using computers like a microscope to better understand molecules. The position and movement of all atoms within a protein are calculated using fundamental equations of nature, such as Newton's equations of motion, the laws of thermodynamics and quantum physics. This leads to completely new insights - for example, how electrons jump from amino acid to amino acid or the effects of changing environmental conditions. Proteins from zebra finches, chickens, blackcaps and fish are currently being modelled in order to find out how the magnetic properties of the proteins differ. This allows conclusions to be drawn about how the animals orientate themselves.

Example 3:
The number of bats killed for research is reduced by using animals that have already been killed by wind turbines; this is possible because the animals' heads usually remain intact in the accidents. The dead animals can be used to examine the corneas.

Example 4:
The researchers are using machine learning in experiments on fish conditioning. The method is used to detect subtle changes in behaviour in response to a stimulus, so that complex conditioning experiments with food deprivation or other interventions are no longer necessary.