Colin Blakemore is a neurobiologist specialising in vision. He is currently head of the BritishMedical Research Council. He is also a committed science communicator and is outspoken in his support of the use of animal experiments in medical research. His high profile has made him a frequent target of intimidation and attacks by animal rights activists. Neuroscience is a field of study which deals with the structure, function, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology and pathology of the nervous system. ... Vision can refer to: Visual perception is one of the senses. ... Current MRC logo The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a UK organisation dedicated to promot[ing] the balanced development of medical and related biological research in the UK. Organisation The MRC is one of seven Research Councils and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Office of Science and... Beagle being used to determine the toxicity of an industrial gas. ... Medical research is research conducted to aid the body of knowledge in the field of medicine. ... This article is about the album Animal Rights. ...
Blakemore came to the attention of the animal rights movement while at Oxford University in the 1980s, when he carried out research into amblyopia and strabismus, conducting experiments that involved sewing kittens' eyes shut from birth in order to study the development of their visual cortex.
Blakemore states, 'The work on cats was directly applicable to humans,' he added 'Thanks to it, and similar research, we now know why conditions like amblyopia - the most common form of child blindness - occur and are now able to tackle it and think of ways of preventing it.' [2]
ColinBlakemore is Professor of Physiology from the University of Oxford and next to him is Alan Harvey whos famous for being a guitarist and singer but is also a Professor of Anatomy specialising in the brain and transplantation at the University of Western Australia in Perth.
Is it not the case, I heard you ColinBlakemore say, that in 50% of cases of people who have the genetic predisposition for schizophrenia the disease is manifest and in 50% by implication, it isnt manifest.
ColinBlakemore: I can tell you when I first had my brain scanned, you know for an experiment, in one of these miraculous brain scanners, I was delighted to see that I do have something in there.
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