EARA was saddened to hear of the recent death of the eminent UK neuroscientist, Sir Colin Blakemore.

Sir Colin was a passionate supporter of the continued use of animals in scientific research and did much to promote the need for the biomedical community to be more open and transparent about its work in order to bring about a greater public understanding.

There were numerous tributes across the media, including a piece by Fiona Fox, chief executive of the UK Science Media Centre, and a former EARA Board member and by Speaking of Research. See also these tributes on Twitter.

Kirk Leech, EARA executive director, said: “I was personally saddened to hear of Sir Colin Blakemore’s death, he was an eminent neuroscientist, and advocated for greater openness on the use of animals in research when it was certainly unfashionable to do so.

“His response to attacks on his family and himself due to his use of animals in scientific research, was to advocate for widening the public debate about the use of animals and to encourage researchers to be part of this engagement. A life well lived. He will be sorely missed.”

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