Deadly Pig Tests Derailed

On Friday, Austrian scientists—commissioned by the Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine in Italy and the Medical University of Innsbruck—announced they would temporarily halt research that involves burying pigs in snow to determine the length of time required for the pigs to die. Scientists believe the experiments-which are being conducted in the Western Austrian Alps-will reveal factors that allow humans to survive an avalanche without suffering permanent brain damage, such as carving an air pocket out of snow. Animal activists have called the experiments cruel and pointless, and the media have responded to the campaign by calling on researchers to reconsider the experiments.