Animal testing, and medical research?

Now, I'm for animal testing, for medical research. I've been told and have read that about 90% or so of modern medical research relies on information found through testing on animals, and hundreds of vaccines, treatments, and other medicines have come about because of animal testing.

But, since I don't have that great of a grasp on biology (all I have under my belt is a highschool class, and that was several years ago) I do not exactly know WHY testing on animals works. I'm under the impression that it has something to do with sharing chromosomes with humans (I'm told that monkies share 99% of the same chromosomes as humans, for instance), and other similarities, like having BLOOD and ORGANS, I guess. But because I don't know enough about biology myself, I just have to put faith in /sci/entists and assume they're correct in using animal testing.

I'm told by people against animal testing that it is inaccurate and misleading because it is testing on different species. I'm told that it causes unneeded harm to animals and provides no real benefit to medical science, and other 'bad' things.


So, /sci/, my question today is: Am I wrong in my assumption that animal testing is right? Is it really essential to medical science? Are there better alternatives?


And why the fuck is peta so goddamn annoying, and why do people think they're a reliable source of information, I mean srsly. fucking hypocrites, omfg.

>>16
>Using monkeys to find a cure for cancer = pointful

But obviously this is WRONG, because hypocritical organizations like PETA says so, so obviously we MUST firebomb research centers, killing the animals inside, and causing them to lose years upon years of research, letting all of those poor animals suffer in vain, which will in the end only cause them to conduct more animal research to make up for the research they lost, making our whole cause and idealogy counter-intuitive.