The animals and plants commonly used in experiments are as follows:

Common experimental animals

mouse

Usage: Widely used in disease models (such as tumors, immune deficiencies), genetic research, and drug toxicity testing.

Advantages: Small size, fast reproduction, clear genetic background, suitable for large-scale experiments.

Case: Transgenic mice are used to simulate human genetic diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease models.

rat

Purpose: Cancer research, toxicology experiments, and behavioral research.

Advantages: Moderate size, convenient for surgical operation and long-term observation.

Case: Inducing a rat liver cancer model and studying the mechanism of action of carcinogens.

rabbit

Usage: Ophthalmic stimulation testing (such as cosmetic safety assessment), orthopedic research (such as joint injury repair).

Advantages: Large eyeballs, bone structure similar to humans.

Case: The Dreze test (eye irritation test) was widely used on albino rabbits and is gradually being replaced.

dog

Purpose: Research in cardiology, endocrinology, and osteoarthritis.

Advantages: High similarity to human physiology, suitable for complex disease models.

Case: Study the dog model of diabetes and develop insulin treatment scheme.

Monkeys (rhesus monkeys, macaques)

Purpose: Neuroscience, neurology research, and vaccine development.

Advantages: Highly homologous to human genes, with complex behavior.

Case: Rhesus monkeys are used in AIDS vaccine research to simulate human immune response.

Frog (African clawed frog)

Purpose: Developmental biology, DNA research, and embryology.

Advantages: Eggs and embryos are transparent, making it easy to observe the development process.

Case: The African clawed frog was the first vertebrate to be successfully cloned.

naked mole rat

Purpose: Research on anti-cancer and exploration of aging mechanisms.

Advantages: Almost no cancer, long lifespan (up to 30 years), strong hypoxia tolerance.

Case: Study its cellular mechanism and search for human anti-cancer therapies.

Commonly used plants in experiments

pea

Purpose: Classic experiments in genetics (such as Mendelian laws of inheritance).

Advantages: Self pollination, significant differences in traits, easy to statistically analyze.

Case: Mendel proposed the law of gene segregation and free combination through pea hybridization experiments.

Arabidopsis thaliana

Purpose: Plant molecular biology, gene function research.

Advantages: Small genome size, short lifespan (about 6 weeks), and easy genetic transformation.

Case study: Investigating the flowering time gene of Arabidopsis thaliana and revealing the mechanism of plant photoperiod regulation.

corn

Purpose: Genetic and cytological research (such as chromosomal variations).

Advantages: Large chromosome size and small number (10 pairs), easy for microscopic observation.

Case: McClintock discovered "jumping genes" (transposons) through corn research.

tobacco

Purpose: Plant virology, gene editing technology validation.

Advantages: Easy to infect viruses, strong regenerative ability, suitable for transient expression experiments.

Case: Tobacco leaves were used to validate the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing.

rice

Purpose: Crop genetic improvement and stress resistance research.

Advantage: The genome of a globally important food crop has been sequenced.

Case study: Investigating salt tolerant genes in rice and cultivating salt tolerant varieties.