Japanese 'Frankenwhale' Experiments Slammed

Scientists have reviewed the research Japan uses to justify hunting whales, and they've concluded that it is mostly useless—and very weird, Sydney's Daily Telegraph reports.   Researchers tried to fertilize cow and pig eggs with whale sperm, and to create test-tube whales from frozen sperm.  "It's totally esoteric, very strange research," an Australian scientist said.

He also noted that Japanese researchers had only  43 papers to show for 18 years and 7,000 slaughtered whales. Australian delegates to this weekend's meeting of the International Whaling Commission in London will make the case that the "scientific research" loophole in the ban on commercial whaling, which allows Japan to hunt, should be closed. (More Japanese whale hunt stories.)