The intersection of animal ethics and scientific research is a well-debated subject. Whether this discussion is about if animals should be used for scientific research or trying to understand what animals feel and think, there are varying opinions on where to drawn the line and what a non-human life is worth.

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The use of animals in research is traced back to the Greeks, Arabs and Romans. Animals were dissected in order to analyze their anatomy, but live animals were also used in experiments. Early physicians tested surgical procedures on animals. Since anesthetics were not discovered until later on, the animal subjects were put through the pain of these early experiments.

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Certain organisms are used as “model organisms,” meaning they are certain non-human species used in the laboratory that have been widely studied. Generally, these organisms are easy to breed and maintain in a laboratory setting, have short generations and breed in large numbers. Mice, fruit flies and zebrafish are common model organisms. Since these organisms are widely studied, whatever is being tested for is easier to measure.

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Currently the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) controls the use of animals in experimentation, which mostly includes the testing of drugs and cosmetics on animals. The FDA reports that they do not require animal testing for a drug or cosmetic to be approved, but there is a system through which these products are tested that may include the use of animal subjects. There are guidelines set by the FDA that promote the welfare of animals and advocate for the least amount of animals used for the maximum amount of useful scientific information to be garnered from testing.

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The FDA stopped testing on chimpanzees after the National Institutes of Health announced in 2015 that it would no longer support research on chimpanzees. The chimps were all retired to animal sanctuaries. This decision was made because of a usefulness study done in 2013 and because chimps are classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Although chimps are no longer tested on, other primate studies have continued.

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On Friday, the FDA ended a study investigating nicotine addiction after the death of four squirrel monkeys. An independent investigator is examining the agency’s animal research programs, starting with the center in Arkansas where the squirrel monkeys were.

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“It is clear the study was not consistent with the agency’s high animal welfare standards,” said Dr. Scott Gottlib, the FDA’s commissioner, in a statement, according to the New York Times. “These findings indicate that FDA’s animal program may need to be strengthened in some important areas.” The monkeys were able to get a dose of nicotine by pressing a bar, and once they were addicted the scientists lowered the doses to observe the effects. There were originally twenty-four monkeys, but three died from anesthesia and one from gastric bloat.

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Three major German carmakers recently received backlash from animal rights activists and negative media coverage after using monkeys to test the health effects of diesel exhaust. The research intended to display how modern diesel technology had solved the excessive emissions problem linked to health issues and premature death. The experiments were done in 2014, where the monkeys were exposed to exhaust from a Volkswagen and a Ford for four hours. After this, lung tissue samples were taken and checked for inflammation. Although the research did not kill the monkeys, it is not known what happened to them.

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In a more extreme decision compared to other animal protections, earlier this month the Swiss government made it illegal to boil lobsters and other crustaceans alive. The decision came after research suggested that lobsters feel pain. Instead of being boiled, a quicker method of death, such as stunning, should be used.

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“There’s no absolute proof, but you keep running experiments and almost everything I look at came out consistent with the idea of pain in these animals,” said Robert Elwood, professor emeritus of animal behavior at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, according to the New York Times. “There should be a more humane approach with lobsters.”

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Comparatively, there are many difference laws protecting domesticated animals, such as cats and dogs, but significantly fewer that protect animals intended for food or research. In 2016, the FBI added animal cruelty to the list of Class A felonies. This is broken into four categories, including neglect, intentional abuse and torture, organized abuse, and sexual abuse. People who are convicted are entered into a federal database.

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The rights of animals is still evolving, especially because there are varying ways that research regarding animal sentience is interpreted. There are also differing opinions for how non-humans should be treated. With increased research technology, whether that be measuring intelligence or using a fake specimen for dissections, the protections for animals are continuing to become stricter.