The debate around Confederate monuments and statues has some people sharing weird and wonderful statues on the internet. We may have seen it all now thanks to this bronze statue of a mouse knitting together DNA, which was unveiled in Siberia in 2013. The Monument to the Laboratory Mouse statue shows an anthropomorphic mouse – complete with clothes and glasses – knitting together a strand of DNA as a symbol of the role mice have played in medicine and understanding human DNA. This little lab mouse statue is the answer to anyone who wonders if a statue has ever enhanced its surroundings.
The lab mouse statue sits in front of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Novosibirsk. The statue was designed and commissioned to honor the role that mice have played in science. Mice have helped humans to study disease and develop medicine, among other things. The statue and surrounding park were funded by donations and cost around 1.7 million rubles ($50,000) to construct at the time. Some researchers have called the similarities between mice and humans into question, but there’s still no doubt that they have played a massive role in medicine over the years. The Monument to the Laboratory Mouse is a lovely way to say thank you to these wonderful animals and the sacrifices they have made for us.
