Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Measurement of Lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: January 7, 2013
On statistical tests of significance in studies of survivorship in laboratory animals
Abstract:
In many studies of longevity in experimental animals, sample sizes are small enough to warrant the use of statistical tests of significance in making judgments of scientific interest. Illustrated in this paper is a nonparametric test procedure for deciding on the statistical significance of observed differences in two empirical survival functions. This procedure takes an experimenter one step beyond comparing means and medians. For experimenters who wish to pursue the subject further, a brief entry into the extensive literature on survival analysis is also provided.
Related Concept Videos
Statistical Significance
Significance Testing: Overview
Toxicity Testing in Animals
Assumptions of Survival Analysis
Comparing the Survival Analysis of Two or More Groups
Cancer Survival Analysis

