Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → Biology

Insects may feel pain after all, and may be more sentient than we thought

We do a lot of bad things to insects, and we shrug it off by thinking insects don't feel any pain. But that may not be true.

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
January 12, 2023
in Biology

Figuring out whether an animal feels pain or not is a pretty difficult task. You can’t exactly go and ask them, and judging by their reactions also isn’t clear. Most animals (if not all) exhibit something called nociception — a physical reaction to harm that is useful (it helps the animal avoid what is harmful) — but this is not exactly pain per se.

Until not very long ago, it was thought that only humans and some mammals can feel pain. Increasingly, though, researchers found out that way more animals can feel pain. Fish are one good example: for a long time, we thought fish couldn’t feel pain, but research has shown that that’s not really the case. Now, it’s time for the insects to go under the magnifying glass.

Image credits: Jenny Chambers.

Behaviorally, insects are very tough to study. They’re small, it’s hard to communicate with them, and they’re nothing like us. But a team of researchers found that insects do respond to very severe physical damage, like when one of their legs is cut, for instance. But this doesn’t really say anything about whether this response is nociception or actual pain. So far, nothing new.

To look at the matter more deeply, the team started straight from the source: the insects’ nervous systems. They started by drawing comparisons with humans. When humans undergo an emergency (say, a car crash), they may be injured and not even realize it until much later. This is because sometimes, in an emergency, the brain produces opiates that hijack the brain and prevent it from feeling pain.

Insects don’t really produce opiates, but they produce neuropeptides, which are substances that serve a similar purpose. Researchers found that when insects were exposed to physical trauma, they seem to produce neuropeptides, mimicking how humans and other vertebrates produce opiates, which is possible evidence of them feeling pain.

This isn’t the first time researchers have found evidence of feeling pain. In 2019, one study showed that insects can experience chronic pain and, increasingly, evidence is mounting that insects may be more sentient than we thought.

Ultimately, the researchers argue that while more research is needed to investigate this, there are striking similarities between how vertebrates and insects react to pain. But studying this in more detail brings up a new challenge: if insects can feel pain, then there are ethical considerations as to how you can study and inflict that pain on them.

Journal Reference: Matilda Gibbons et al, Descending control of nociception in insects?, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2022). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0599

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. Experiment shows that crabs and lobsters feel pain, suggests we don’t really understand animal pain
  2. Men and women feel pain differently — and this study may finally explain why
  3. UK formally recognizes animals as “sentient beings”, rolling out new protection for pets and wild animals
  4. Lobsters, octopuses and crabs recognized as “sentient” in the UK
  5. Pain impairs our ability to feel pleasure — and now we know why and how
Tags: insectsnociceptionpain

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW