It has long been known that insects have the ability to perceive when their body is damaged, an ability he is called Birth.
This ability in and of itself does not necessarily mean that they feel pain.
But in a new one study Researchers from Great Britain and Iran looked at returbans in the nervous system of insects. Among other things, they found several molecules that could play a role in how pain is regulated in insects.
This is one reason why they now claim that it is “quite possible” for insects to feel pain.
No one knows how many different types of insects there are in the world, but realistic estimates put it as high as 10 million. Here he is represented by a mosquito. Source: The Great Norwegian Dictionary.
Photo: Егор Камелев / Unsplash
The research was conducted by comparing previous research in the field. So there was no experiment of their own, but the researchers came up with a new conclusion based on previous studies.
If insects feel pain, we must start treating them more ethically, whether it is in breeding, keeping insects or in the laboratory, write to the researchers at press release.
The study has been reported Forsking.
Do you think insects can feel pain?
Don’t let them suffer unnecessarily
Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson is Professor of Conservation Biology at NMBU and has authored several books on insects.
She caught up with the new study, but she doesn’t think it’s a breakthrough study.
The researchers explained that this feeling of pain is just a possibility, she said.
The professor thinks it’s important to think about how we interact with other living things. Having said that, she says it’s not a crisis if you squash the annoying mosquito once in a while. But do it quickly and efficiently.
Photo: Selena Auer
It also confirms that there are significant differences between insects and that they are far from a healthy group.
I believe that insects with the best-developed central nervous system, such as honeybees, bumblebees, and stinging wasps, are also the main candidates for pain.
Honey bees belong to a group called social insects. They are the only insects in Norway that are currently protected by animal protection legislation.
Photo: Christopher Bang
Although Sverdrup-Thygeson is a little skeptical about the study, she thinks it’s important to consider:
We must treat all animals, including insects, as much as possible and not let them suffer unnecessarily.
TikTok Tips
Social media is abounding with videos with tips on how to get rid of various insects in the house.
Some show how you can remove insects without killing or harming them, while other methods are more brutal.
Sveinung Hjelmervik is one of those who shared tips of this kind.
On TikTok, he shows how he uses a matchbox to remove wasps, bumblebees, and bees without killing them. Some of the videos have received several million views.
“I think wasps benefit the environment a lot, so I thought of a good way to remove them,” he says.
– They are living creatures, so they probably feel pain, Hjelmervik thinks. Video: @sveggun/TikTok
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