Insects are ultimately as sensitive to pain as mammals

In an article published by the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society b: Biological Sciences on July 6, 2022, a group of scientists came to the conclusion that insects have a nervous system called nociception – this is a nerve ending capable of transmitting pain-generating stimulation. Therefore, small critters would feel pain, just like octopuses or octopuses.

The nervous system of insects reacts to pain

Since it is very difficult to measure the degree and the feeling of pain in an animal, and especially in a tiny insect, the scientists believe that the conclusions of this research are of great importance: ” We cannot ask insects about their feelings or observe manifestations such as grimaces or facial contortions, as we might in a dog that feels pain. Thus, the existence of neural mechanisms that could attenuate pain in insects is an important finding. “Significantly underlines the researcher Gibbons in an interview with Newsweek.

The researchers tried to find out whether or not insects had the ability to control their nociception, a factor that characterizes animals with a feeling for pain, even if the nervous system of these cute critters is much smaller than that mammals: More research is essential to understand nociceptive processes in insects “, explain the scientists.

Ethical questions

In order to check whether insects feel pain, an experiment has already been done in the past, in particular on a fruit fly. After cutting off one of his paws, researchers discovered that the injured area became hypersensitive.

This new study could raise important ethical questions, particularly on the mass breeding of insects in certain Asian countries: the United Nations recommends the massive production of insects for food. However, the ethical implications have not been thoroughly considered, as animal welfare protections tend not to cover insects. say the scientists.