Don’t reach for the bug spray: crickets stroke a sore antenna, as cues suggest insects feel pain
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
The behavioural cue of ‘flexible self-protection’ is a way to establish whether an animal feels pain, scientists say Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Do insects feel pain? Crickets certainly seem to, according to new research which finds they stroke and groom a sore antenna in much the same way as a dog nurses its hurt paw.Associate Prof Thomas White, an entomologist from the University of Sydney, said the experience of pain was a “longer, drawn-out, ouchy feeling”, that differed from a hardwired nerve response.Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...