Scientists push new paradigm of animal consciousness, saying even insects may be sentient - Lemmy.World

Far more animals than previously thought likely have consciousness, top scientists say in a new declaration — including fish, lobsters and octopus. Bees play by rolling wooden balls — apparently for fun [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347222002366]. The cleaner wrasse fish appears to recognize its own visage in an underwater mirror [https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3000021]. Octopuses seem to react to anesthetic drugs [https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(21)00197-8?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2589004221001978%3Fshowall%3Dtrue] and will avoid settings where they likely experienced past pain.  All three of these discoveries came in the last five years — indications that the more scientists test animals, the more they find that many species may have inner lives and be sentient. A surprising range of creatures have shown evidence of conscious thought or experience, including insects, fish and some crustaceans.  That has prompted a group of top researchers on animal cognition to publish a new pronouncement that they hope will transform how scientists and society view — and care — for animals.  Nearly 40 researchers signed “The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness [https://sites.google.com/nyu.edu/nydeclaration/declaration],” which was first presented at a conference at New York University on Friday morning. It marks a pivotal moment, as a flood of research on animal cognition collides with debates over how various species ought to be treated.