The nature of the transition from acute to chronic pain still eludes explanation, but chronic
pain resulting from surgery provides a natural experiment that invites clinical …

The unprecedented growth of aquaculture involves well-documented environmental and
public-health costs, but less is understood about global animal welfare risks. Integrating data …

We outline a framework for evaluating scientific evidence of sentience, focusing on pain
experience. It includes eight neural and cognitive-behavioural criteria, with confidence …

Birch and colleagues have developed an important and useful framework for evaluating the
evidence for sentience–namely, the capacity to experience pain, distress and suffering, in …

A new theory about the origins of consciousness that finds learning to be the driving force in
the evolutionary transition to basic consciousness. What marked the evolutionary transition …

Behavioural studies are of great importance in increasing our understanding and
appreciation of human and nonhuman animals. In addition to providing knowledge about …

In debates about animal sentience, the precautionary principle is often invoked. The idea is
that when the evidence of sentience is inconclusive, we should “give the animal the benefit …

The study of diverse animal groups allows us to discern the evolution of the neurobiology of
nociception. Nociception functions as an important alarm system alerting the individual to …

Human beings frequently attribute anthropomorphic features, motivations and behaviors to
animals, artifacts, and natural phenomena. Historically, many interpretations of this attitude …

Invertebrate animals are frequently lumped into a single category and denied welfare
protections despite their considerable cognitive, behavioral, and evolutionary diversity …