What Is It Like to Be a Bass? Red Herrings, Fish Pain and the Study of Animal Sentience

Frontiers in Veterinary Science, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 9

Опубликована: Апрель 27, 2022

Debates around fishes' ability to feel pain concern sentience : do reactions tissue damage indicate evaluative consciousness (conscious affect), or mere nociception? Thanks Braithwaite's research leadership, and concerns that current practices could compromise welfare in countless fish, this issue's importance is beyond dispute. However, nociceptors are merely necessary, not sufficient, for true pain, many measures held have the same problem. The question of whether fish – indeed anything at all therefore stimulates sometimes polarized debate. Here, we try bridge divide. After reviewing key concepts, identify “red herring” should be used infer because also present non-sentient organisms, notably those lacking nervous systems, like plants protozoa (P); spines disconnected from brains (S); decerebrate mammals birds (D); humans unaware states (U). These “S.P.U.D. subjects” can show approach/withdrawal; react with apparent emotion; change their reactivity food deprivation analgesia; discriminate between stimuli; display Pavlovian learning, including some forms trace conditioning; even learn simple instrumental responses. Consequently, none these responses good indicators sentience. Potentially more valid aspects working memory, operant conditioning, self-report state, higher order cognition. We suggest new experiments on test hypotheses, as well modifications tests “mental time travel” self-awareness (e.g., mirror self-recognition) allow now probe (since currently they reflect perceptual rather than evaluative, affective consciousness). Because “bullet-proof” neurological behavioral thus still lacking, agnosticism about remains widespread. To end, address how balance such doubts protection, discussing raised by skeptics Overall, celebrate rigorous evidential standards required unconvinced sentient; laud compassion ethical rigor shown advocating protections; seek precautionary principles support protecting physical harm.

Язык: Английский

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Anaesthetics stop diverse plant organ movements, affect endocytic vesicle recycling and ROS homeostasis, and block action potentials in Venus flytraps

Annals of Botany, Год журнала: 2017, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Окт. 17, 2017

Anaesthesia for medical purposes was introduced in the 19th century. However, physiological mode of anaesthetic drug actions on nervous system remains unclear. One remaining questions is how these different compounds, with no structural similarities and even chemically inert elements such as noble gas xenon, act agents inducing loss consciousness. The main goal here to determine if anaesthetics affect same or similar processes plants animals humans.

Язык: Английский

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Are plants sentient?

Plant Cell & Environment, Год журнала: 2017, Номер 40(11), С. 2858 - 2869

Опубликована: Сен. 6, 2017

Feelings in humans are mental states representing groups of physiological functions that usually have defined behavioural purposes. Feelings, being evolutionarily ancient, thought to be coordinated the brain stem animals. One function is prioritise between competing and, thus, and turn behaviour. Plants use activities deal with environmental situations but currently no known state any order response. do a nervous system based on action potentials transmitted along phloem conduits which addition, through anastomoses other cross-links, forms complex network. The emergent potential for this excitable network form unknown, it might used distinguish different even contradictory signals individual plant thus determine priority This stretches throughout whole providing assessment all parts commensurate its self-organising, phenotypically plastic Plasticity may, turn, depend heavily instructive capabilities local bioelectric fields enabling both degree independence influenced by condition plant.

Язык: Английский

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Debunking a myth: plant consciousness

PROTOPLASMA, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 258(3), С. 459 - 476

Опубликована: Ноя. 16, 2020

Claims that plants have conscious experiences increased in recent years and received wide coverage, from the popular media to scientific journals. Such claims are misleading potential misdirect funding governmental policy decisions. After defining basic, primary consciousness, we provide new arguments against 12 core made by proponents of plant consciousness. Three important conclusions our study (1) not been shown perform proactive, anticipatory behaviors associated with but only sense follow stimulus trails reactively; (2) electrophysiological signaling serves immediate physiological functions rather than integrative-information processing as nervous systems animals, giving no indication consciousness; (3) controversial claim classical Pavlovian learning plants, even if correct, is irrelevant because this type does require Finally, present own hypothesis, based on two logical assumptions, concerning which organisms possess Our first assumption affective (emotional) consciousness marked an advanced capacity for operant about rewards punishments. second image-based experience demonstrably mapped representations external environment within body. Certain animals fit both these criteria, neither. We conclude highly speculative lack sound support.

Язык: Английский

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How to Study Animal Minds

Опубликована: Июнь 16, 2020

Comparative psychology, the multidisciplinary study of animal behavior and confronts challenge how to animals we find cute easy anthropomorphize, odd objectify, without letting these biases negatively impact science. In this Element, Kristin Andrews identifies critically examines principles comparative psychology shows they can introduce other by objectifying subjects encouraging scientists remain detached. outlines scientific benefits treating as sentient research participants who come from their own social contexts with whom will be in relationship. With discussions science's quest for objectivity, worries about romantic killjoy theories, debates chimpanzee cognition between primatologists work field those lab, address different through greater integration subdisciplines psychology.

Язык: Английский

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Extended cognition in plants: is it possible?

Plant Signaling & Behavior, Год журнала: 2020, Номер 15(2), С. 1710661 - 1710661

Опубликована: Янв. 3, 2020

Plants do not possess brains or neurons. However, they present astonishingly complex behaviors such as information acquisition, memory, learning, decision making, etc., which helps these sessile organisms deal with their ever-changing environments. As a consequence, have been proposed to be cognitive and intelligent, an idea is becoming increasingly accepted. how plant cognition could operate without nervous central system remains poorly understood new insights on this topic are urgently needed. According the Extended Cognition hypothesis, may also occur beyond limits of body, encompassing objects from environment. This was shown possible in humans spiders, who actively manipulate external environment extend capacity. Here, we propose that extended found plants partly explain complexity behavior. We suggest can abilities through root influence zone mycorrhizal fungi associate them. The possibility process involving different kingdoms exciting worthwhile exploring it provide key into origin evolution cognition.

Язык: Английский

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Reconsidering the evidence for learning in single cells

eLife, Год журнала: 2021, Номер 10

Опубликована: Янв. 4, 2021

The question of whether single cells can learn led to much debate in the early 20th century. view prevailed that they were capable non-associative learning but not associative learning, such as Pavlovian conditioning. Experiments indicating contrary considered either non-reproducible or subject more acceptable interpretations. Recent developments suggest time is right reconsider this consensus. We exhume experiments Beatrice Gelber on conditioning ciliate Paramecium aurelia, and criticisms her findings now be reinterpreted. was a remarkable scientist whose absence from historical record testifies prevailing orthodoxy cannot learn. Her work, recent studies, may evolutionarily widespread fundamental life than previously thought we discuss implications for different aspects biology.

Язык: Английский

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Mechanical stress acclimation in plants: Linking hormones and somatic memory to thigmomorphogenesis

Plant Cell & Environment, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 45(4), С. 989 - 1010

Опубликована: Янв. 5, 2022

Abstract A single event of mechanical stimulation is perceived by mechanoreceptors that transduce rapid transient signalling to regulate gene expression. Prolonged stress for days weeks culminates in cellular changes strengthen the plant architecture leading thigmomorphogenesis. The convergence multiple pathways regulates mechanically induced tolerance numerous biotic and abiotic stresses. Emerging evidence showed prolonged can modify baseline level expression naive tissues, heighten expression, prime disease resistance upon a subsequent pathogen encounter. phenotypes thigmomorphogenesis persist throughout growth without continued stimulation, revealing somatic‐stress memory. Epigenetic processes TOUCH could program transcriptional memory differentiating cells We discuss early perception, regulatory phytohormone facilitate acclimation Arabidopsis other species. provide insights regarding: (1) mechanisms or events stress, (2) how confers induce cross‐acclimation future (3) why might resemble an epigenetic phenomenon. Deeper knowledge programs somatic primes defence transform solutions improve agricultural sustainability stressful environments.

Язык: Английский

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Sensitivity and specificity in affective and social learning in adolescence

Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 27(7), С. 642 - 655

Опубликована: Май 16, 2023

Adolescence is a period of heightened affective and social sensitivity. In this review we address how increased sensitivity influences associative learning. Based on recent evidence from human rodent studies, as well advances in computational biology, suggest that, compared to other age groups, adolescents show features Pavlovian learning but tend perform worse than adults at instrumental Because does not involve decision-making, whereas does, propose that these developmental differences might be due rewards threats adolescence, coupled with lower specificity responding. We discuss the implications findings for adolescent mental health education.

Язык: Английский

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Leveraging Morphological Computation for Controlling Soft Robots: Learning from Nature to Control Soft Robots

IEEE Control Systems, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 43(3), С. 114 - 129

Опубликована: Май 25, 2023

Traditional robot designs typically employ rigid body parts and high-torque servo motors. This helps to obtain simple reproducible models and, therefore, facilitate control. Soft robotics is a new research field that deliberately expands the design toolbox wide range of smart often, soft materials. approach generally inspired by remarkable performance biological systems, which use structures interact successfully with noisy hard-to-model environments as result, outperform state-of-the-art robots in open-world scenarios. However, using bodies comes significant disadvantage. materials often have complex nonlinear dynamics, makes them hard model therefore difficult To fulfill potential achieve performances close this control problem has be solved. A promising solution another bioinspired principle called morphological computation, proposes outsource functionality directly morphology. From point view, seemingly undesired dynamics become resource for implementing functionalities. extends question how morphology robot. While there exist proofs concept demonstrate approach, existing work (for most part) lacking mathematical rigor general framework. We believe community right set tools support development framework computation. The goal article (see "Summary") provide an introduction concepts explain they can together, (with help examples) illustrate their hope inspire members develop novel frameworks next generation robots.

Язык: Английский

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