Researchers from the University of Gothenburg recently published novel research that investigated the presence of pain receptors in shore crabs. Medical research using animal models has saved millions of lives and continues to play a crucial role in developing treatments and vaccines as well as furthering the understanding of certain diseases. However, awareness of animal sentience and protecting animals during these experiments is extremely important. Moreover, the regulation of animal experiments is crucial for science; they can affect the quality and impact of the research. Knowledge and legislation around animal welfare in research are constantly developing, but animal sentience in some animals is still misunderstood. Decapods are currently not recognised as animals capable of animal sentience in the EU. The study recently published in the Open Access journal Biology aimed to prove that decapods can feel pain. Read more here: https://brnw.ch/21wPwtP
