…The ethical implications of these and other data on sentience are obvious because of how insects and countless other animals are used and abused in research and conservation projects because some people think it’s impossible that they are sentient beings or they casually write them off as so-called “pests.” Nonetheless, detailed data show they feel morally relevant pain.
Knowing that animals are sentient should—and must—make a difference in how we view, represent, and treat them. The details—the breadth and depth—of the Birch et al. and Gibbons et al. research set an excellent example for future comparative research on many other animals. I look forward to seeing what these studies yield about the biodiversity of sentience and I’m sure that more “surprises” will be uncovered. Who’d have thought that small-brained flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, and termites would show strong evidence of pain? In fact, they do.
American Buddhist Net 