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Insect Welfare Research Society

@insectwrs.bsky.social
786 followers 603 following 94 posts

Connecting the global community of insect welfare researchers and stakeholders.

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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 5h
In a June @currentbiology.bsky.social study, three octopuses learned to locate a virtual crab visible only as a mirror reflection, choosing the correct side in 73% of trials. The authors report this as the first evidence of mirror-mediated localization of hidden objects in an invertebrate.
cell.com
Octopus bimaculoides can learn to utilize a mirror to localize a reward outside the line of sight
Kieseler et al. show that three Octopus bimaculoides learned to move to a reward site using a mirror. Octopuses climbing the start-chamber wall indicates integration of spatial mapping of mirror cues ...
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Looking for a qualified reviewer with expertise in invertebrate welfare? Organizing a workshop or conference? Our public membership directory is the only resource of its kind—a searchable list of experts and collaborators working in this quickly growing field. #insectwelfare #entomology
insectwelfare.com
Member Directory — Insect Welfare Research Society
Research, networks, community
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We farm more flies in a day than cows in a year. Why? On Oct 21, Meghan Barrett joins @biologicalrecording.co.uk to explore what flies offer sustainable agriculture, how the industry farms them at different scales, and research on farming flies ethically and economically. bit.ly/4iKj2th
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
@fairerfields.bsky.social is hiring a Research Fellow (1 year) to explore interventions in pollination and honey production that could improve managed honey bee welfare, with a path to a permanent role leading the work. 🐝 📍 Remote, US (DC preferred) 💰 $79K–$92K fairerfields.org/careers/2026...
fairerfields.org
Research Fellow — Managed Honey Bees – Fairer Fields
Fairer Fields is a new organization that works to make agriculture more humane for all by accelerating better agricultural practices for animals, people, and the world. We are currently:…
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
@the-hsa.bsky.social's upcoming conference in Newcastle will explore humane slaughter across a range of animals, including invertebrates. Topics will include consciousness, pain, and practical welfare improvements during killing and transport.
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Royal Entomological Society @royentsoc.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
🐞 A huge thank you to everyone who joined the two #InsectWelfare Workshops at #Ento26! Special thanks to @insectwrs.bsky.social, Dr Meghan Barrett, Dr Bob Fischer, Dr Jess Stokes & Lee Johnson @harperadamsuni.bsky.social for sharing their expertise for these important discussions. buff.ly/V91iFpd
royensoc.co.uk
https://www.royensoc.co.uk/insect-welfare-and-best-practices/
Interest in insect welfare continues to grow, and the conversation doesn't stop at Ento26. From our upcoming Insects as Food & Feed Conference to other events, collaborations and new CPD opportunities currently in development from the RES, there are plenty of ways to stay involved in insect science and welfare 🪰 Watch this space!
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Are you a grad student working on invertebrate sentience or welfare? Our Student Research Awards are now open! Two $2,000 awards will be available. Apply by October 31!
insectwelfare.com
Student Research Awards — Insect Welfare Research Society
Purpose: The Insect Welfare Research Society aims to encourage graduate student scholars engaging in evidence-based, theoretically-grounded research on any aspect of insect or understudied…
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Thank you to @royentsoc.bsky.social for hosting #Ento26, and to everyone who stopped by our table in Cardiff to talk insect welfare! 🐛
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Join our workshop at #Ento26! We're building a searchable, open-access database of husbandry protocols for arthropod populations managed for research. It's a hands-on session: explore the protocols, add species we're missing, and help us make the database more useful for people who'll depend on it.
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Dr Heather Browning (Veit) @zoophilosophy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Always great to see more research on the welfare of captive invertebrates - here the very pretty Flamboyant Flower Beetle doi.org/10.1002/zoo....
doi.org
Effects of Sex and Substrate Type on the Inversion Risk and Righting Behavior of Flamboyant Flower Beetles (Eudicella gralli): Implications for Habitat Design and Beetle Welfare
This study highlights the importance of substrate selection in mitigating inversion risk and promoting righting behavior in scarab beetles. We recommend a heterogeneous substrate composition incorpor...
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Emily Gilford @emilygilford.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Thank you again to @insectwrs.bsky.social and @asab.org for their support in helping me to attend this conference to share my work, but more importantly, learn from experts in the field! 🐝
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
ICYMI: Kate Lynch and Tom White (University of Sydney) tackled pain and flexible behavior across taxa, including invertebrates, in our last seminar. Now on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/ZEEo_SbL4xM
youtu.be
Pain and Flexible Behaviour
Kate Lynch | Senior Lecturer in History and Philosophy in Science Thomas White | Associate Professor University of Sydney One way to make inferences about animal sentience is through behaviour. Pain…
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
The progressive authorization of insect-based foods under the EU's novel food framework is significant and underexamined. This article, published in the European Journal of Risk Regulation, explores its regulatory complexities and potential welfare implications.
cambridge.org
What Counts as Uncertainty? Insect Welfare, Epistemic Closure and the Structural Limits of EU Novel Food Risk Assessment | European Journal of Risk Regulation | Cambridge Core
What Counts as Uncertainty? Insect Welfare, Epistemic Closure and the Structural Limits of EU Novel Food Risk Assessment
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Deadline this Saturday (Aug 15)! If you're doing work relevant to invertebrate welfare indicators, submit an abstract. 👇
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ASAB @asab.org · 24/07/2026
🦗Crickets! 🔊Vibrational stimuli! 🚧Sensitization! 👥 Individual variation! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Trait-specific responses to repeated stressor exposure reveal context-dependent learning in wild crickets” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123607
Screenshot of article: 
Animal Behaviour Volume 237, July 2026, 123607 
Trait-specific responses to repeated stressor exposure reveal context-dependent learning in wild crickets 
Emily Gilford, Ruonan Li, Rolando Rodríguez-Muñoz, Tom Tregenza, Bram Kuijper
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
A new survey finds that just over half of responding UK research institutions require some form of ethics review for research involving insects. Most entomologists also reported that ethics review either improved or had no effect on research quality. Learn more from @royentsoc.bsky.social!
royensoc.co.uk
Understanding Ethics Review for Insect Research in the UK - Journal Highlight - Royal Entomological Society
Published: 02 July 2026. Insects play an essential and diverse role in research. They are used to study ecology, behaviour, evolution, agriculture, animal health, human health and emerging food system...
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Looking forward to #Ento26!
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RES Publications @respublications.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
New work by @jess-stokes.bsky.social, B. Fischer & @beebytes.bsky.social in #RESEcolEnt presents an #ethics review for insect research in the UK, evaluating patterns, drivers and perceived impact on research quality and process. Learn more about this important subject ⬇️ doi.org/10.1111/een.70117
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
How should entomologists put the 3Rs—replacement, reduction, and refinement—into practice? @royentsoc.bsky.social's Insect Welfare and Best Practice video series, presented by @jess-stokes.bsky.social, is a guide for researchers and ethics reviewers. Watch: insectwelfare.com/videos
insectwelfare.com
3Rs Best Practice Videos — Insect Welfare Research Society
The Royal Entomological Society’s Insect Welfare and Best Practice video series covers the rise of insect ethics review in the UK, the scientific, institutional, and ethical considerations behind it,…
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
This @theguardian.com piece covers a new PNAS study finding bumblebees make "liking" and "disliking" faces—extending their tongue after a sweet drink, wiping their mouths at salt or quinine.
theguardian.com
Do bees have inner lives? Slow-motion video reveals bumblebee behaviour similar to ‘liking’ or ‘disliking’
Bees respond to tasty treats or plain water based on context, a study that may provide support for establishing insect sentience shows
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
This editorial in @nature.com makes the case that cephalopods deserve higher welfare standards in research, and digs into the history of the vertebrate-invertebrate dividing line introduced by the world's first law on animal experimentation in 1876. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Cephalopods deserve higher welfare standards in research
These highly sentient creatures have weak protections for their well-being. That must change.
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
The University of Lincoln is recruiting for a funded two-year MPhil who will develop, test, and validate behavioral and physiological indicators of wild insect welfare, in the lab and in the field. The stipend is £20,780/year plus home fees. Applications close August 2. Open to UK students.
us.list-manage.com
Developing, Testing and Validating Indicators of Wild Insect Welfare at University of Lincoln on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Developing, Testing and Validating Indicators of Wild Insect Welfare at University of Lincoln, listed on FindAPhD.com
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
In zoos, feeder animals like mice, fish, and invertebrates often outnumber the animals on exhibit. Guidelines for their care are brief and rarely species-specific. O'Brien, Fischer & Barrett on addressing feeder animal welfare, in Zoo Biology: doi.org/10.1002/zoo....
doi.org
Beyond the Exhibit: Addressing the Welfare of Feeder Animals in Zoological Institutions
Enhancing the Welfare of Feeder Animals in Zoos.
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Arthropoda Foundation @arthropodafound.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Only one month left to submit an EOI to our current call for proposals! We’re excited to fund your insect welfare projects! 🐛🐜🐝
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Royal Entomological Society @royentsoc.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Want to stay up to date with the latest in #InsectScience? From research and policy to outreach and education, our newsletters bring it all straight to your inbox. 📬 Subscribe to one (or all) and stay connected 🔽
buff.ly
RES Newsletter & Email Updates - Royal Entomological Society
We aim to send you occasional updates about how we are enriching the world with insect science, and how you can be involved. We hope you enjoy them. We have four e-newsletters – one for supporters,…
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
We're launching a one-day workshop at Newcastle University on an important topic at the frontier of animal welfare science: "Validating Welfare Indicators in Invertebrates." Co-hosted with @newcastleuni.bsky.social and @arthropodafound.bsky.social Abstracts will be accepted through August 15:
arthropoda.org
Workshop on Validating Welfare Indicators in Invertebrates
Please send your abstract by August 15
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
In case you missed our June seminar with Jesi Gibbs on nociceptive integration in snapping shrimp, the recording is now available on our YouTube channel! youtu.be/6HQto4r6ew0
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Dr Heather Browning (Veit) @zoophilosophy.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Adding to the case for insect sentience - new research shows flexible self-protective behaviour in injured crickets doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
doi.org
Flexible self-protection as evidence of pain-like states in house crickets
Abstract. The possibility that insects experience pain is a frontier question at the intersection of behaviour, cognition and philosophy of mind. Interest
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Fascinating open-access paper on how insects respond to repeated stress in the wild.
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Honey bees are managed by humans and vital to agriculture—yet they sit outside the welfare laws covering farmed animals in the EU and Poland. A new review maps this gap and asks how Five Domains and One Welfare apply to the colony as a superorganism.
doi.org
Welfare of the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera): Legal, Biological and Practical Perspectives
Authors: Jarosław Sobolewski, Jagoda Jeleniewska, Roman Kołacz
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Roving House @rovinghouse.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
If you’re at the European Congress of Entomology in Tours, France come say hello and grab a pin from us and a pamphlet for the @insectwrs.bsky.social
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
It's #InsectWeek! 🐞 Explore @royentsoc.bsky.social events and resources to learn more about insects and their astonishing abilities—from parental behavior in beetles to moths that interfere with bat echolocation! #StandTallForTheSmall
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Royal Entomological Society @royentsoc.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Check out RES Publications on Bluesky! 📚 Follow @respublications.bsky.social to stay updated on the latest research published in our seven #entomology journals, info on new additions to our book & handbooks, sneak peeks into our members exclusive magazine, #Antenna and more 🔽 📖 buff.ly/4hatyX9
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Our next research seminar explores behavioral and neurochemical evidence of nociceptive integration in a snapping shrimp (Alpheus angulosus), supporting the hypothesis that a shrimp species may experience pain. Join us June 23 with Jesi Gibbs (M.S. in Marine Biology, College of Charleston).
insectwelfare.us9.list-manage.com
Beyond reflex: Behavioral and neurochemical evidence of nociceptive integration in shrimp
Featuring Jesi Gibbs, M.S. in Marine Biology, College of Charleston
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Royal Entomological Society @royentsoc.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
📢 Approaches in Entomology, our new #OpenAccess journal, is now open for submissions! 🎉 It will publish innovative and exciting advances to methods and techniques, including ethics and philosophies, across the breadth of entomology 🔬 Submit your research 🔽 buff.ly/PfF2l49
buff.ly
Call for Papers!
RES Members and Fellows get a 20% discount on the APC! Visit our journals page for info.
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Many congrats to @larschittka.bsky.social for this honor from @royalsociety.org!
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Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Bumble bees can apparently play with balls, count, recognize faces, & perceive rhythm. A new study out today in @science.org argues they can also solve novel tasks spontaneously without explicit training, challenging the idea that such cognitive skills are exclusive to large-brained vertebrates.😲🐝🧪👇
science.org
Spontaneous problem-solving in bumble bees
Problem-solving using novel solutions without explicit training is often considered a hallmark of cognitive flexibility. We investigated whether bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) could solve a novel obj...
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
There's an exciting new venue for insect welfare research! @royentsoc.bsky.social and @wileyonlinelibrary.bsky.social have launched Approaches in Entomology: Methods, Philosophies, and Ethics. Submissions open soon!
bit.ly
Approaches in Entomology: Methods, Philosophies, and Ethics
Approaches in Entomology: Methods, Philosophies, and Ethics is a Royal Entomological Society journal dedicated to advancing insect science, and entomological research methods and philosophies.
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
New in @jexpbiol.bsky.social: bumblebees quickly learn to avoid flower colors paired with electric shock or salty water. But the memories don't fade equally—bees hold onto the shock association longer. This suggests they may treat a potentially harmful cue differently from a merely unpleasant one.
doi.org
Aversive memory and extinction learning for noxious stimuli and aversive tastants in bumblebees
Summary: Bumblebees rapidly learn to avoid aversive stimuli and remain flexible when an unpleasant taste is used as reinforcer, but a nociceptive stimulus reinforces avoidance behaviour such that beha...
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
An exciting job opportunity with @arthropodafound.bsky.social to help shape the field of invertebrate welfare!
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Arthropoda Foundation @arthropodafound.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Calling all insect researchers! 🪲 Our 2026 RFP is open. We're funding empirical work on farmed insect welfare—humane slaughter, stocking density, welfare indicators, husbandry SOPs, and more. Grants up to $10K ($50K for exceptional cases). EOIs due Aug 15 → arthropoda.org/call-for-proposals
arthropoda.org
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Does producing shrimp on certified farms improve their welfare? Join us next Tuesday, May 19.
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
A new @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social Forum piece reviews "valuation illusions" in insects—perceptual and cognitive biases (risk aversion, decoy effects, incentive contrasts) that cause decisions to deviate from economic rationality, much as in humans and other vertebrates. @tomerczaczkes.bsky.social
cell.com
Valuation illusions in insects
Many animal choices are economic, requiring the evaluation of costs and benefits. However, as in humans and other vertebrates, the behaviour of insects often deviates from economic rationality due to…
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The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience @lseanimalsentience.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Recognition of octopus sentience is increasingly reflected in public discussion, alongside emerging global policy efforts to restrict or ban octopus farming
psychologytoday.com
Love Eating Octopus? You Might Want to Read This First
The octopus on your plate can feel pain, delay gratification, and probably outthink a toddler. Just something to consider before you order.
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
The IWRS is pleased to announce its new Travel Grants! We provide up to $1,000 USD for students and early-career researchers presenting invertebrate welfare work at conferences. Applications are considered on a rolling basis. Learn more and apply:
insectwelfare.com
Travel Grants — Insect Welfare Research Society
IWRS travel grants support students and early-career researchers presenting invertebrate welfare and sentience science at prominent conferences and events in entomology, animal behavior, animal…
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Philosophy of Animal Minds and Behavior Association @pamba.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Wondering when the next Philosophy of Animal Minds and Behavior Association meeting will be? PAMBA 2027 will be at the University of Warwick on April 27-29, 2027. Confirmed keynotes: Steve Butterfill, Marta Halina, Susana Monsó @martahalina.bsky.social @susanamonso.com Stay tuned for CFP!
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
A new Scientific Reports study finds painkillers reduce Norway lobsters' behavioral responses to electric shocks. The study adds to evidence that decapods may experience pain, and has implications for slaughter and laboratory use. bit.ly/3OQn9Yf @ekasiouras.bsky.social @lynneusneddon.bsky.social
gu.se
Painkillers prevent pain responses in Norway lobsters
Common human painkillers also work on Norway lobsters, according to research from the University of Gothenburg. This is further evidence that crustaceans may feel pain and that more humane methods of…
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Roving House @rovinghouse.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
If you’re at the #riverside #insect fair, come say hi and grab an information sheet on living with insect from, @insectwrs.bsky.social #bugs #entomology #art #enamelpins
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
A new study in Science demonstrates flexible rhythm perception in bumble bees for the first time—an ability previously documented only in some mammals and birds.
bit.ly
Bumble bees show a surprising knack for rhythm
Flexible rhythm perception, once thought to require a big brain, has been shown in humble bumble bees
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Insect Welfare Research Society @insectwrs.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Fascinating new open-access paper from @zoophilosophy.bsky.social argues for mapping species-specific "affect profiles"—moving beyond pain as the default proxy for animal sentience.
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