WBI Studies Repository (WellBeing International)
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A Circular Economy and “Feel Better”
Get PDFPlanetary boundaries are being exceeded. How do we convert to a circular economic system and planetary sustainability
Donald Griffin, sentience, and animal research ethics
Get PDFRecollection of early encounters with Donald Griffin’s pioneering work on animal awareness, provoking intense, often hostile academic responses, later forgotten
Communication in noise is the window on cognition
Get PDFAs Griffin surmised, communication is the window on cognition, but as shown here, only if it is noisy. This commentary is an invitation to consider the full implications of the evolution of noisy communication. A combination of Information Theory, Signal Detection Theory, and Natural Selection, in a unified theory of the evolution of communication, reveals that noise is inevitable. All organisms are thus decision makers. Perception, thought, freedom of decision, self-awareness, metabolism, and natural selection all share the consequences of signals in noise. A full understanding of each requires attention to the errors of receivers. Griffin’s hunch is correct with one emendation: it is noisy communication that provides the window on cognition
https://faunalytics.org/what-vegan-advocates-can-learn-from-the-social-spread-of-quitting-smoking/
Get PDFAnyone who has been vegan for a while has likely seen how their diet and lifestyle can influence or spread to those around them. Yet if each vegan was able to create two new vegans, we would have likely seen more significant shifts in the rates of veganism (Our World In Data, 2022) in recent decades. This illustrates the difficulties of understanding social contagion—the process of information (including attitudes or behaviors) spreading throughout a group—especially in relation to veganism. By understanding social contagion better, advocates can improve their diet change outreach, possibly by mastering the art of “vegan contagion.” The spread of veg*nism hasn’t been formally studied as of yet, but this study reflects on a similar behavior change that has been commonly studied: quitting smoking. With this literature review, we examined peer influences on quitting smoking with the goal of generating hypotheses about peer-to-peer influence on veg*nism. We believe these findings will be beneficial for both advocates working on diet change or animal product reduction as well as researchers looking to study the social contagion of veg*nism
Branching Out: Examining Plant Cognition and Sentience
No full textNew research on plant behavior and communication raises questions about plant awareness and sentience
Healthy Brains, Scientific Innovation and The Endless Frontier
Get PDFScientific research continues to deliver benefits for people, animals, and the environment
Nature Restoration and Rewilding
Get PDFThe European Union\u27s new law provides a clear example of how controversial the restoration of nature or rewilding can be
Why Someone Might See the Ghost of a Pet
No full textDescriptions of encounters with deceased family members are found across cultures and over historical time. A recent study described subjective paranormal experiences with dead pets among 544 bereaved dog owners. These ghostly encounters took many forms and were almost always viewed as positive experiences. These paranormal experiences may help pet lovers deal with disenfranchised grief
An overview of operational welfare indicators for farmed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
Get PDFNile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is the second-most widely farmed fish species globally, playing a critical role in food security and livelihoods, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. With the increasing global focus on the ethical and sustainable production of animal-source foods, the assessment and improvement of fish welfare in aquaculture systems has become a priority. This report provides a structured review of operational welfare indicators (OWIs) that can be used to assess the on-farm welfare of Nile tilapia across various production systems. Drawing on a broad range of scientific literature and industry practices, the report categorises OWIs into four key domains (health, environmental, nutritional, and behavioural) based on adapted versions of the Five Domains model and established welfare assessment frameworks used in other species.
The review highlights OWIs currently available for tilapia, evaluates their validity, feasibility, and relevance to commercial operations, and identifies significant knowledge gaps, particularly in the development of indicators related to positive welfare. Several indicators, such as skin and fin condition, water quality parameters, and feed intake, are shown to be both practical and informative, yet underutilised. Challenges in standardising welfare assessments across diverse aquaculture environments are also discussed. The report concludes by emphasising the need for further research into species-specific welfare metrics and for integrating OWIs into certification and management protocols. By advancing a science-based approach to welfare assessment, this work supports efforts to promote responsible aquaculture, enhance the wellbeing of farmed aquatic animals, and aligns with broader efforts to ensure ethical treatment of aquatic animals
Birds, Bats and Minds. Tales of a Revolutionary Scientist: Donald R. Griffin. Volume Three
Get PDFIn this three-volume biography, we revisit the life and accomplishments of the revolutionary scientist, Donald R. Griffin. He encountered a lifetime of initial hostile resistance to his ideas and studies; now they are largely accepted. He and a colleague discovered the phenomenon of echolocation used by bats to navigate and capture insects, proposed that birds navigate guided by such cues as the sun and stars, and suggested that animals are likely aware, thinking and feeling beings. Forty interviews with his colleagues and friends help us understand the young emerging scientist and the mature researcher. We learn about his and others’ research up to the present times. We gain insights into his thinking and the rigors and delights of fieldwork. Efforts to promote animal well-being intrinsically depend upon the insights from his groundbreaking ideas.
Volume three of the Griffin biography emphasizes his daring proposition that animals are likely to be aware, think, and have feelings. He is castigated as setting back science, but he amasses an enormous array of supportive evidence discussed in several of his books. Philosophers examine related issues. Griffin also tackles the possibility of human echolocation, the mysteries of bats\u27 “terminal buzz,” beaver social behavior, and the “near sound” acoustics of honeybee communication. With Katy Payne, he plans studies of elephants’ social behavior to assess what it is like to be an elephant and to guide optimal protective measures. The influence of several women in his life is described, noting their accomplishments, intelligence and independence. We obsereve the struggles of some women scientists and Griffins’ support of many. During his “retirement” from Rockefeller University and move back to Cape Cod and the Harvard Field Station, he writes several books about the new field he had founded, “Cognitive Ethology,” and actively conducts research. Finally, Volume three includes a compilation of statements about Griffin’s life and work from friends, colleagues and the media that may be summarized as Griffin being an intensely curious man, a remarkable intellect, a revolutionary scientist, and a most admirable human being, The volume has extensive Appendices, includine a timeline, a list of publications, and a glossary of terms.https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/ebooks/1033/thumbnail.jp