Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy
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For People With HIV, Pets Can Be a Barrier to Healthcare
No full textSome studies have found pets improve the psychological well-being of people with HIV. However, new research finds pet ownership among HIV-positive individuals can create barriers to the owner\u27s healthcare. These findings may apply to people suffering from other chronic disorders
Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility by Martha C Nussbaum
No full textAndrew Rowan reviews author Martha Nussbaum’s book “Justice for Animals,” which describes why & how animals might be the beneficiaries of human justice
Elephant Care and Welfare in Southeast Asia Today: Part 3
No full textElephant care traditions in Southeast Asia are changing as elephant welfare becomes a growing issue
COP28: Moving Forward
No full textCOP28 has stirred many conflicting opinions. WellBeing International offers our insights on COP28 outcomes
Managing Outdoor Cats
No full textResources to address outdoor cat management vary by state and county, as exemplified by the situation in Ohio, USA
Jurisprudence and animal protection
No full textJurisprudence is based on normative principles that go beyond instrumental reasoning and practical goals concerning what is convenient. It concerns justice and truth. The empirical evidence justifies the legal protection of various species on legal grounds. Given the risks we face regarding climate degradation, international legal agencies must expand the framework of human rights and environmental law in order to effectively protect animals and their environments
Laboratory Animals and Non-Animal Alternatives
No full textThe use of animals in laboratories is declining worldwide as new non-animal methods become more sophisticated and relevant
Plant sentience: A hypothesis based on shaky premises
No full textPlants may produce fascinating behavioural phenomena for which the label ‘cognitive process’ may be applicable, at least by some definitions. Segundo-Ortin & Calvo (2023) base their hypothesis that plants might be sentient on the premise of demonstrated presence of cognitive complexity. However, the way phenomena are ascribed, and how the term ‘cognitive’ is used by Segundo-Ortin & Calvo, deviates from the common practice in studies of animal cognition, implying greater complexity than seems justified. It thus provides a questionable basis for attributing sentience to plants
Plant sentience: Not now, maybe later?
No full textSegundo-Ortin’s target article provides compelling evidence for physiological and behavioral complexity in plants, bringing us closer to a recognition of some kind of plant cognition – but it does not as yet offer firm grounds for inferring sentience (feeling) in plants, The recent history of the scientific demonstration and recognition of animalsentience in invertebrates, for example, does not entirely rule out the possibility that further research might provide support for plant sentience. Should this ever turn out to be the case, the ethical problems raised are not insurmountable, and would not threaten the now proven case for animal sentienc
Plant sentience: The burden of proof
No full textSegundo-Ortin & Calvo’s (2023) target article takes a less speculative and more evidence-based approach to plant sentience than did previous works promoting that idea. However, it retains many of the idea’s longstanding difficulties such as starting from a false dichotomy (plants must be either hardwired or sentient), not accepting the full burden of proof for an extraordinary claim, confusingly redefining accepted cognitive terms, implying cell consciousness, not adopting the most parsimonious explanations for plant behaviors, and downplaying all the counterevidence. We advise rectifying these problems before plant sentience can become a full-fledged scientific domain