Virtual Research Seminar Series

Next Seminar - August 26 - 4pm GMT

How Can We Measure Sentience in an Insect?

How can we determine whether an insect is sentient? In this talk, I argue that there are two distinct routes to defining sentience that are often conflated: one based on empirical scientific inquiry and the other on social, ethical and legal frameworks. The scientific route seeks empirical evidence of subjective experience, often through behavioral and neurological indicators such as motivational trade-offs, learning under pain, and central nociceptive modulation. I will critically assess the strengths and limitations of these indicators, drawing comparisons to what is known about mammalian sentience and pain. The policy route, by contrast, tends to adopt more precautionary standards, aiming to protect potentially sentient beings in the face of uncertainty. Using recent findings in insects, I will explore how these two routes diverge in practice, where they may converge, and what is at stake in choosing one over the other. 

Matilda Gibbons; University of Pennsylvania, Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, USA

Upcoming Seminars

TBA

Past Seminars on our YouTube

June 2025 - “When and Why Are Motivational Trade-Offs Evidence of Sentience?” (Simon Brown, Research Officer, London School of Economics, UK)

May 2025 - “Investigations on the possibility of pain in crustaceans and changes in how these animals are used” (Emeritus Professor Bob Elwood; Queen’s University, Belfast, UK)

April 2025 - “The 3Rs Principles in Invertebrate Research” (Dr. Miriam A Zemanova; University of Fribourg, Switzerland)

October 2024 - “Identifying trends in reporting on the ethical treatment of insects in research” (Craig Perl, PhD; Insect Welfare Research Society, USA)

August 2024 - “The Sphex story: How humans kept repeating themselves” (Fred Keijzer, PhD; University of Groningen, the Netherlands)

June 2024 - “How honeybees think” (Andrew Barron, PhD; Macquarie University, AU)

April 2024 - “The moral status of insects” (Jeff Sebo, PhD; New York University, USA)

March 2024 - “The needs and means of using non-lethal methods in entomological research” (Gabor Lövei, PhD; Aarhus University & University of Debrecen & Marco Ferrante, PhD; Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany)

February 2024 - “Evaluating electrical stunning as a humane slaughter method for decapod crustaceans: Lessons learned when assessing sensitivity” (Amaya Albalat, PhD; University of Stirling, UK) - view slides here

December 2023 - “How the cricket feels and what the mealworm has to say: The influence of rearing environments on insect welfare in different food and feed production systems” (Alexander Haverkamp, PhD; Wageningen University, the Netherlands)

October 2023 - “Insect Sentience” (Lars Chittka, PhD; Queen Mary University of London, UK) - view recording of comparable talk at UFAW, here

August 2023 - “How Can We Know What is Good for Insects?” (Heather Browning, PhD; Southhampton University, UK)

June 2023 - “Insect welfare: Solid foundations for an emerging field” (Meghan Barrett, PhD; California State University Dominguez Hills, USA)