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Don’t reach for the bug spray: scientists find insects may feel pain after crickets nurse sore antennae
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 14 May 2026
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Pain is probably one of the original sensations. I doubt you could find any creature on Earth that doesn't feel it. It is extremely useful for staying alive. I bet we will find out plants even feel some form of pain if we haven't already.
There's been several studies that say they might, but nothing entirely conclusive. Some say that the smell of freshly cut grass might be the grass screaming in pain and warning the rest.
It's not to warn the rest, it's even way cooler.
The smell attracts carnivores, and tells them "Hey there's some tasty herbivores over here" so they take care of the problem. The grass is snitching on the sheep.
Presumably that's why we like the smell of freshly mown grass, too (but such statements are impossible to prove in evolutionary biology).
I see, that's why sometimes we have to touch grass, so we can high five it for being a bro.
That's cool AF, thanks.
For plants it wouldn't make much sense since they can't really run away or otherwise stop the pain
Burrarum.
There are heat sensitive ones that curl up.
It might reduce surface area or help survive overheating.
It depends on how you define "creature" and "pain". There's surely some single cell life that doesn't. Are those creatures? Also, for plants, there's growing evidence that many do release chemicals when hurt, which other plants and animals react to. Is that pain? I'd answer yes to both of those, but both are not hard definitions. They can be argued either way.
Plants CAN feel pain!
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/stressed-plants-cry-and-some-animals-can-probably-hear-them/
Pops and cracks from a stressed plant doesn't mean a physical sensation of pain is occurring.
A stressed human screaming doesn’t mean a physical sensation of pain is occurring
Humans have nervous systems. Plants do not.
This is a science community. Do you have evidence that plants have a way to transmit or process pain signals? Or are you anthropomorphizing a plant’s reaction to stimuli?
So, Mr science, where’s your proof that only fleshy nerves can transmit pain?
Because it wasn’t long ago, and there’s still plenty people, who think that animals can’t feel pain. Because they’re not human. Of course that’s mostly selfserving reasoning to justify them eating meat and/or treating animals like shit.
Now you’re claiming effectively the same, but now because there’s no nerves similar to animals. Coincidentally, insects appear to feel pain too: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/13/insects-feel-pain-research
They don’t have animal nerves either. Is this bullshit too?
So, you don’t have evidence of plants feeling pain. You have a link to the same article that’s on the top of the page we’re on, and a claim that insects don’t have “animal nerves,” whatever that means.
Insects absolutely have a nervous system comparable in design to those of other animals, albeit with ganglia as their brains. They don’t have the processing power of animals like mammals, but that isn’t vital for interpreting pain.
So again, do you have evidence that plants can transmit or process pain signals? It would be a revolutionary discovery if so.
It depends on the definition:
It does fit this definition. The only part that arguably doesn't fit is the "characterized by physical discomfort" part, but that's characterized by, not defined by. It isn't necessarily required, and I can see an argument to say it's true for many plants too.
To say it's definitely not pain I think is far too strong a belief. I can go either way on it. I would lean towards calling it pain, but it's far from clear.
As you said, this is a scientific community. One of the most important things to science is being skeptical of our biases and pre-existing ideas. Claiming they don't feel pain for certain is not that.
I've seen videos of single cell organisms, and even they look like they feel pain when stabbed or eaten.
On the contrary I've seen one where one cell passes straight through another cell, making a hole. The cell that was passed through did not react at all and kept about its business afterwards, even regaining shape. Wild.
Crazy, I think I've seen that one too !