So I asked leading shark ethologist and behaviourist, Professor Samuel 'doc' Gruber to elaborate. After pointing out how much pain women feel when they give birth, making the point that suffering has no effect on reproduction, he reminded me that sharks evolved their mating behaviours and the physical structures involved, separately from other animals.
A big thank you to the many who responded positively to my previous editorial about the balance we have to walk to maintain complete editorial independence and integrity while relying on sponsorship and advertising.
To elaborate, sticking to old-school, fact-based, in-depth reporting has been an easy choice. While going against the tide of the media landscape and macro-economic trends presents many challenges, adhering to these virtues provides us with a safe haven, with classic journalistic principles and press ethics providing guidance and a protective framework.
I live very much in the present and appreciate modern technology, gadgets and applications that make my life easier. I do not think of the old days as good, but in some ways, I am quite old-fashioned. I adhere to classic journalism, and I consider it a mission to be an educating communicator. Fluff pieces, short stories without substance and other empty mental calories are just not my thing.
Autumn is approaching in our hemisphere. In the forests around our city, the deer are in heat, and the stags can be seen fighting for dominance and the right to mate. It can be a dramatic but entertaining spectacle, provided you understand the need to keep a sensible distance from the animals at this time of year.
A review published in the journal Animal Sentience describes the surprising abilities found so far among octopus species.
An article recently published by the BBC discusses the latest scientific findings on consciousness in animals. It states that not only do the “higher” animals, such as birds and mammals, appear to experience consciousness, but likely all vertebrates do. The cephalopod molluscs, including octopuses, insects and at least some crustaceans, are also mentioned as having shown evidence of consciousness.
Take a close look at this image. When was it taken? Last year, actually, but it could have been 60 years ago. It shows the beach where I spent most of my childhood summers, since I was a toddler, and where I have spent most of my summer holidays ever since. In the photo, it is as if time has stood still. Those kids playing on the sandbar could have been my brother and me as children.
Those of us who were children back when the moon landings were the pinnacle of wonder, fellow old-timers, will know precisely what I mean. (Crikey, that does rather date me, doesn’t it?)
Clownfish, also known as anemonefish, are feisty critters that vigorously defend their anemone homes from intruders, particularly those of their own species, displaying aggressive behaviour. Anemonefish species living in the same areas exhibit a variety of stripe patterns, ranging from three vertical bars to none, as observed by Kina Hayashi from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan.
Fish feel pain, or don’t they? Despite a growing body of sound evidence that fish do indeed feel pain and are sentient beings capable of all the types of cognition found in the “higher” mammals, with the possible sole exception of the ability to imitate, a group of critics seems to systematically seek to discredit this research. But for what reasons? Ila France Porcher takes a closer look at the stakes involved.
