Crab Pain

The last time you splurged on a live lobster for dinner, you might not have given any thought to how [blank] the little guy was going to suffer as he boiled to death. Until recently, many researchers believed the crustacean nervous system was too primitive to process pain. But scientists at Queen's University in Belfast now think that crustaceans may be more sensitive to pain [blank] previously thought. The researchers used crabs as their test animals. They found that crabs that experienced an electric shock when they hid under a safe, dark rock would [blank] learn to avoid the hiding place. And that avoidance is key: the animals' ability to remember the unpleasant shock and avoid it is consistent [blank] the ability to feel and remember the pain. If the behavior was merely a reflex, the critters would continue to visit the shelter. The study is in the Journal of Experimental Biology. [Also see Nicola Stead, Painful Feelings in Crabs] The situation is likely the same with lobsters. So before you break out the bibs and melted butter, it might be nice to put your future dinner on a little [blank] ice.