News Summary

• Swedish researchers find that Norway lobsters react adversely to electric shocks.
• Researchers administered an analgesic drug to the lobsters before delivering a mild electric shock.
• This reduced the amount of tail flipping – an escape behavior – exhibited by those crustaceans.
• The UK government has officially recognized lobsters, octopuses, and crabs as sentient.
• However, establishing whether an animal can feel pain or experience nociception – especially a crustacean – remains a challenge, the researchers say.