Tucking into a plate of seafood, few diners spare a thought for the feelings of the creatures in front of them. (from thisislondon.co.uk)

Scientists have no qualms either, having long argued that crustaceans such as lobsters don't feel pain even when cooked live in boiling water.

But a British biologist is challenging this orthodoxy with a study suggesting that prawns, at least, do suffer when harmed.

Professor Robert Elwood dabbed acetic acid, the main ingredient of vinegar, on to the antennae of 144 of them.

The prawns reacted by rubbing the affected parts of their bodies for up to five minutes.

The reaction, he said, was exactly the same as that seen in mammals exposed to painful irritants.

"The prolonged, specifically directed rubbing and grooming is consistent with an interpretation of pain experience," he told New Scientist magazine.

Most biologists believe that simple invertebrates - animals with no backbones and limited nervous systems- cannot feel pain or experience-suffering.

Professor Elwood, of Queen's University, Belfast, rejects this argument on evolutionary grounds. The ability to suffer allows animals to learn from harmful experiences and avoid them in the future, he said.

His research has not, however, convinced other experts in the field.

Liverpool University's Dr Lynne Sneddon, who has investigated whether eels feel pain, said: "You could argue the shrimp is simply trying to clean the antenna rather than showing a pain response."

Dr Richard Chapman, of the University of Utah's pain response centre, said there was a difference between responding to an acidic chemical and actually feeling pain.

Most animal have sensors that react to irritants, he said, adding: "Even a single-cell organism can detect a threatening chemical and retreat from it. But this is not sensing pain."

Annette Pinner, of the Vegetarian Society, said diners should avoid eating lobsters even if the jury was still out on whether they can suffer.

She added: "The more information people have about the pain that animals feel and the way they are treated, the more likely they are to move to a vegetarian diet."

how silly to assume they couldn't!

ZombieKitten said:

I've just seen a nice eggplant recipe in that newspaper website with the toys with drugs thing you were looking at

jami0mckay said:

REALLY! that is our big broadsheet newspaper's site

ZombieKitten said:

http://cuisine.com.au/rec...d-eggplant

why do you guys call them Prawns? where I am from they are called Shrimp or is there a difference.

why is everything here Prawn flavoured?




I really do not care for seafood very much.

Too bad.
When you're on my plate,
no one can hear you scream.

shanti0608 said:

what on earth have you been eating then??

jami0mckay said:

when I go to the store I see Prawn flavoured crisps and crackers (whatever you guys call them?)
All sorts of products that are Prawn flavoured...no I will not eat them..

shanti0608 said:

thats true now I think about it, and none of them taste like prawns!

I guess I cannot say much... back home in Maryland I loved these.
I grew up crabbing and not liking the crab itself but the seasoning my family would use to steam them in.

http://www.herrs.com/Prod...d-Bay.html

shanti0608 said:

special foil-like bags

oh dear god

Imago said:

just cause 'gamma' or 'we're all doomed, doomed I tells yer' isn't in the title

Imago said:

shut it you.....


You are either with us or against us(and with Prince)

shanti0608 said:

Don't you see what Jami is doing?

He's capitalizing on the Prince controversy? Exactly who do you think he's referring to when he says Shrimp?


Prince obviously.

Imago said:

I said prawn not shrimp! prawn is Tony M

I'm addicted to this thread now.

Imago said:

I bet the Fan Gathering forums popular at the moment

Illustrator said:

Come on Jami, since when have you felt for a prawn's plight?

JDInteractive said:

its the only reason I joined Greenpeace. Which was wrong because the don't really do anything for prawns. In hindsight I should have joined another pro-prawn movement.

jami0mckay said:

Robbie Fowler looks like a prawn.

JDInteractive said:

Peter Crouch looks like a shrimp.

Imago said:

I like this one the best!

http://www.b3tards.com/u/...prince.jpg

jami0mckay said:

'Robbie Keane, stop quoting Prince'

painfuly tasty little buggers