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Weeping whales: Stillborn humpback whale grieving documented

243 points · 192 comments · wglb

  1. georgemcbay · · focus · HN ↗
    Blows my mind that so many people just have this hardened internalized idea that we're somehow significantly different than any other animal.

    Sure, we've got them beat on language and planning, but we're currently in the process of being passed up on both those fronts by multi-dimensional arrays of floating point numbers sitting inside of sand. So, like, how special is that then, really?

    1. sethammons · · focus · HN ↗
      We should start from the default assumption that other animals have a lived experience not unlike our own until proven otherwise.

      Mammal brains are similar between species. Show me why they wont behave like ours. Most say who say animals can't grieve are in the same boat with those who used to say human babies don't feel pain.

      Every time we look deeper, we find we humans are less special in any given quality. Yes, humans seem unique in our level of language and knowledge passing. For now; until we discover something else.

      Here is a studying on rats. They grieve. Brain, chemical, and social activity. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;articles&#x2F;PMC12244160&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;articles&#x2F;PMC12244160&#x2F;

      1. david-gpu · · focus · HN ↗
        &gt; Most say who say animals can&#x27;t grieve are in the same boat with those who used to say human babies don&#x27;t feel pain.

        My dad was an anesthesiologist, and what he told me is rather different from that meme. The reason was that the safe dosing range for babies was unknown, and giving the wrong dose can lead to death or worse. The argument wasn&#x27;t that babies couldn&#x27;t feel pain, but that babies would not have lasting memories of it happening, and that it was less risky that overdosing them.

        1. card_zero · · focus · HN ↗
          You know, if there was a hypnotic drug such that I could be sure I&#x27;d remember nothing (and many, many similar caveats), I&#x27;d volunteer to be caused all kinds of pain, because I don&#x27;t see why I should care. The only moral angle I can see is the question of who would want it and why. Research maybe? In of itself, it doesn&#x27;t seem bad.
          1. ShadowOfThePit · · focus · HN ↗
            I used to suffer from night terrors until well into my teenage years. It made me think, I would never know how much I was supposedly suffering in the moment. But what does it matter, if I can&#x27;t remember it?

            Scary stuff.

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