STUDY: Tiny fish passed intelligence test that once distinguished great apes
STUDY: Tiny fish passed intelligence test that once distinguished great apes
A 2018 study reported that the ‘cleaner wrasse’ had passed the mirror mark test, but evolutionary psychologist Gordon Gallup believed the fish in these experiments were mistaking the marks on their own bodies for parasites on other fish. In this study, the fish were marked first, then the mirror was introduced for the first time. The fish were likely aware of something unusual on their body, but they couldn’t see it. When the mirror appeared, it immediately provided visual information that matched an existing bodily expectation, hence scraping occurred much faster. This implies self-awareness before being exposed to the […]
‘AI & Animals’: New documentary warns of ‘factory farming 2.0’
‘AI & Animals’: New documentary warns of ‘factory farming 2.0’
The documentary ‘AI & Animals’ highlights how the global debate over large language models (LLMs) has yet to explore what the technology could mean for animal welfare. ‘AI & Animals’ argues that AI could either revolutionize or worsen conditions for farmed animals, and that there is a ‘limited window of time’ in which to pick an outcome. The film predicts one potential ‘nightmare future” where LLMs perpetuate speciesism, and where millions of animals are farmed in increasing density without human oversight. PLANT BASED NEWS: A new documentary examines how AI could either “supercharge” the animal protection movement or significantly worsen […]
Grief, compassion fatigue, and the cost of being an animal rights activist
Grief, compassion fatigue, and the cost of being an animal rights activist
Many animal rights activists are living with compassion fatigue, moral injury, online harassment, financial precarity, and internal movement conflict that gradually erode a sense of safety and hope, not because they are weak or overly sensitive, but because human nervous systems are not built to hold this much unprocessed harm indefinitely. If you are struggling, reach out to people you trust and use the resources created specifically for activists and animal care workers. REVOLUTION PHILADELPHIA: Last week, we lost Adam Altman. Adam was an animal rights activist who showed up with care and consistency in work that is emotionally demanding […]
