Discipline: molecular biology

Assessing good physical health and resilience as a foundation for positive welfare in chickens

Lisa Jung, Ruth C. Newberry, Yukari Togami, Manja Zupan Šemrov

Published in 2026

Study proposing anatomical and physiological indicators to assess the health and resilience of chickens, with a view to developing proactive and potentially automated assessment tools to support positive animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Poultry

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Stereotypical behaviors across species: From neurobiological mechanisms to farm animal welfare

Chenyang Li, Jie Gao, Hang Shu, Guangyong Zhao, Xianhong Gu

Published in 2026

A review describing stereotypical behaviors—indicators of distress—that are based on neurobiological mechanisms that have yet to be fully studied in farm animals. The authors highlight current gaps in knowledge and discuss prospects for better understanding these behaviors and improving animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Equines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

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Heat stress: an environmental challenge to immune resilience and health in dairy cows

Arslan Tariq, John J. Bromfield

Published in 2026

Scientific review of knowledge on heat stress in dairy cows. The management of heat stress requires a combination of adjustments to the environment, targeted nutrition, and genetic selection for thermotolerance.

Document types: Scientific documents

Animal categories: Bovines

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Welfare indicators in cattle farming in the face of heat stress: a review in climate change scenarios

IMF de Souza, CEL Sousa, VS Pinto, LGP Vilela, AdS Souza, JPS Cunha, CV Araújo, MdNB Gomes, LKX Silva, LG Martorano, KAL Neves, RNC Camargo-Júnior, ÉBR Silva, WC da Silva

Published in 2026

Comparative review showing that Zebu cattle are more resilient to high temperatures and disease than European cattle, although the latter are more productive. The authors stress the importance of taking account of climate constraints in genetic selection.

Document types: Scientific documents

Animal categories: Bovines

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Do Insects Feel Pain? How Insect Nervous Systems Reveal Hidden Suffering

Renz Soliman

Published in 2026

Summary of recent research showing that some insects have neural mechanisms that enable them to experience pain, including chronic pain. These findings call into question their treatment in research, farming and wider pest control.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Invertebrates

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Human emotional odors influence horses' behavior and physiology

Plotine Jardat, Alexandra Destrez, Fabrice Damon, Noa Tanguy-Guillo, Anne-Lyse Lainé, Céline Parias, Fabrice Reigner, Vitor H. B. Ferreira, Ludovic Calandreau, Léa Lansade

Published in 2026

Scientific study showing that human odors associated with fear produce heightened fear responses in horses and reduced interactions with humans. These results show the key role of olfactory signals in interspecies emotional communication between humans and horses..

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

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Welfare Indicators for Aquaculture Research: Toolkits for Five Farmed European Fish Species

Chris Noble, Wout Abbink, René Alvestad, László Ardó, Marie-Laure Bégout, Nina Bloecher, Erik Burgerhout, Josep Calduch-Giner, Mauro Chivite-Alcalde, Petr Císař, Evan Durland, Åsa M. Espmark, Lynne Falconer, Martin Føre, Dimitra G. Georgopoulou, Karsten Heia, Gaute A. N. Helberg, David Izquierdo Gomez, Lill-Heidi Johansen, Gunhild Seljehaug Johansson, Kristbjörg Edda Jónsdóttir, Jelena Kolarevic, Aleksei Krasnov, Santhosh K. Kumaran, Bjarne Kvæstad, Thomas Larsson, Carlo C. Lazado, Angelico Madaro, Federico Moroni, Ingrid Måge, Jonatan Nilsson, Samuel Ortega, Nikos Papandroulakis, Jaume Pérez-Sánchez, Pamela M. Prentice, Sonia Rey Planellas, Bjørn Roth, Adrian Smith, Lars Erik Solberg, Orestis Stavrakidis-Zachou, Lars Helge Stien, Anja Striberny, Ragnhild Aven Svalheim, Bjørn-Steinar Sæther, Gerrit Timmerhaus, Hilde Toften, Linda Tschirren, Hans van de Vis, Elisabeth Ytteborg, Lucas A. Zena, Tone-Kari Knutsdatter Østbye

Published in 2026

Scientific summary highlighting the need to improve and harmonize fish welfare indicators in aquaculture research, taking into account species and life stages, in order to ensure animal protection, scientific quality, reliable results and reproducibility. The authors propose updated toolboxes of welfare indicators for five major species, incorporating euthanasia, sampling, data digitization, and European regulatory requirements into their review.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Fish

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Welfare and productivity in Muscovy ducks: Impact of swimming pond availability

Lukáš Zita, Ondřej Krunt, Jitka Edrová, Jakub Vorel, Eva Chmelíková, Antonella Dalle Zotte

Published in 2025

Scientific article showing that access to a pond significantly improves hygiene, health, and natural behaviors in Muscovy ducks, while also promoting growth and carcass quality that is at least equivalent, if not superior.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Poultry

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Behavioural adaptations of livestock to environmental stressors: implications for welfare and productivity

Oke OE, Eletu TA, Akosile OA, Fasasi LO, Adeniji OE, Ojedokun MZ, Oni AI

Published in 2025

Synthetic article analyzing behavioral adaptations associated with environmental stressors in livestock and emphasizing the importance of assessment tools and targeted management strategies for the improvement of animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

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A functional framework for a comprehensive study of welfare in fishes

Alvarado Maria Victoria, Cerdá-Reverter Jose Miguel, Espigares Felipe

Published in 2025

Study proposing an integrative framework to assess fish welfare, combining physiological, behavioral and affective measurements that allow users to go beyond traditional approaches that focus  on biological disorders.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Fish

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