Octopuses could get the same protections as mice and monkeys thanks to a growing body of evidence that suggests they feel pain

• The National Institutes of Health published proposed guidelines for octopuses used in research.
• The NIH said a growing body of evidence suggests cephalopods are capable of feeling pain.
• Other countries have also extended animal welfare protections to octopuses.

Thanks to mounting evidence that they may be capable of feeling pain, octopuses could soon receive the same legal protections that mice and monkeys have in the US.