saying that pain implies cell death gives a bit of an incomplete sense of what animals perceive, and more importantly don't perceive, as pain. cells die every time your heart beats. every breath fucks those pretty little grape-like lungbubbles of yours; and every movement you make and thought you think, smile you crack, and laugh you laugh encourages cell death in a very direct way. so, what determines what kinds of cell death we do and do not perceive?