Empathy ... in rats ...

quote:
"Thus, the most parsimonious interpretation of the observed helping behavior is that rats free their cagemate in order to end distress, either their own or that of the trapped rat, that is associated with the circumstances of the trapped cagemate. ".....
"The presence of empathy in nonhuman animals is gaining support in the scientific community (20—26), although skeptics remain (27). In the current study, the free rat was not simply empathically sensitive to another rat’s distress but acted intentionally to liberate a trapped conspecific. The ability to understand and actively respond to the affective state of a conspecific is crucial for an animal’s successful navigation in the social arena (4) and ultimately benefits group survival."It seems their conclusion that ending distress is the main motvation for rats act, is fitting so well with my evolution hypothesis.
( http://www.sleepgadgetabs.com )
How, the followers of random mutations explain this "ability to....... survival"?Edited by zi ko, : No reason given.Edited by zi ko, : No reason given.

Hi W.K
i am not surprised by these findings. I was almost expecting them. I am waiting now the moment scientists will prove empathy's affect on DNA or equivalent neural sites and its role to evolution.