Study finds rats caring for their fellow rat - chicagotribune.com →

In laboratory studies, a rat was restrained in a small cage that could be opened only from the outside. A second rat, seeing the dilemma of the trapped rat, immediately began tirelessly trying to find a way to free his fellow rat.

Eventually, the second rat taught itself to open the cage door, freeing the restrained rat, leading to what strongly resembled a triumphal celebration between the two. Even when faced with an alternative choice of chocolate chips, the rat would not be deterred from helping its fellow rat.

As simple as it sounds, the experiment is being hailed as a new paradigm that will help scientists trace the development of emotion in mammals back through the evolutionary tree.

Humans are like the worst animals.