Credit: science.org
Mice were filmed by scientists who try 'first aid'.
Researchers from the University of South California drugged the rodents so that they were immobilized and placed them near fully conscious mice to see how their colleagues would react.
The mice in question were seen to erase the airways of the victims by pulling their tongue out of the way and biting their mouths in an apparent attempt to breathe new life into them and help them breathe.
They were also seen licking and taking care of their fallen labiates with more intensity than normal.
Although earlier research has discovered elephants, chimpanzees and dolphins can all see when an individual is incapacitated for work and responds with care and studies, it is the first time that a similar caring response has been seen in mice.
Researchers said the mice had shown a stereotypical series of behavior when encountering an unconscious social partner, who “was reminiscent of human emergency reactions”.
Credit: science.org
In writing in the Journal Science, Huizhong Whit Tao, the main author, said: “They showed clear and consistent behavior towards the partner, escalated from sniffing and taking care of powerful actions such as biting the mouth or tongue of the partner and tongue.
“This behavior emerged after prolonged immobility and non -response from the partner and stopped as soon as the partner stopped the activity, which suggests that they were activated by not observing any -repeating situations of others.
“The consequences-inclusive approval of foreign objects from the mouth, improved airways opening and hasty recovery suggestion revive-like efforts.”
Experts discovered that mice who had met before they spent more time to breathe new life into their companions compared to strangers, of which researchers said they suggested social recognition.
Mice spent more time trying to breathe new life into companions they had met before, compared to strangers – University of South California
The revival behavior came to light after prolonged immobility and non -responseness and stopped as soon as the mouse had regained the activity, suggesting that they were activated by not observing other situations of others.
It was also seen when Mice had interact with a dead companion, but rarely seen when the partner had been active or just slept.
When researchers studied the brains of the mice to see what the behavior had activated, they discovered that when the animals had encountered a fallen comrade, the neurons in the Paraventricular core had activated, so that oxytocin hormones were responsible for social bonding.
When the activation of oxytocin was blocked, the helping behavior was affected.
In emergency situations, people often instinctively show “first aid” behavior towards others.
The researchers concluded: “Our findings therefore suggest that animals show reviving emergency reactions and that helping non-reacting group members can be a congenital behavior that is much present in social animals.
The researchers concluded that helping non -responding group members can be on a large scale among social animals – Wenjian Sun/University of Southern California
“Such behavior probably plays a role in improving group cohesion and survival.”
In a comment in addition to the article, William Sheeran and Zoe Donaldson of the University of Colorado Boulder said: “People who are witnessing someone and then perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) that they intervene because they intuitively understand that the person would die differently.
“People are not alone in this instinct. Animals as diverse as elephants, chimpanzees and dolphins can recognize and intervene by touching, pushing and even wearing an incapacitated person.
“These findings contribute to the evidence that an impulse to help others in states of extreme need is divided by many species and emphasize neural mechanisms that stimulate instinctive rescue.”
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