Selfless Chimps Shed Light on Evolution of Altruism

[kpete]

Selfless Chimps Shed Light on Evolution of Altruism

By Charles Q. Choi, Special to LiveScience

posted: 25 June 2007 10:19 am ET


Chimpanzees have now shown they can help strangers at personal cost without apparent expectation of personal gain, a level of selfless behavior often claimed as unique to humans. Credit: Max Planck Institute



These new findings could shed light on the evolution of such altruism, researchers said.

Scientists think altruism evolved to help either kin or those willing and able of returning the favor—to help either one's genetic heritage or oneself. Humans, on the other hand, occasionally help strangers without apparent benefit for themselves, sometimes at great cost.

To investigate when chimpanzees might aid either humans or each other, researchers studied 36 chimps at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda that were born in the wild. In experiments, each chimp watched a person they had never seen before unsuccessfully reach for a wooden stick that was within reach of the ape. The person had struggled over the stick beforehand, suggesting it was valued.

Scientists found the chimpanzees often handed the stick over, even when the apes had to climb eight feet out of their way to get the stick and regardless of whether or not any reward was given. A similar result with 36 human infants just 18 months old yielded comparable results.

more at:
http://www.livescience.com/animals/070625_chimp_altruism.html

[meow2u3]

1. Not all chimps are selfless

Remember the chimp who used to occupy the White House? :evilgrin:

[PDJane]

2. Hairless chimps tend to be the worst...eom.

[Terran]

3. Wow, this is fascinating.

Goes to a discussion had on DU a couple of weeks ago about the naure of the soul. I'd said that the key to having free will, as opposed to purely instinctual behavior, is the ability to self-sacrifice. It appears chimpanzees rise to this form of behavior as well...which to me suggests they are, or nearly are, sentient.

I wonder if anyone has studied this in relation to dolphins. Plenty of anecdotes there but anything rigorous...?

[qazplm]

5. I'd say nearly

but I dont think we know enough to be sure one way or the other.

They certainly seem to have every emotion and ability we have, just reduced.

I mean sharing such a large percentage of genetic code makes it hard to believe that they aren't us just a little less "smart."

[starroute]

6. It may just be anecdotes about dolphins, but they're totally convincing

http://news.scotsman.com/world/Dolphin-answers-whales39-SOS-call.3872748.jp

13 March 2008

But now, solid evidence has emerged of the dolphin's altruistic nature. In a act of selflessness which has astounded experts and confirmed the friendly nature of the species, a bottlenose came to the rescue of two whales stranded on a beach in New Zealand.

The dolphin – nicknamed Moko by local residents, who said it spent much of its time swimming playfully with beachgoers – helped two pygmy sperm whales, facing imminent death after becoming stranded on a sandbar, swim to safety.

Until Moko's arrival, rescuers feared the mother and calf would have to be put down to prevent them suffering a prolonged death on Mahia beach, about 300 miles north-east of Wellington.

Malcolm Smith and his team from the New Zealand Conservation Department had tried in vain to rescue the animals for an hour-and-a-half. With their effort faltering, it seemed only a matter of time before the operation was called off. ... Just as it seemed all hope was lost, Moko appeared. The dolphin approached the whales, leading them 200m along the beach before navigating them out to the open sea.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4034383.stm

23 November, 2004

A group of swimmers has told how a pod of dolphins protected them from a great white shark off New Zealand's coast.

The lifeguards were training at a beach near Whangarei on the North Island when they were menaced by a 3-metre shark, before the dolphins raced in to help. The swimmers were surrounded by the dolphins for 40 minutes before they were able to make it safely back to the beach. . . .

Around half a dozen dolphins suddenly appeared and herded the swimmers together. The mammals swam in tight circles to create a defensive barrier as the great white lurked under the surface.

The swimmers said the dolphins were extremely agitated and repeatedly slapped the water with their tails, presumably to try to deter the predator as it cruised nearby.

[roguevalley]

7. ah, goodness. anyone who has a dog or cat understands this

concept well. I love chimpanzees. God bless their little hearts.

[Terran]

8. Awesome. I totally already believed this

based on stories going back centuries, but these items are truly amazing.

I was eye-to-eye with a dolphin, years ago at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and you can pretty much see the intelligence in their eyes...one of them looked me steadily in the eye as he swam by, and I could just see another thinking being on the other side of that glass.

This is all reminding me of David Brin's Uplift series, where humanity made chimps and dolphins its equal partners after a little genetic tinkering. A great read on the subject of sentience.

[Bill McBlueState]

4. altruism is a product of evolution

Religious believers often argue that we are kind to each other because their god told us to play nice. But this study shows that altruism may be just as much a product of evolution as any of our other traits.