Zebrafish were able to empathize and comfort their loved ones. An article about this was published in the journal Science.
Almost all social animals and birds can sense the mood of nearby individuals. It aids in collective survival and plays a key role in human society, but for scientists it is unclear exactly when this ability emerged.
new research showsthat fish can sense the fear in other fish and gets scared after them. This ability is regulated by oxytocin, the same chemical that underlies the ability to empathize in humans, although primates and fish evolved long ago.
The researchers demonstrated this by deleting genes associated with oxytocin production and absorption in zebrafish brains. These small tropical fish are often used as experimental animals due to their ease of maintenance and the large number of bred breeds. As a result, fish with this gene modification were essentially anti-social—they were unable to sense the anxiety of other fish and change their behavior. But when these same individuals were injected with oxytocin, their ability to sense and reflect the emotions of other fish was restored.
“They are reacting to the fact that other individuals are afraid. In that respect, they behave just like us,” explains neuroscientist Ibukun Akinrinade, one of the study’s authors.
The study also showed that zebrafish would show more interest in previously stressed fish. The authors compared this behavior to consolation.
ancient biologists discovered A new type of tactile cell in fruit flies.