Scientists Discover That a Molecule Has Been Spreading Emotions for Millions of Years — According to a recent study, |
Researchers at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência have discovered that zebrafish, like humans, require oxytocin to mirror the emotions of others, a phenomenon known as emotional contagion.
This rudimentary empathy has been wired into our brains over millennia, and its purpose is fairly straightforward. When danger is present, emotional contagion helps disseminate fear rapidly, thereby enhancing our likelihood of survival. Furthermore, echoing the feelings of others aids in forging meaningful social connections.
“We realized these observers approach the distressed shoal even when it gets back to swimming normally, whereas mutated fish prefer to be close to the group that had always been in a neutral state”, explains Kyriacos Kareklas, a postdoc at the IGC and co-first author of the paper. This means that, via oxytocin, zebrafish decode and mimic the emotional state behind the neighboring shoal’s movements and start behaving in a similar way.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Scientists discover mysterious cosmic filaments at the heart of Milky Way galaxy'It was a surprise to suddenly find a new population of structures that seem to be pointing in the direction of the black hole.'
Read more »
Northwestern scientists discover mysterious structures at center of Milky WayThe one-dimensional cosmic threads are hundreds of horizontal or radial filaments - which are slender, elongated bodies of luminous gas that have potentially been around for millions of years.
Read more »
P.G. County Police discover woman’s decomposing body, arrest her daughter and granddaughterPrince George’s County Police have arrested the daughter and granddaughter of a 71-year-old woman and charged them with felonies in the woman’s death.
Read more »
Scientists successful at recovering underwater forestryAfter 10 years of restoration efforts, scientists have successfully helped a damaged underwater forest regrow to a degree comparable to forests that have never been disturbed
Read more »
Scientists Identify 240-Million-Year-Old Mystery Ancient Marine ReptileNew research reveals that sulfur minerals that make fossils in the Norwegian archipelago are especially well-suited to radiography. X-ray analysis has led to the categorization of a previously-unidentified marine reptile fossil discovered in Edgeøya, Svalbard. The research was recently published in
Read more »
Scientists 'stunned' by mysterious structures found in the Milky WayAn international team of astrophysicists has discovered hundreds of mysterious structures in the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
Read more »