What I take away from this is that empathy is evironmental, rather than genetic. Rats are more likely to feel empathy for and help out distressed fellow rats if they are socially familiar with them--even if they are a different breed of rats. Think about what that potentially says. The researcher says it herself in the final paragraph of the article...
“It does suggest that a diverse social environment does wonders for expanding helping behaviors toward others who are not similar to yourself.”
Anyone who has kids knows this to be true. The younger generations have grown up in a more diverse world than we grew up in, and are more accepting of others. They just are. It's not a sign of the apocalypse, or the "feminization of America" (as Brit Hume called it on Fox the other night). It's a good thing. A very good thing.
