一個國際科研小組日前報告說,，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)人類的“近親”黑猩猩也會有意識地開展合作共同受益,。這或許預示著合作這種本領在人類和黑猩猩分化之前就已存在。

這項研究由德國馬克斯·普朗克進化人類學研究所和英國沃里克商學院研究人員共同完成,。他們在新一期《生物學快報》（Biology Letters）上報告說,，對黑猩猩進行測試后發(fā)現(xiàn)，與其他動物只會在捕獵或保衛(wèi)地盤時開展簡單協(xié)作不同,，黑猩猩能認識到共同合作可能帶來的益處,，會經(jīng)過思考、使用工具等有目的地進行合作,。

在實驗中，研究人員將兩只黑猩猩置于一個放有8顆葡萄的透明塑料箱旁,，并分別給它們一只小耙子和一根小杠子,。要想吃到葡萄，需要兩只黑猩猩密切配合,，最終使葡萄通過箱底的洞落到地上,。研究人員先后用12對黑猩猩進行了測試，幾乎每對黑猩猩都能很快通過合作拿到葡萄,。

研究人員說,，其他動物只能進行偶然,、隨意的簡單協(xié)作，而黑猩猩之間的合作顯然是經(jīng)過事先思考,、計劃并統(tǒng)一協(xié)調(diào)的,，與人類間的合作更為接近，這預示著合作這種技能可能有著更早的進化根源,。（生物谷Bioon.com)

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2013.0009
Chimpanzees' (Pan troglodytes) strategic helping in a collaborative task

Alicia P. Melis and Michael Tomasello

Many animal species cooperate, but the underlying proximate mechanisms are often unclear. We presented chimpanzees with a mutualistic collaborative food-retrieval task requiring complementary roles, and tested subjects' ability to help their partner perform her role. For each role, subjects required a different tool, and the tools were not interchangeable. We gave one individual in each dyad both tools, and measured subjects' willingness to transfer a tool to their partner as well as which tool (correct versus incorrect) they transferred. Most subjects helped their partner and transferred the tool the partner needed. Thus, chimpanzees not only coordinate different roles, but they also know which particular action the partner needs to perform. These results add to previous findings suggesting that many of chimpanzees' limitations in collaboration are, perhaps, more motivational than cognitive.