Even without the guidance of organized religion, some animals instinctively know that it’s a good thing to help others.
即使没有类似人类宗教的指引，有些动物仍能本能地救助处于危难中的其它动物。
A Helping Hand
伸出援手
For example, when a bird spots a predator, instead of just flying away, it calls out in alarm and warns everyone in the vicinity.
比如，一只小鸟发现了捕食者，它就会发出叫声以警示和提醒附近其它的小动物们。
When a dolphin is injured, other dolphins help it swim up to the surface and get some air.
如果一只海豚受伤了，那么其他海豚也会帮助它一直游到岸边以呼吸新鲜空气。
And in a lab experiment that was set up so that one rat had to sit on a platform or else his rat friends would get an electrical shock when they tried to feed, the rats quickly learned to cooperate and take turns sitting on the platform.
在类似试验中，一只老鼠必须要坐在一个平台上以防止它的朋友们试图进食时被电击，很快老鼠们就学会了如何协作，它们轮流坐在平台上以防止同伴被电击。
Evolution
进化
You might think that evolution would work against this kind of altruism since, instead of concentrating on their own survival, animals spend time and energy helping others.
因为这些动物们不仅仅只关心自己的生命，也会花费时间与精力去帮助其他动物。所以，你可能会认为进化过程会有悖于这种利他主义。
But evolutionists suggest that when animals help animals who are their genetic relatives, or who are likely to return the favor later on, they are actually helping their species to survive the process of natural selection.
但进化论者认为，当动物们在帮助那些遗传亲属，或可能会在稍后回报其所提供的这种帮助时，它们实际上是在帮助它们的种群能够在自然选择的过程中存活下来。
Some animals will even sacrifice their own lives to insure the survival of the larger group. The worker honeybee, for example, will die defending her hive if necessary.
某些动物甚至会牺牲自己的生命以保全更大种群的存活。比如说工蜂，在保护蜂巢的过程中就会不惜牺牲生命。
Selfish Acts
自私行为
Even acts that seem selfish may end up helping the group in the long run. For instance, when there isn’t enough food to go around, wasps and termites will cannibalize their nest-mates. Gruesome as this may seem, it insures the colony’s survival through tough times.
甚至，某些看上去貌似自私的行为实际长远看来也有助于种群存活。比如说，当附近没有足够的食物时，黄蜂和白蚁就会对它们同族的伙伴进行蚕食。也许听上去很可怕，但实际上这保证了艰难时期种群的存活。
Although here at A Moment of Science, we don’t condone human cannibalism, we still hope that these examples of altruism in animals will give you some food for thought.
我们《科学一刻》栏目虽然不能宽恕人类自相残杀的行为，但我们希望，这些存在于动物之间的利他主义将会带给大家一些发人深省的思想。 |