The Evolution of Cooperation

Scientists in Kenya at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary observed 12 chimpanzees and imposed a treatment by putting them into pairs and gave them a common goal: obtaining food. The chimpanzees both had to push grapes around inside of a box until they pushed them out onto the ground where they both could eat them. The chimpanzees could not receive the food unless they cooperated and worked together. As Dr. Alicia Mellis, Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science at Warwick Business School states, "This study provides the first evidence that one of our closest primate relatives, the chimpanzees, not only intentionally coordinate actions with each other but that they even understand the necessity to help a partner performing her role in order to achieve the common goal." In the experiment, the chimpanzees successfully worked together in 86% of the trials. Usually chimpanzees prefer to be independent and can be extremely competitive when it comes to get food, the chimpanzees were able to realize that they needed to cooperate to be able to receive food. 

Themes of Science: 

• Science is collaborative: these scientists worked together to examine the chimpanzees
• Science is based of evidence: they were able to come up with a success rate when it came to the ability of the chimpanzees to collaborate to receive food
• Role of credibility: The main scientist Dr. Alicia Mellis, Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science at Warwick Business School
• Role of motivation and curiosity: this idea would've had to come from someone's curiousity in behavior of humans and chimpanzees. 

Link: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2013/03/19/origins_of_human_teamwork_found_in_chimpanzees.html