Rats have been wrongly maligned and are actually kind hearted, generous creatures

Rats are synonymous with double-crossing and cheating in love, but they may not really be such rotters.

According to researchers, they are actually kind and generous.

Chicago University scientists housed rats in pairs so that they got to know each other.
They then placed one in a transparent tube inside the cage, and found that the second rat was distressed until it worked out how to free the first one.

To their astonishment, not only did the creatures help cage-mates in distress, they also selflessly shared their treats with them.

Perhaps less surprisingly, the female rats seemed to be more caring than the males.

During the experiment, scientists found that the roaming rat became agitated the sight of its trapped friend, meaning it had picked up on the animal's distress, and, according to the scientists, showing the simplest form of empathy.     Full Read