Today’s Solutions: November 22, 2024

Animals may have a more complex understanding of our world than we thought. Specifically, they may be able to understand numbers and counting. No, they don’t practice arithmetic, but researchers have found that most animals have what they call “numerical competence.”

For example, honeybees remember the number of landmarks they pass when they leave the hive in order to find their way back. Wolves also carefully maintain the precise number of animals in packs for ideal hunting success. They assess this number and alter it depending on type of prey. This skill even plays a role in reproduction.

Male bullfrogs “sing” to attract mates, and females of the species listen for the songs with the highest number of “chucks” in them. Even the simple mealworm beetle uses numerical competence to optimize offspring production.

Researchers at the University of Tuebingen, Germany believe these skills have evolved in all types of organisms to increase chances of survival. Different species evolved from different lineages, but most of them evolved to use numerical competence in some form or another. There isn’t much research being conducted in this field, but the scientists hope to begin looking deeper into how the brain and neurons process numbers in animals next year.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Changemakers of the week: GRuB and SparkNJ

Every day on the Optimist Daily, we report on solutions from around the world. Though we love solutions big and small, the ones that ...

Read More

The giant beneath the waves: world’s largest coral found in the Pacific

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a world where bad news about the environment routinely outweighs good news, scientists have discovered an incredible ...

Read More

Tortoise discovered in a home in Pompeii

Almost 2000 years after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and its trapping of the city of Pompeii in time, archaeologists are still making discoveries ...

Read More

Revel at the most detailed image of our universe yet

Here at The Optimist Daily, we have been sharing every exciting step of the James Webb Telescope’s journey, from its long-awaited launch, to when ...

Read More