Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 29, 2026
06:05
Additive Manufacturing-Enabled Low-Cost Particle Detector
Published on: March 24, 2023
2.4K
Numerical cognition in honeybees enables addition and subtraction
Scarlett R Howard1, Aurore Avarguès-Weber2, Jair E Garcia1
1Bio-inspired Digital Sensing (BIDS) Lab, School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Science Advances
|February 19, 2019
Summary
Honeybees can learn symbolic representations for addition and subtraction, demonstrating advanced numerical cognition. This finding suggests complex math skills may be more widespread in the animal kingdom than previously thought.
Area of Science:
- Animal cognition
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral ecology
Background:
- Basic numerical understanding is common in animals for survival tasks.
- Complex arithmetic using symbols is rare in non-human vertebrates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if honeybees can learn and use symbolic representations for arithmetic operations.
- To explore the cognitive abilities of insects with miniature brains.
Main Methods:
- Honeybees were trained to associate blue and yellow colors with addition or subtraction.
- Bees performed tasks in a free-flying environment, solving novel problems with symbolic cues.
- Working memory and long-term rule acquisition were assessed.
Main Results:
- Individual honeybees successfully learned to use color symbols for addition and subtraction.
- Bees applied these learned rules to solve unfamiliar numerical problems.
- The study highlights the capacity for complex numerosity in insects.
Conclusions:
- Honeybees possess advanced numerical cognition, including symbolic arithmetic.
- These findings challenge previous assumptions about the evolution of complex math skills.
- Advanced numerical cognition may be more broadly distributed across species than anticipated.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Numerical Calculations
1.2K
In engineering applications, the representation of the numerical value is critical. Presenting or reporting the answer is one of the essential parts of engineering practices. Numerical calculations are performed using handheld calculators or computers since numerically accurate answers are always preferred.
The solution to a problem is obtained using different methods. While manually solving algebraic symbols is one of the most common methods, the graphical method is often preferred. Computers...
The solution to a problem is obtained using different methods. While manually solving algebraic symbols is one of the most common methods, the graphical method is often preferred. Computers...
1.2K
01:27Conjugate Addition (1,4-Addition) vs Direct Addition (1,2-Addition)
4.3K
α,β-Unsaturated carbonyl compounds with two electrophilic sites, the carbonyl carbon, and the β carbon, are susceptible to nucleophilic attack via two modes: conjugate or 1,4-addition and direct or 1,2-addition.
Conjugate addition results in a thermodynamically stable product. The reaction retains the stronger C=O bond at the expense of the weaker C=C π bond. The process is slow as the β carbon is less electrophilic than the carbonyl carbon.
Direct addition products are...
Conjugate addition results in a thermodynamically stable product. The reaction retains the stronger C=O bond at the expense of the weaker C=C π bond. The process is slow as the β carbon is less electrophilic than the carbonyl carbon.
Direct addition products are...
4.3K
01:38Cognitive Dissonance
37.5K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
37.5K
01:21Pilot and Numeric Relaying
489
Pilot relaying is a type of differential protection used in power systems. It compares electrical quantities at the terminals of equipment via a communication channel instead of direct relay interconnection. This method is essential for transmission lines where the terminals are far apart, typically up to 80 km for lines with 69 to 115 kV ratings. Four types of communication channels are used for pilot relaying:
489
00:59How Data are Classified: Numerical Data
37.7K
Data that are countable or measurable in specific units are called numerical or quantitative data. Quantitative data are always numbers. Quantitative data are the result of counting or measuring the attributes of a population. Amount of money, pulse rate, weight, number of people living in a town, and number of students who opt for statistics are examples of quantitative data.
Quantitative data may be either discrete or continuous. All quantitative data that take on only specific numerical...
Quantitative data may be either discrete or continuous. All quantitative data that take on only specific numerical...
37.7K
01:08Conjugate Addition of Enolates: Michael Addition
3.6K
The attack of a nucleophile at the β carbon of an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound is called conjugate addition. Conjugate addition reactions of active methylene compounds, such as β-diketones, β-keto esters, β-keto nitriles, and α-nitro ketones, are called Michael addition reactions.
3.6K