An Insect's Sense of Number

The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...

Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive functions.

Piaget’s preoperational stage, from about ages 2 to 7, is characterized by rapid growth in symbolic thinking. Children increasingly use words, images, and objects to represent ideas, although their reasoning remains largely intuitive. During this period, number sense develops from memorized counting toward an understanding of quantity and basic arithmetic.Counting and CardinalityChildren younger than age 3 may recite number words without fully understanding their numerical meaning. During the...