Newscast: Baby Birds do Simple Arithmetic

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Newscast: Baby Birds do Simple Arithmetic
Tweet Topic Started: Apr 14 2010, 04:13 PM (187 Views)
Katsuko	Apr 14 2010, 04:13 PM Post #1
Sandopolis Act 1 Posts: 1,687 Group: S Rank Hero Member #1,933 Joined: August 14, 2007 Gender: Male	http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7975260.stm Baby birds can do arithmetic, say researchers in Italy. Scientists from the universities of Padova and Trento demonstrated chicks' ability to add and subtract objects as they were moved behind two screens. Lucia Regolin, an author of the study said the animals "performed basic arithmetic" to work out which screen concealed the larger group of objects. The findings are reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Chicks always try to stay close to objects they are reared with - just as they stay close to and follow their mother as soon as they hatch. This instant recognition is known as "imprinting". "We had already found that the chicks have a tendency to approach a group containing more of these familiar objects," explained Professor Regolin, who studies animal behaviour at the University of Padova. She and her team were able to test the birds' numerical skills as they followed the objects - which, in this instance, were small plastic balls. "We used the little plastic containers you get inside Kinder eggs and suspended them from fishing line," Professor Regolin told BBC News. "We made these balls 'disappear' by moving them behind the screens one at a time." Edited by Katsuko, Apr 15 2010, 08:20 PM.
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KogaHarine	Apr 14 2010, 07:40 PM Post #2
The Black Swordsman Posts: 3,253 Group: E Rank Legend Member #7,594 Joined: April 19, 2008 Gender: Male Playstation Network ID: Goldth 3DS Friend Code: 047386746636 Nintendo ID: KogaHarine Game Currently Playing: Fantasy Life	That actually sounds cool. But what happens when they get older?



Lord Tora Unlimited Crusader	Apr 14 2010, 10:52 PM Post #3
【The Knight of Tigers 】 Posts: 5,462 Group: Former Monarchs Member #6,733 Joined: March 17, 2008 Gender: Male Country: Australia 3DS Friend Code: 0404-6433-6113 Steam ID: crusaderandtimothy	rubs side of head Huh, I took the topic title waaaaay out of context there... I wonder where they're going to take this research; I mean, wow, birds can count, that's pretty fascinating, but... I can't help but wonder if it has any practical bearing on anything. Are they planning to invent duck-powered calculators? Implementing regular egg-laying schedules for farm chickens - "Produce six eggs a month, chickens, or you get a pay (hay?) cut!" - or something along those lines? Hum hum.
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Lady Miracle	Apr 15 2010, 08:41 AM Post #4
[insert something cheerful here] Posts: 8,037 Group: Former Monarchs Member #9,289 Joined: August 20, 2008	The Melancholy of Crusader (TUC) Apr 14 2010, 10:52 PM rubs side of head Huh, I took the topic title waaaaay out of context there... clears throat Anyway, that's pretty interesting. I never expected that, specially with what small brains chickens have and such. Just goes to show ya.
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Katsuko	Apr 15 2010, 08:18 PM Post #5
Sandopolis Act 1 Posts: 1,687 Group: S Rank Hero Member #1,933 Joined: August 14, 2007 Gender: Male	The Melancholy of Crusader (TUC) Apr 14 2010, 10:52 PM I wonder where they're going to take this research; I mean, wow, birds can count, that's pretty fascinating, but... I can't help but wonder if it has any practical bearing on anything. Are they planning to invent duck-powered calculators? Implementing regular egg-laying schedules for farm chickens - "Produce six eggs a month, chickens, or you get a pay (hay?) cut!" - or something along those lines? Hum hum. Well, you have to pay your zoologists to do something ~<3;; Seriously though, I imagine this is just a particularly interesting point in a mass of accumulated information about animal behavior and development x3 While any individual point might not be interesting, the sum of that research definitely has applications. Edited by Katsuko, Apr 15 2010, 08:20 PM.
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