Honeybees Can Count (Up to 4)

Alex

We may not have been giving honeybees enough credit: turns out the insect can count (well, up to four anyhow)!

Also at the Australian National University, Marie Dacke and Mandyam V. Srinivasan trained European honeybees to pass a particular number of colored stripes in a tunnel to get a food reward, which was placed by a stripe. When they removed the food, the bees still returned to the same stripe.

Next, they mixed things up on the bees: they varied the spacing of the stripes, and even replaced stripes with unfamiliar markers. The insects consistently passed the same number of markers to approach the former reward site, demonstrating that they could count, up to four.

The studies burnish the impressive list of honeybees' known cognitive abilities, all achieved with a brain the size of a sand grain.

Link


Comments (2)

Newest 2
Newest 2 Comments

A regular t-shirt (say a Hanes or a Fruit Of The Loom) runs larger than an American Apparel t-shirt that a lot of screen printers use (They're relatively inexpensive in bulk, have a premium appeal to them, come in a ton of colors, etc). So if you're wearing an Large in a Hanes, you may very well be an XL in an American Apparel.

You also have the issues of vanity sizing and different cuts. I like the style of many of Target's Mossimo Supply Co shirts, but I'm an entire size larger in those because they're "Athletic Cut" which apparently means tight. Vanity sizing works the opposite way. Men's size 36 pants at Old Navy are actually 41 inches.

And of course, these are "free" t-shirts at a conference. In those situations, I always get a size bigger because I assume they're going to shrink a size after the first wash.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
At my sons middle school orientation (6th - 8th grades) a few weeks back they were selling school t-shirts. The sizes were S, M, L, XL, XXL. Adult sizing. Many 6th graders (other grades too but this shocked me) needed XXXL shirts that had to be special ordered. Just the same there were several XS being ordered. It made me sad that so many very young children were so large.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
  2 replies
Here in Florida children are only allowed to be held back one year. It is part of the "no child left behind act". Reason being that they will be much larger than the other children, may get teased and/or frustrated and drop out early.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.
Email This Post to a Friend
"Honeybees Can Count (Up to 4)"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More