Bees learn to dance and to solve puzzles from their peers
Enlarge / Bumblebees can learn to solve puzzles from experienced peers. Honeybees do the same to learn their waggle dances. Social insects like bees demonstrate a remarkable range of behaviors, from working together to build structurally complex nests (complete with built-in climate control) to the pragmatic division of labor within their communities. Biologists have traditionally…
Study sheds light on how dogs recognize their favorite toys
A new study found that dogs form a “multi-model mental image” of their toys. Specific breeds of dogs, like border collies, can learn the verbal names of their favorite toys, but what is going on in the dog's mind when it's told to fetch a given toy? According to a recent paper published in the journal…
What the simple mathematical abilities of animals can tell us about...
Aurich Lawson We often think of mathematical ability as being uniquely human, but in fact, scientists have found that many animal species—including lions, chimpanzees, birds, bees, ants, and fish—seem to possess at least a rudimentary counting ability or number sense. Crows can understand the concept of zero. And a study published in April found that…
What cats’ love of boxes and squares can tell us about...
Enlarge / Like most cats, nothing delights Ariel more than an empty box in which to lounge. This might tell us something about feline visual perception of shapes and contours, per a new study in Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Sean Carroll It is a truth universally acknowledged—at least by those of the feline persuasion—that an…
Cuttlefish can pass the marshmallow test
Enlarge / A common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, in the Marine Resources Center at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA. A new study finds the cuttlefish can delay gratification—a key feature of the famous "marshmallow test."Alexandra Schnell Certain species show a remarkable ability to delay gratification, notably great apes, corvids, and parrots, while other species…