Counting Eggs

Good morning everybody!  Nelson Ramsbottom here with this week's world view...

Now it turns out researchers in Italy have discovered baby chickens are able to perform basic arithmetic, adding and subtracting objects as they were hidden behind two screens.  The chickens are able to work out which of the two screens hides the larger number of objects.

Chickens like to stay close to objects they are reared with, and in this experiment scientists reared them with highly sophisticated tracking 'spheres'.    The chickens are then placed in glass viewing areas, and watch as researchers place varying numbers of these spheres behind the screens.  When released from the viewing area the little blighters immediately make their way to whichever screen they think has the most spheres behind it.  64.5% of the chickens are succesful.

I say jolly good show for the chickens!  I'm off to the farm now to get one of my own.  I'm hoping to train mine to bring me my morning tea.  Otherwise, it'll make a lovely supper.

Have a smashing week everybody.

Nelson