You and Betty and the Nancy's and Bill's and Joes and Jane's will find in the study of science

a richer, more rewarding life.

Welcome to Inquiring Minds. I'm Indravis Gontas.

This is a podcast that explores the space where science and society collide.

We want to find out what's true, what's left to discover, and why it

matters. Have you ever heard the idea that a goldfish has a three-second memory? Well,

it's not true. In fact, goldfish are pretty remarkable.

I don't know if you've seen it, but there's this video out now of a goldfish essentially

driving its own aquarium. A study out in February 2020 in behavioral brain research demonstrated that a fish can actually learn to use

spatial navigation to navigate its own aquarium. I mean, you thought self-driving cars were weird?

What about fish driving cars? Apparently, it's possible. So the lowly goldfish is actually a lot smarter than we

think it is. But even for us humans, the mathematical mind remains a bit of a mystery. I mean,

for some people, math just seems to come easily. And for others, it can be a lifetime struggle.

We've had meth educators on the show before, helping us

understand how we can effectively teach children to love math, because so often it's taught ineffectually.

Where am I going with this, you might be thinking? Well, Brian Butterworth is an emeritus professor

of cognitive neuropsychology at University College London,

and he spent his career looking at the genetics and neuroscience of mathematical abilities

and disabilities, and not just in humans. Because he's interested in the genes, he's also

looked at mathematical abilities in other species. And now he's

published a book, a culmination of his career of work called Ken Fish Count, what animals

reveal about our uniquely mathematical minds. Brian Betterworth, welcome to inquiring minds.

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