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Honeybees Seem To Understand the Notion of Zero, Study Finds (sci-news.com)
A new study published in the journal Science finds honeybees are able to understand the concept of zero numerosity, joining the ranks of dolphins, parrots, and primates. Sci-News.com reports: The study authors set out to test the honeybee on its understanding, marking individual honeybees for easy identification and luring them to a specially-designed testing apparatus. The bees were trained to choose an image with the lowest number of elements in order to receive a reward of sugar solution. For example, the bees learned to choose three elements when presented with three vs. four; or two elements when presented with two vs. three. When the scientists periodically tested the bees with an image that contained no elements versus an image that had one or more, the bees understood that the set of zero was the lower number -- despite never having been exposed to an "empty set."
You know, I'm going to have to start using that as a minced oath. ;)
I was watching this thing on TV about some guy named Hitler. Someone should stop him!
We took the concept of "nothing" and made a TV show about it.
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They had a way to write nothing: by writing nothing.
The Romans were pragmatists. This saves paper. Imagine the cost of inscribing "zero Bugblatter Beasts" on every urn, vase, and ceramic dufflebag?
Turns out, some nebbish recruit did invent zero, but the squadron leader spotted the unfamiliar symbol one day and then he said "what the fuck is this?" and somebody said "it means we didn't get any X in our rations this month" and then the squadron leader's veins bulged out of his neck while he barked "who's the jackass wasting a perfectly good resource to record what he didn't get?" and then the jackass had to run 100 laps around the Colosseum draped with a heavy marble placard reading "lion food / reward offered"—this while the people inside were cheering the lions (more than once he panted out excitedly "look, an elephant!" pointing at some unlikely bush when people got too close for comfort, while summoning yet another painful micro-sprint, and through this device he did avoid detection in the end).
Never made that mistake again. Not ever. Neither did anyone else, which, of course, also means that no-one was foolish enough to write a line itemizing the empty set of damn fools (many of whom invented zero, but knew better than to write it down).