BS 170 is an interview with Andreas Nieder, author of "A Brain for Numbers: The Biology of the Number Instinct." We talk about the surprising discovery that a wide variety of animals have a number instinct, which is called the approximate number system. This appears to provide the basis for the more abstract mathematical abilities that are seen in humans. We also explore the relationship between mathematics and language.

Links and References:

• A Brain for Numbers: The Biology of the Number Instinct by Andreas Nieder
• The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics, Revised and Updated Edition (2011) by Stanislas Dehaene
• Please visit http://brainsciencepodcast.com for additional references and episode transcripts.

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