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When we grasp zero, we treat absence as a measurable value that can be ranked, compared, and reasoned with. Cognitive scientists once thought only humans could do this. New experiments show otherwise.
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In October 2014 a Good Samaritan vet in Torrance, California scanned the microchip of an African grey parrot that had just been handed in. The chip traced back to local resident Darren Chick, whose bird Nigel had vanished in 2010. Finder Julia Sperling had rescued the stray; veterinary technician Teresa Micco used the chip records to track Chick down, according to an Associated Press report. When Chick opened his front door the next morning, Nigel burst out with “¡Qué pasó!”—“What happened?”—in Spanish.
In October 2014 a Good Samaritan vet in Torrance, California scanned the microchip of an African grey parrot that had just been handed in. The chip traced back to local resident Darren Chick, whose bird Nigel had vanished in 2010. Finder Julia Sperling had rescued the stray; veterinary technician Teresa Micco used the chip records to track Chick down, according to an Associated Press report. When Chick opened his front door the next morning, Nigel burst out with “¡Qué pasó!”—“What happened?”—in Spanish.
In October 2014 a Good Samaritan vet in Torrance, California scanned the microchip of an African grey parrot that had just been handed in. The chip traced back to local resident Darren Chick, whose bird Nigel had vanished in 2010. Finder Julia Sperling had rescued the stray; veterinary technician Teresa Micco used the chip records to track Chick down, according to an Associated Press report. When Chick opened his front door the next morning, Nigel burst out with “¡Qué pasó!”—“What happened?”—in Spanish.
First‑generation trackers were step counters with a map. Second‑wave collars add optical heart‑rate and temperature sensors, validated in a 2025 Colorado State University study of hospitalised dogs. Meanwhile, accelerometer modules have already spotted seizure activity in epileptic pets, as shown in a 2020 veterinary‑neurology study.
First‑generation trackers were step counters with a map. Second‑wave collars add optical heart‑rate and temperature sensors, validated in a 2025 Colorado State University study of hospitalised dogs. Meanwhile, accelerometer modules have already spotted seizure activity in epileptic pets, as shown in a 2020 veterinary‑neurology study.
First‑generation trackers were step counters with a map. Second‑wave collars add optical heart‑rate and temperature sensors, validated in a 2025 Colorado State University study of hospitalised dogs. Meanwhile, accelerometer modules have already spotted seizure activity in epileptic pets, as shown in a 2020 veterinary‑neurology study.
Each adopted pet redirects love and supplies to an animal already alive instead of commissioning a brand‑new litter. That shift shrinks population growth—the master lever driving long‑term food, water and energy use in the companion‑animal sector. Best Friends Animal Society modelling shows a 6‑percentage‑point rise in adoptions would spare every healthy or treatable U.S. shelter pet.
Each adopted pet redirects love and supplies to an animal already alive instead of commissioning a brand‑new litter. That shift shrinks population growth—the master lever driving long‑term food, water and energy use in the companion‑animal sector. Best Friends Animal Society modelling shows a 6‑percentage‑point rise in adoptions would spare every healthy or treatable U.S. shelter pet.
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