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Nature's Numbers

A South American culture with no words for numbers and a budding mathematician aged seven months. Alex Bellos explores the roots of our numerical skills

Mathematics is one of the most extraordinary things humans can do with their brains but where do our numerical abilities come from? Maths writer Alex Bellos looks for answers from a tribe in the Brazilian Amazon which has no words for numbers in its language. He also meets a budding mathematician who is only seven months old.

Image credit: Edward Gibson

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27 minutes

Last on

Tue 12 Jan 2016 14:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Mon 11 Jan 2016 20:32GMT
  • Mon 11 Jan 2016 21:32GMT
  • Tue 12 Jan 2016 02:32GMT
  • Tue 12 Jan 2016 03:32GMT
  • Tue 12 Jan 2016 04:32GMT
  • Tue 12 Jan 2016 05:32GMT
  • Tue 12 Jan 2016 07:32GMT
  • Tue 12 Jan 2016 13:32GMT
  • Tue 12 Jan 2016 14:32GMT

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