Lawyers say the number of complainants is growing rapidly

In a landmark 1998 study, investigators showed rhesus monkeys could differentiate between the number of objects in a group moncler jackets and put them into ascending order. The ability was thought to apply only to humans and other primates, until now.

Damian Scarf from the University of Otago in Dunedin and his colleagues trained pigeons to do similar work, and they turned out to be just as deft as the monkeys. Given 35 three- item numerical lists, the pigeons could respond to them in order, first recognizing the single item, then two item groups, then three-item groups. They were also able to match pairs based on the number of items, even when they weren’t familiar with the objects, the report published in the journal Science found.

“Our results demonstrate a correspondence in the way monkeys and pigeons represent numbers and in their ability to acquire an abstract ordinal rule,” the researchers said. “Our results suggest that, at least with respect to numerical competence, pigeons are on par with primates and are well perched to inform us about the selection pressures and neural structures required for abstract numerical cognition.”

The investigators said they aren’t sure if pigeons and monkeys acquired their math skills from a shared common ancestor or if the numerical competence evolved independently.

“Irrespective of its origin, the results of the present experiment adds to a growing body of work demonstrating that birds possess a number of abilities that were, at one point in time, considered primate unique, such as episodic memory and the use and manufacture of tools,” the researchers said. “Indeed, cheap moncler scarves caps over the past two decades, the intellectual status of birds has risen markedly.”

French authorities are expected to formally announce that up to 30,000 women who received breast implants in France can have them taken out.

But UK regulators have insisted there is no link with cancer and there is no need for women to have them removed.

Lawyers acting for women who are suing UK clinics over health concerns linked to breast implants have launched a stinging attack on the medical regulator.

They have accused the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of failing to take action to deal with complaints and for dismissing serious health problems linked to the devices.

More than 270 women in the UK intend to sue those clinics where they underwent surgery to be fitted with the implants, manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP), which has now closed.

Lawyers say the number of complainants is growing rapidly and they have lodged class action cases.

The implants have been linked to the death of a French woman from a rare form of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), and are implicated in another seven or eight cancer cases.

The implants are filled with an moncler jackets 2011 outlet unapproved non-medical grade silicone believed to be made for mattresses and there have been reports that the protective barriers are faulty.

Figures from the MHRA suggest 84,300 PIP implants have been sold in the UK since 2001.