Numbers get mapped in our brains like a “sixth sense,” according to new research. The study’s findings show that the part of the brain responsible for quantifiable comparisons is organized topographically; neurons are laid out in such a way to maximize communication and interactions over the shortest possible distance.

Referred to as a topographical map, this layout is characteristic of all primary senses. Scientists have long assumed that numerosity would be characterized in this way, but had been unable to find any evidence of such an arrangement, leading some to doubt whether a map for numerosity existed.