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ScienceSeeker Editor's Selections: Kid Scientists, Social Psychology, M&Ms for Rats

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


Here are my Science Seeker Editor's Selections for the past week:

Science is really just kids play. Well, sort of. It turns out that when kids play, they "come up with general principles, akin to scientific theories, based on the data of their daily lives." Find out more at Discover Magazine's 80 Beats blog, where Ashley P. Taylor discusses this finding.

The history of social psychology, summed up neatly by decade by Melanie Tannenbaum. A great read: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, How Does Psych Reflect Us All?


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What Makes Chocolate So Irresistible? And how can you get a rat to eat way more M&Ms than is healthy? Joseph Stromberg discusses some new research at Smithsonian Magazine's Surprising Science blog.

Jason G. Goldman is a science journalist based in Los Angeles. He has written about animal behavior, wildlife biology, conservation, and ecology for Scientific American, Los Angeles magazine, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the BBC, Conservation magazine, and elsewhere. He contributes to Scientific American's "60-Second Science" podcast, and is co-editor of Science Blogging: The Essential Guide (Yale University Press). He enjoys sharing his wildlife knowledge on television and on the radio, and often speaks to the public about wildlife and science communication.

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