Editor's Selections: Color, Magic Mushrooms, Empathic Ravens, and Gratitude

Here are my Research Blogging Editor's Selections for this week:

• TwoYaks at the GeneFlow blog effectively criticizes the hypothesis that girls like pink and boys like blue because of evolved sex differences in hunting and foraging behaviors. Thankfully, a disclaimer is included so that evolutionary psychology isn't totally destroyed by the criticism: "Evo-Psych can be a good tool for exploring behaviour, when employed properly, and in a comparative context." My field thanks her.
• The effects of magic mushrooms on the brain, via fMRI? Well, sort of. More like the effects of fMRI on the brain, via magic mushrooms. A scanner made of wood. Confused? NeuroKuz explains everything.
• GrrlScientist at Living the Scientific Life explains how it came to be that ravens were added to the list of species that appear to have some form of empathy. Ravens apparently console their friends after an aggressive conflict with a flockmate.
• Finally, because we all need a reminder every once in a while, eHarmony Labs explains the importance of saying "thank-you" in relationships.