In the early 1900s, lab scientists thought raccoons were a strong test subject for studying the human mind. But they fell out of favor in brain and psychology research – to rodents. What happened? I explain how raccoon brains stack up to human ones and why they’re becoming increasingly important in lab experiments. 0:00 Raccoons might be smarter than even cats and dogs 0:24 Why researchers initially opted for rodent instead of raccoon test subjects 0:54 Why raccoons are so valuable to study 2:33 Raccoon experiments around cognitive flexibility and problem solving I’m Daniela Hernandez, a health and science reporter for WSJ, and on this channel I’ll be covering a variety of subjects from neuroscience to the science of food and public health. If you’re interested in science and health and how cutting edge research impacts our lives, don’t forget to subscribe. #Raccoons #Science #DanielaHernandez