Want to know why humans take such a shining to pandas, those black and white furry eaters of bamboo?

There may be an answer to that pressing question.

USA Today's Mike Carney discovered a NPR interview with a leading panda researcher at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. When asked about that, the researcher, Zhang Zhihe, replied, "Because they make you smile!"

Check out the cute panda video in the article.