The monarch is a common butterfly, found in the Americas that is considered a poster species of pollinating insects. The monarch butterfly is easily recognizable because of its bright black, orange, and white patterns. Monarch butterflies are a parasite to their caterpillars’ only food source, milkweed. This plant itself is toxic to thwart insects from consuming its plant body, this includes an attempt to be toxic to monarchs. This has resulted in an evolutionary arms race between the two species.  You’ve probably released monarch butterflies at some point in your life, if you’re from th ..read more

Goblin Sharks are a species of rare sharks found in the deepest oceans throughout the world. The goblin shark gets its name from its terrifying unhinged mouth that is full of razor sharp teeth. These sharks use a stealth attack to float through the ocean until close enough to swallow their prey. (Its low-density and large liver make it buoyant, allowing it to drift towards its prey with minimal motions to avoid detection). Which mean, what the goblin shark wants to eat, will not see it coming.  The goblin shark has a distinctively long and flat snout and in the original drawing of the spe ..read more

Penguins are flightless aquatic birds that are almost exclusively found in the Southern Hemisphere. Penguins are evolved to catch fast-swimming prey and to live in cold temperatures. Their bodies have densely packed feathers, heavy muscles and huge fat supplies. Because of these adaptations penguins have lost their ability to fly, and while they might not look graceful on land, they are incredibly agile in the water.  There was a penguin-like bird living in the Northern Hemisphere, the Great Auk, which went extinct due to human activities in the 1850s.  Penguins for the most part bre ..read more

This week's episode is a re-run that is all about rats, the long-tailed rodents that tend to be looked down upon within our society. Rats, however, are intelligent, clean, social, and resourceful animals that can survive almost anywhere. Listen as we delve into the history of rats. What makes a rat, a rat? How are rats used in scientific research? (Spoiler alert, rats are used for a lot of research that impacts your daily life without you probably even realizing it.) How are rats perceived in culture? Listen to our latest episode to find out more. Note: The movie Jennifer referenced is Sini ..read more

This week's episode is a re-run that is all about rats, the long-tailed rodents that tend to be looked down upon within our society. Rats, however, are intelligent, clean, social, and resourceful animals that can survive almost anywhere. Listen as we delve into the history of rats. What makes a rat, a rat? How are rats used in scientific research? (Spoiler alert, rats are used for a lot of research that impacts your daily life without you probably even realizing it.) How are rats perceived in culture? Listen to our latest episode to find out more. Note: The movie Jennifer referenced is Sini ..read more

Algae. It's one of the greatest things on the planet and it's responsible for all life on Earth, including your life. But how much do you really know about this incredible species? Is it a plant? Why is it green? Can you eat it? Can we make it into fuel? What's up with algae blooms?  Learn more in our newest episode where we talk about the benefits of algae and how it is better than human.  Follow us on Twitter @betterthanhuma1 on Facebook @betterthanhumanpodcast on Instagram @betterthanhumanpodcast Or email us at betterthanhumanpodcast@gmail.com We look forward to hearing from y ..read more

This episode on the Villisca Axe Murder House, was recorded live inside the Villisca House, back in September of 2021. And guess what? Host Amber knew nothing about the history of the Villisca house before we started recording.  Listen as Jennifer tells Amber the history of the house, from inside the house's living room.  And, not only did Amber and Jennifer record an episode in the house, we spent the night there, recording the next morning and documented if anything occurred during the night.  The Villisca axe murders occurred between June 9, 1912, and June 10, 1912, in the t ..read more

Caffeine is the most consumed stimulant on the planet. In fact, 90% of humans consume caffeine on a daily basis. Most people do not even think about this tiny molecule as they drink their morning coffee, or sip on their afternoon tea, or as their children chug soda at a birthday party. We’ve gone so far as to claim that it’s the sugar affecting the children, not the psychoactive drug they just consumed. And, humans aren’t the only animal addicted to caffeine. Bees prefer nectar with caffeine over nectar without to a detriment to their own health. So how did we get to the point where most human ..read more

A Mermaid is a mythical aquatic creature with the upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish.  Legends of these creatures have been reported since the beginning of humanity.  There is no evidence that mermaids live anywhere on earth. However, there are a lot of scientific reasons why they physically cannot exist. Seriously, fish and human’s last common ancestor was over 170 million years ago. If you’re going to say mermaids are mammals, they’d have to breathe air, which means going to the surface often. (So lots of chances for humans to spot them).  AND even then, a hum ..read more

This week, Better Than Human asks what are  some of the world's cutest animals that aren't well-known?  Our answers? Some strange, but adorable, animals. And no, they aren't all fluffy.  First, listen to our newest segment, the best and worst of the news of the week. The Olympics committee made some dumb choices this week, but at least both Jen and Amber found some good news this week, as well.  Amber picks the Fennec Fox which is is 100% cute and fluffy, but have you ever seen the small antelope species Dik-Dik? Have you ever looked to the ocean to find the cutest species ..read more