Better Than Human
Better Than Human the Podcast: Your favorite science biology podcast, where each week we pick an animal or topic to illuminate how fascinating our subject is and prove, once and for all, humans are not the epitome of the evolutionary chain.
Episodes
134 episodes
Monarch Butterfly: The Science Behind the Wandering Milkweed Common Tiger of the Americas
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...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 32
•
51:57
The History and Science of the Potato; Boil 'em, Mash 'em, Stick 'em in a Stew
In this episode, Jennifer and Amber explore the history of the potatoes. Or as a hobbit would say, "Po-tay-toes! Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew." However you like them, potatoes have changed the world. Jennifer insists potatoes are not...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 31
•
1:02:33
It's All About that Dopamine Release
Most widely known as the 'feel good chemical,' dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the pleasure area of the brain's reward system that plays a role in many important body functions, including movement, memory, and pleasurable reward and motivatio...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 30
•
1:01:44
Dragonflies and the Science Behind Their Unique Adaptations
Dragonflies are some of the fastest flying insects in the world. With 360-degree vision, they can eat hundreds of insects per day, including those pesky mosquitoes and other biting insects. Their adaptations for flying are unique among insects ...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 29
•
53:41
Goblin Shark: Living Fossils to Haunt Your Nightmares
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...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 28
•
46:04
Penguins: The Flightless Birds of the Southern Hemisphere
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 ...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 27
•
50:22
Coral Reefs Are Going Extinct, and Humans are to Blame
Regardless of what people may think or believe, the coral reefs are going extinct, and humans are to blame. Why should you care, besides the fact that coral reefs are living animals that deserve their chance to thrive? Because cora...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 26
•
57:57
Mosquitoes: Man's Greatest Nemesis
It has been estimated that over humanities history more than 50 billion people have been killed by mosquitoes. That is approximately half of all humans that have lived on this tiny blue dot killed by mosquitoes. For this reason, mosquitoes have...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 25
•
55:41
Peregrine Falcon: Evolution At Its Finest
Peregrine Falcons are the clear winner to the question what is the fastest animal on the planet. Their top speed is double that of the world's fastest land animal, the cheetah. Peregrine falcons, also called duck hawks, are one of the most comm...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 24
•
57:23
Rats: Studies Prove Rats Have More Empathy Than Humans
The Chinese zodiac stated that rats are creative, intelligent, honest, ambitious and generous hundreds of years before scientific studies proved all of these traits to actually be true. Except for, perhaps, honesty. Rats are among ...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 23
•
1:01:47
Rats: Intelligent, Clean, Social, and Resourceful
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.
•
Season 3
•
Episode 22
•
51:42
Algae Without it You'd Be Dead
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 ...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 21
•
59:06
Villisca Axe Murder House Recorded Live On Location, Rerun
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. Lis...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 20
•
55:21
Caffeine: How Coffee and Tea Changed the World
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 the...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 19
•
59:10
Narwhals: The Non-Mythical Unicorn of the Arctic Oceans
Humanity might be the worst thing in the known universe, so why not take a break from that and learn about the non-mythical Unicorn of the Ocean, aka Narwhals. The first thing that comes up when you Google search Narwhals is “Do Narwhals still ...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 18
•
58:47
Red Pandas: The One, True Panda and a Plant-Eating Carnivore
The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a cat-sized mammal native to the Himalayas and China. Despite being protected in all countries it has ranges in, the red pandas’ populations continue to decline. Red pandas are the original pandas; they were '...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 17
•
1:02:35
The Great American Interchange: When Two Continents Meet, Weird Things Happen
The Great American Interchange, also called Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI), is the epic geological event that occurred when the South American continent, which had been isolated for 50 million years, connected with the Nor...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 16
•
53:25
Axolotl: The Adorable Deadpool of Vertebrates
Axolotl. You’ve probably seen a picture of this cute, meme-worthy animal, but what do you really know about this captivating animal? Do you know the one place on earth where they're natively found? Do you know how few are left in the wild and w...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 15
•
57:23
The Platypus: The Weirdest Animal on this Pale Blue Dot
The platypus is one of (or is) the weirdest animals on this planet. With its beaver-like tail, otter-like fur, and duck-like bill, the platypus looks like someone took leftover animal parts and sewed them together to make a hoax. When t...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 14
•
56:07
The Fruit Fly: Drosophila One of The Most Important Organisms in Biology
Fruit Flies, Drosophila melanogaster, are easily the best understood multicellular organism on the planet. Why do we know so much about Drosophila? Who decided to start studying this fly? And why do we keep investing time and money to fruit fly...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 13
•
59:37
Wolverines: The Ferocious Predator and Trickster of the North
Wolverines are solitary animals that have a reputation for being ferocious and containing a strength out of proportion to their size. For example, though wolverines are the size of a medium dog, they have no problem taking on much larger animal...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 12
•
53:33
InverteButts: All About Those Weird Invertebrate Butts
In celebration of #InverteButtWeek on Twitter, this week's episode is all about those butts. And guess what? There are a lot of weirdass butts in the animal kingdom. How and why did we evolve butts? Scientists still are not exactly sure h...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 11
•
1:01:10
Marine Iguanas: The Sea Lizard of the Galápagos Islands
Marine Iguanas are the only lizards currently on Earth that go into the ocean. Known as sea iguana or saltwater iguana, they are a species found only on the Galápagos Islands. These unique lizards forage for algae, which make up almost all of i...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 10
•
58:46
Dandelions: A Flower By Any Other Name
Have you ever wished upon a dandelion? Those little puffballs that grow in your front yard, and if you blow away all the seeds you get a wish? By blowing away the seeds, you’ve actually granted the dandelion's wish of seed dispersal and h...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 9
•
55:03
Starfish Are Meant to Shine
Starfish, more accurately called Sea Stars, are star-shaped echinoderms (animals) that can be found in all the world's oceans. There are over 2000 species of Starfish found on every shoreline to the depths of the deepest oceans. Instead of bloo...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 8
•
1:00:17