Myth-understood + Nature's Vampires

In honor of Spooktober, we are doing the time warp to revisit two fan-favorites on one of nature's most needlessly feared and misunderstood critters: bats. Part 1 Belief…belief is an interesting thing. Some of our beliefs are very close to our hearts, untouchable, unchangeable. Some of our beliefs are more flexible, changing if you have some kind of evidence or experience that can convince you otherwise. Belief can be harmless and belief can be harmful. Belief can be truth and it can be myth. This week, we are going off format in the first of an intermittent series we are calling Myth-Understood in which we explore commonly believed myths about different misunderstood animals and examine the truth behind the legends. This week we focus on an animal that has been the victim of superstition and fear for thousands of years. Despite what many believe, these creatures are extremely important to our everyday lives. Dollar for dollar, they are worth more than Elon Musk, they hold secrets of aging, rejuvenate the rainforest, and they’re the most essential ingredient... of a Margarita. Part 2 This episode, we have a story that takes us all the way from Copenhagen, to the rain forest of South America--- from the belly of the beast, to it’s excrement---as we explore nature’s Vampires Our guest is Dr Marie Lisandra Zepeda Mendoza, who recently finished her post doc in Copenhagen, Denmark and whose recently published research on vampire bats and how they survive on such a peculiar diet is at the center of this story. Here is a link to Bat Conservation International: http://www.batcon.org/