Motherhood is not a human invention.

On Mother's Day, Animal in the Machine looks at the bonds we celebrate today — and the ones we systematically sever.

From a dairy barn to the Pacific Northwest, from the African savanna to a forest in bear country, this episode asks a simple question: who do we decide to grieve for?

The Save Our Bacon Act just passed the House of Representatives. Its stated goal is protecting interstate commerce.

What it would actually do is nullify voter-approved state laws banning gestation crates, battery cages, and veal crates — the most basic protections farm animals have.

This episode looks at what the bill does, who is behind it, and what the science tells us about the animals at the center of it all.

Intelligence has been tested, scored, packaged, and sold.

But what if the version we've been measuring is only a fraction of what's actually out there?

In this episode, we trace the story of how intelligence got defined — and who got left out.

From Richard Feynman's suspiciously average IQ score to the cognitive lives of cows, chickens, and pigeons, this is an invitation to widen the lens.

Because the capacity to sense, process, and respond to the world isn't a human invention.

Somewhere over your town right now, a turkey vulture is turning slow circles in the sky. It's been doing that — or something very close to it — for five million years. It outlasted ice ages, mass extinctions, and the disappearance of entire species. And today, it's being slowly poisoned by lead ammunition, rodenticides, and the simple fact that most people have never stopped to appreciate what it does.

This episode is a defense of the turkey vulture: its history, its biology, its indispensable role in keeping ecosystems — and us — healthy, and what we can do to protect it.

Protein is everywhere—from snack foods to soda—and suddenly, everything is “high-protein.”

In this episode, we explore how protein became more than a nutrient—it became a marketing strategy. We break down what protein actually does, how much we really need, and why so many foods are being reframed around it.

We also take a closer look at the connection between protein and animal products—and whether that link is as necessary as we’ve been led to believe.

Bats are disappearing—but not in ways most of us notice.

In this episode, we explore how modern systems—agriculture, pest control, land use, and even renewable energy—are reshaping the night.

And what bats have been doing for us all along.

Controlling insects. Supporting crops. Sustaining ecosystems.

Quiet work that rarely gets noticed—until it’s gone.

Women’s health is gaining more attention—but it hasn’t always been that way.

In this episode, we explore how the foundations of medical research shaped what we know today, and how that has impacted the care, treatment, and understanding of women’s health.

From pain perception to drug dosing to conditions that are only now receiving greater focus, we look at where the system has fallen short—and where it’s beginning to change.

Because improving women’s health isn’t just about better medicine.

It’s about building a system that fully represents the people it’s meant to serve.

Beagles are known for their loyalty, their gentleness, and their trust in people.

They’re also one of the most widely used dogs in laboratory testing.

Why?

In this episode, we look at how animal testing became a standard part of modern science and why it continues despite its clear limitations in addition to the harm it causes.

If better, more human-relevant alternatives are emerging… why does the system still rely on animals at all?

And what would it take to change it?