The Dose: From Giant Sloths to Giant Bats
Sloths, Bats, and Seed Oils, Oh My!
Welcome to The Dose! We’re delivering bi-weekly health and science updates right to your inbox, and we’re including some humor, art, and fun along the way.
Let’s start this issue with a smile!
Give the gift of life! Did you know there are over 100,000 people waiting for life saving organ transplants? April is Organ Donation Awareness Month, so check out our infographic to learn more about becoming a donor.
Sloth lovers, we have some interesting facts to share with you!
The next time your tortilla chip scoops up some delicious guac, you should send a little thanks to the giant ground sloths. They were one of the few ancient herbivores with the ability of swallowing avocados whole, so they ended up being very important seed dispersers, thus spreading the growth of avocados.
You’ve likely heard of giant ground sloths before, but do you know just how big they actually were? For starters, they were the largest bipedal mammals to exist. There were over 100 species of giant groud sloths in existence at one point, with the largest Megatherium americanum being up to 12 feet tall and weighing up to 4 tons!
From avocados to seed oils. (Fun fact: Avocado oil is not a seed oil.) We’re guessing you’ve seen the articles and videos about the “dangers” of “toxic” seed oils. On this week’s episode of the pod, we’re tackling the claims that seed oils cause everything from inflammation to heart problems. (Spoiler alert: the data don’t support these claims!) Tune in to our latest episode to learn more, and if you’re a visual person, you can watch this week’s episode on our YouTube channel!
From giant sloths to giant bats. We’re all about the tie-in this issue!
This photo went viral in 2020, after Twitter user AlexJoestar622 showed an image of a golden capped fruit bat. Now, due to forced perspective, the bat appears larger than it is. However, this endangered species is one of the largest bats in the world, with wing spans of up to 5 1/2 feet, and can be the size of a small child. These bats can live anywhere from 10-30 years and are native to the Philippines. You can learn more about them here.
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