We love horror movies and horror stories, but when it comes to pure blood-curdling terror, there’s no competing with mother nature. We’ll compare some classic horror tropes to their real-life counterparts, and let me tell ya: when it comes to evolution, the director’s cut holds nothing back. Parasites that contort your body and mind to their will, evil flowers and even more evil worms! With special guest Emily Yoshida of the Night Call Podcast.

FOOTNOTES:

1. Video of leucochloridium paradoxum
2. Our DNA stealing friend, the delloid rotifer
3. Carrion beetles staying calm and carrion
4. Everyone welcome onto the U.S.S carrion beetle
5. A hot, young David Attenborough explains the corpse lily
6. A parasitic hairworm noodling its way out of a cricket (warning: gross)
7. Russian nesting worms
8. Eyebleach: cat discovering its own ears