why are mice, squirrels and rats regularly able to kill grizzly bears in one on one combat? I demand justice for apex predators please confirm that you will see to it that future Bears have a size appropriate for their place in the food chain.

Blame the fate of Bears on Alpha and inertia. Grizzly Bears (plural) was a 2/2 originally, and became the core nickname for 2/2’s. A Bear should probably be a base 4/4, but inertia is a powerful force.

I think it's fair to say Birthing Pod is widely accepted as a very strong card with regard to both flavor and power level. It's functionality, in the vein of Natural Order/Food Chain/Survival of the Fittest seems to be a relatively recurrent aspect of Green's slice of the pie. I imagine that due to Birthing Pod's Phyrexian mana cost it will likely never see an exact reprint, but with it's success would you venture to say that we are likely to see a functional reprint perhaps sooner than later?

You’ll notice a trend in Magic’s history that we tend to riff designs off of popular cards. Birthing Pod lovers, take heart - I’m sure we will riff off its design one day.