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Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I got to let you know that this November, with a special new episode featuring our friends at Circle Round and Terrestrials on Radiolab for Kids,
And don't miss when Elmo from Sesame Street stops by Wow in the World to make us all belly laugh on November 24th.
Oh, but that's not all, Reg.
On December 1st, we are sharing our 250th episode of Wow in the World with all of you.
We think this one is going to be music to your ears.
Literally.
Did I mention it's a musical?
And if you're a member of the World Organization of Wowzers...
Oh boy, do I have a surprise for you.
You can listen to our 250th episode early with me and other members from around the world on Saturday, November 22nd, at 7 pm.
Eastern.
That's right, we are throwing another listening party.
Join us as we dance along to our new songs.
React to the episode with other members in the chat and more.
Grownups.
If you want your wowzer to join this members-only listening party, you can sign up to become a member today at Tinkercastcom.
Slash wow.
Already a member?
Well, you can find the link and password to join the event when you sign in at Tinkercastcom.
Slash wow.
That's it.
It's going to be a November to remember.
But for now, let's get on with the show.
Woo!
One, two, three, four.
Whoa.
Gairoz, why do you keep slapping yourself in the face?
Mindy, these mosquitoes are trying to eat me alive.
Aw, well that just means they're hungry.
Give them a little bite.
Yeah, they are really going for it.
You must taste delicious, Gairoz.
What?
Oh, are you wearing ranch dressing?
No, I just put on the sunscreen that you had in your bag.
Oh, yeah.
Um, so that was ranch.
Uh, but the label on it said it... No, it's a long story.
Well, if they're biting me because I taste delicious, why aren't they biting you?
I mean, you're covered in cheese.
Wait, why are you covered in cheese?
Oh, well, it's It's actually part of a little experiment I'm conducting.
Oh, no.
See, I never get bitten by mosquitoes.
Ouch!
Well, consider yourself lucky, Mindy.
Lucky?
I take offense to it, Guy Raz.
It's like they're... It's like they're... Like they're repulsed by me or something.
Like I'm not good enough for them.
I don't see a problem here.
I mean, just look at them with you.
So yeah, you're covered in salad dressing.
But even if you weren't, those mosquitoes just still wouldn't be able to get enough of you.
And this is why you covered yourself from head to toe in slices of American cheese?
Well, I just thought, maybe if I could just make myself taste more delicious, then maybe the mosquitoes would come.
You know,
No, I don't.
This is really weird, Mindy.
Anywho...
I've learned a lot from this experiment.
Like... Like, uh, mosquitoes don't eat cheese?
No, like, be yourself.
Don't try to change who you are just to attract a bunch of mosquitoes.
And maybe it's not about the taste at all.
Uh... See...
There's this scientist, Professor James Logan, and he's a medical entomologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Oh yeah, a medical entomologist, a scientist who studies how insects like mosquitoes affect human health.
Exactly and, as a medical entomologist, Professor Logan wants to find out once and for all what makes mosquitoes so attracted to some humans like you and not at all attracted to other humans.
Like you.
You don't have to rub it in.
Okay, sorry.
Anywho, there have been a bunch of studies that have shown that mosquitoes may be attracted to things that smell or look a certain way.
Or people who sweat more, or people with higher body temperatures, and even women who are pregnant with babies.
Because pregnant women usually have a higher body temperature, right?
Yeah, and because they're generally among a group of people who breathe out more carbon dioxide than others.
Interesting.
You know, we've talked a lot about carbon dioxide and how it comes from things like cars that burn gasoline to keep them going, or when we burn coal to generate electricity for our homes.
Right, but our human bodies also release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every time we breathe out.
No need to hold your breath, Guy Raz.
It's perfectly normal for humans to breathe carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
In fact, we breathe it in, too, along with oxygen.
But when we breathe out, we release more carbon dioxide than we do oxygen.
So back to the mosquitoes.
How would they know if one human is releasing more carbon dioxide than another?
I mean, carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas.
Okay, well, female mosquitoes have these little sensors called CPA neurons.
And they helped them to detect carbon dioxide.
Wow.
And researchers have also discovered that there seems to be a connection between mosquitoes and large and tall people.
Because I guess, well, large and tall people would give off more carbon dioxide.
Yeah, and they have more body surface area, so they breathe in more of it, which means they also breathe out more of it.
Well, if we know all of this, then what's the mystery that this medical entomologist, Professor Logan, is trying to solve?
OK.
So Professor Logan has this hunch that there might be more to why mosquitoes attack some people but not others.
And it might have to do with something called genetics.
Genetics, huh?
So like the human characteristics passed down from grandparents to parents to kids.
Yeah, exactly.
So every human being looks a certain way, talks a certain way and even walks a certain way, in part because of the genetic code inside our bodies.
Yeah, kind of like how you sound exactly like your mom when you laugh.
Yeah, and how you sneeze exactly like your dad.
I do?
Uh, yeah.
OK, so what would give Professor Logan the idea that genetics could have something to do with which humans mosquitoes prefer?
Well, this is where it gets interesting.
Go on.
The answer is twins.
Twins?
Twins, like you and me.
We're not twins.
Yeah, but I mean, we look exactly alike.
No.
If you cross your eyes.
Nope.
Okay, so about two years ago, Professor Logan and some other researchers gathered about 40 sets of twins.
Half of them were identical.
So the kind of twins that look almost exactly alike.
Right.
And half of them were non-identical.
Meaning that they did not necessarily look alike.
Yep.
But why twins?
Why not just two siblings?
One brother, one sister?
Well, there's been other research that's shown that identical twins actually smell more alike than non-identical twins or regular siblings.
And this has to do with the fact that they're genetically more alike.
And the way they smell matters because?
The way they smell matters because, like I said earlier, smell is believed to be one of the things that attracts mosquitoes to certain people.
Got it.
So when these researchers experimented with these sets of twins, what did they find out?
They found out that if mosquitoes were attracted to one identical twin, they were more likely to also be attracted to the other identical twin.
And what about in the non-identical twins?
Well, in the identical twins there didn't seem to be a real connection between their twinsiness and how badly the mosquitoes wanted to eat them.
And since identical twins are closer genetically than other siblings or family members, does Professor Logan suspect that there's a certain part of our genetic code that makes some people taste and even smell better to mosquitoes than others?
Yes, but it's still not clear exactly what that gene is.
Professor Logan and some scientist pals plan to conduct an experiment to help them get closer to the answer.
And what's the experiment?
I was hoping you'd ask that.
Because it's a crazy experiment.
Well, if you think it's crazy, Mindy.
These scientists will gather pairs of stinky socks from 100 sets of identical and non-identical twins from the UK and Gambia.
This is starting to smell like a scheme you'd cook up.
And it gets better.
Why?
The scientists will then throw these stinky socks into a wind tunnel with a bunch of mosquitoes.
Wait, wait.
Why a wind tunnel?
To blow around the stink.
I told you this was a crazy experiment.
Yeah, so what do they hope to find out?
Well, first these scientists plan to figure out which of these stinky socks the mosquitoes like best, and then they'll study what it was about those socks that attracted the mosquitoes to them in the first place.
And what kind of things will they study?
So they plan to study the chemical combinations or the recipe that makes up the stink.
And what about the genetics that you mentioned earlier?
Well, they also plan to study how the DNA of the two groups of twins affect how attracted the mosquitoes are to the socks.
And by DNA you mean the microscopic bits in the human body that we get from our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents, that are found in our cells and together make up our genetic code.
Exactly.
So if these scientists are able to figure out what it is that makes some humans so tasty to mosquitoes,
Will they also be able to find a way to make people like me less tasty?
Well, that's the idea, Guy Raz.
I mean, if we could figure this out, scientists might be able to make a pill or another type of medicine that we could take to help keep the mosquitoes off of us, especially in places around the world where the mosquitoes carry bad diseases.
Wow, so this stinky sock in a wind tunnel experiment could actually... save lives.
And not only that, but it might also help us to find out which groups of people, based on their genes, are most likely to become mosquito munch.
Well, whatever that group is, I'm pretty sure I'm in it, Mindy.
Please welcome Daniel.
Hi.
And Diego.
Hey there.
Is it true that you guys are opening up the world's first mosquito restaurant?
Definitely, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, that is the truth.
How long have you guys been making food for bugs?
65 million years.
For me, maybe it was about a few hours or so, I guess.
What do mosquitoes eat?
They just usually bite you.
Yeah, they basically eat humans?
Yeah, they bite.
So we take 10,000 splinters of wood, acid water, When it rains, I think.
Wait, wait, wait a minute.
You're putting acid rain and the splinters.
We don't know if it's going to explode or something.
You don't know?
No.
And then what do you do?
A few mints and put it in just so the mosquito's breath smells fresh.
We take a few flowers as well, specifically tulips and stuff.
And then we add some spaghetti sauce.
Yeah.
What do you call this recipe?
The mosquito ultimate.
The mosquito ultimate.
It's a soup?
Yeah, it's a soup.
All right.
How do you get a mosquito to sit at a table and not just fly around and drive everyone crazy?
Uh, you just tape it.
Wait a minute.
You are taping your restaurant patrons to the table.
No, we are not.
Yes, we are.
No, we are.
There seems to be some things you two need to work out.
We put tiny little chairs on a tiny little table.
And then tape those kiddos on it.
Well diego daniel, thank you so much and uh, good luck in your new business endeavor.
Thank you, thank you, wow in the world.
We'll be right back.
Grown-ups, this message is for you.
Hey grown-ups, it's mindy and guy ross here from wow in the world.
Mindy and i have some brand new wow in the world toys out in the world just in time for the holidays, made for the kids who love science and for the ones who don't.
Yet, from our 100 experiments that wow kit to the telescope and astronomy kit, Our Wow in the World toys help your wowzer learn about their world through play.
Plus, you can hear exclusive audio content from me and Guy Raz to help your wowzer discover even more wows.
Grown-ups.
Give the gift of wow and wonder this holiday season with our latest Wow in the World toys designed with your curious wowzer in mind.
You can shop our Wow in the World toys at Tinkercast.com slash toys.
That's Tinkercastcom slash toys show.
What's going on.
Oh, you know just the use.
Hanging out by the pond, the ducks and i like to feed each other stale bread.
Check this out.
So first they feed me a piece of stale bread.
Come here, you dropped it.
Sometimes they drop the bread because they don't have fingers.
Come here, come here, ah.
And then I feed them a piece of stale bread.
Wait, wait.
Mindy, stop.
Ross, just scare the ducks away.
Mindy, don't feed those ducks that bread.
Oh, why?
Do you want it?
Because...
Just open your mouth.
I'll throw some in.
No, no, Mindy.
I'm not hungry.
I just don't want you to feed that bread to the ducks.
Oh, okay.
Well, I guess I could feed them something else I have in my pocket here.
Let me check.
French fries.
I got some spaghetti.
Oh, hey, look.
I found a little oyster.
No, no, no, no, Mindy.
In fact, I just read an article in Popular Science about why we should never feed ducks stuff like that.
But what's the point of having this three-year-old bread if I can't feed it to the ducks?
Come here, boy.
Aw, see how much they love it.
I know they love it, but when we feed ducks pieces of bread, we're actually not helping the ducks.
We're actually harming them.
Wait, what?
Yeah, the problem is that bread might fill the ducks up, but there is almost no nutritional value for them.
In other words, it's like giving them junk food.
Oh, well, no way.
They love me so much.
Look at them all encroaching into my personal bubble space.
Hi, Ducky.
Contact.
I know, I know.
But the problem is that if these ducks fill up on bread, they won't eat the stuff.
That's good for them.
And it can cause ducks to develop something called angel wing.
Angel wing.
That doesn't sound so bad.
Well, it is, Mindy.
Angel wing is a condition that develops in baby ducks when they don't get enough nutrition.
And it can affect how much their wings grow.
In fact, it can make it so the ducks can't fly.
And then they'd have to walk or swim everywhere?
That would be awful.
So you're saying that we should never feed the ducks?
No.
Well, the good news is that if you feel like you really want to feed the ducks, there are some better alternatives.
Like what?
Well, here, I happen to have some in my pocket.
Oh.
Is that kale?
Yeah, I always carry a little kale around with me for munching.
Wait, is that corn peeking out of your pocket, too?
Yep, and I've got some oats, too.
These are pretty safe foods for ducks.
Hey, people think I'm the weirdo.
You want some kale?
See that, Mindy?
Yeah.
All of these nutritious foods are a much healthier alternative for ducks.
But usually when I visit this pond, or any pond really, I actually avoid feeding the ducks.
I just come to take it all in and enjoy a quiet afternoon.
That was a duck.
What?
Kay'll make some gassy.
Say hello, Jed!
Yee-haw!
Our theme song, Wow in the World, was written and performed by The Pop-Ups.
Check them out at thepopups.com.
Big thanks to the kids you heard in today's episode.
Diego and Daniel, you guys were awesome.
Good luck with your mosquito cafe.
Also, we love hearing what's been wowing you.
For a chance to be featured on an upcoming Thursday episode.
Have your grown-ups help you share something that's recently wowed your world by dialing 1-888-7-WOW-WOW.
Thanks again for listening, subscribing, and telling your friends about our show.
We'll be back in just three sleeps for a brand new Thursday edition.
In the meantime, go forth and find your own Wow in the World.
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