Hey, Wowzer fams.
Mindy here.
And before we start the show, do you want to play along with the new season of Two?
What's in a Wow People Who Wow Edition, right from home?
Well, just ask Alexa.
That's right, Reg.
Alexa actually knows who we are.
Seriously, just ask Alexa.
Alexa.
Play me a Two.
What's in a Wow episode from the Wow in the World podcast on Amazon Music, and Alexa will bring our next guest right to your own gingerbread mansion.
Well...
No, Reg, not literally.
I just mean that Alexa brings the episode right to your ear balls.
Anywho, so the next time you're ready to play our Getting to Know You game show, give it a try.
And now, a quick ad break, and then we'll get on with the show.
Proceeded.
Three, two, one, go.
We'll be right back.
Is that our way, Houston?
Okay, everyone huddle up and give me all of your attention and listen to me.
I am going to tell you the rules of the game.
I do not want to do that.
Yeah, we don't do rules.
Right, G-Force?
Yeah.
Huh?
Why?
Well, it's just a little rule I have.
Oh, whatever.
Hmm.
Hmm.
Oh, hi, Reggie.
What are we doing?
Well, we're about to play a game of mosquito tag.
Mosquito tag, eh?
I already won that game.
Take a look at all these skeeter bites on my arm.
Skeet-o-bite there.
Skeet-o-bite there.
What's that big one?
Oh, that one was G-Force.
She thought I was a loaf of bread.
Oopsies.
Hey, everyone.
What's going on here?
Yeah, we saw you out here looking like you were plotting something, so we decided we better interrupt.
Oh, hi, Mindy.
Hi, Guy.
We were just admiring Tommy's mosquito bites before going over the rules for a game of mosquito tag.
Want to play?
Oh, yeah.
I love tag.
Count me in.
Wait a minute.
Thomas Fingerling, it looks like you've already been tagged by mosquitoes several times.
Yep.
What can I say?
Mosquitoes love me.
What the...
Get out of here, Skeeters.
I told you, we're just friends.
Tommy, quit getting bit by mosquitoes and get your head in the game.
I'm trying to get my head in the game.
But these skaters won't quit landing on me.
Okay, everyone.
Here's how Mosquito Tag works.
Grandma G-Force, you're the mosquito.
Why has always gotta be the mosquito?
Because you're a girl, and mosquitoes are always girls.
Well, huh.
What?
Uh, Dennis?
Please hold all of your questions until the end.
Thank you, It's more of a statement of fact.
Oh Well, then please state your fact.
Dennis, mosquitoes are not always girls.
However, female mosquitoes are the only ones who bite.
Wow, is that true?
It's true.
Female mosquitoes bite because they need the nutrients found in blood in order to help develop their eggs.
They need blood so they can make little mosquito babies?
Exactly.
Well, look at that, Fingerling.
All of those bites is helping to make more mosquito babies to bite.
Oh, they better not.
Get out of here now, skeeters.
Get!
I mean, she's not wrong.
All of those welts on your body are proof that your blood has provided the protein and iron needed for a batch of mosquito eggs to turn into mosquito babies.
Also known as larvae.
But what you call a bite is actually more of a sip.
A sip?
Like sipping a drink through a straw?
Like a juice box?
I mean sure the female mosquitoes do have a special needle-like mouth part that works like a tube that they use to poke and pierce through the skin.
Well, you don't say.
Get out of here.
But once it's in, she just sips, using it like a straw.
Stabbing skin and sucking blood through a straw.
Okay, I like this game now.
I'll be the girl mosquito.
Yay!
Then it's all settled.
Now here's how the game works.
First... Wait, wait, wait.
Yes, Tommy?
What about the boy mosquitoes?
What do they do?
Well, I don't know.
Also, we don't have enough players for any boy mosquitoes, so it doesn't matter.
Wait, what do you mean, Thomas Fingerling?
He means if the boy skaters are not biting and sucking everybody's blood out and making eggs, then what are they doing all day long?
Oh!
Well, um... Oh, I got this, Mindy.
Well, see, the male mosquitoes help pollinate plants while feeding on nectar.
So boy mosquitoes aren't bloodsuckers like girl mosquitoes are?
No. only female mosquitoes feed on blood.
To feed her egg babies?
To provide the nutrients for her eggs to grow into larvae, or as you call them, egg babies.
Wow, okay, very cool.
Now, back to the rules of the game.
First rule is... So, why bother even having boy mosquitoes?
What?
Oh, well, see, without the male mosquitoes, there would be no mosquito babies.
Part of the male's job is to mate or connect with the female mosquito to help produce the eggs in the first place.
And then what?
And then it's all on her to find fresh blood to feed on in order to help those eggs turn into baby mosquitoes.
And the cycle continues.
That is no fair.
That's nature.
Huh.
Robbie.
And then what?
What do you mean?
Well, after the boy mosquito finishes doing his egg work, what does he do?
Well, he dies.
Never mind.
I don't want to be a boy mosquito no more.
I already told you, Tommy.
It was never an option.
There are no boy mosquitoes in this game.
Male mosquitoes only live an average of about a week, whether or not they pollinate or mate.
Either way.
Once that's done, it's safe to say that within a couple of days he's Out of the game.
Uh, yeah, like...
Guess you could say that.
Well, thank you, Guy Roz and Mindy, for that very interesting lesson on the life cycle of a mosquito.
Oh, you're welcome, Dennis.
Sure thing.
Now, everyone listen to me as I tell you how this game of Mosquito Tag is played.
Okay, great.
Yeah, really great.
First, we begin with one bloodthirsty girl mosquito.
That's you, Granny G.
We can pretend.
All the lumps of pennies you stole from the mouth fountain are your many eggs.
Okay, that's gross.
It's science.
And Tommy, you are going to be playing the role of... Let me check my notes here.
Yes.
Okay.
A human named Thomas Fingerling.
Ooh, sounds like a real cool dude.
Now, when I blow my whistle and say go, the bloodthirsty Grandma G-Force is going to chase you Tommy, all around trying to tag you and stab you so she can suck your blood through this straw.
Anyone have any questions so far?
Ah!
Yeah, I do.
Sure do.
Yes.
Mindy?
Guy?
Tag and stab?
Sucking blood?
What's wrong?
We're all adults here.
Are we, though?
Yeah, this sounds like a really bad idea.
What do you mean?
Why?
Just because girl mosquitoes carry deadly diseases that they can spread through their bite?
Well, uh... Yeah, you know, it's just that, um... Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.
Grandma G-Force, do you currently have any deadly diseases?
I don't know.
Does this rash look like one to you?
Okay, fine.
We'll skip the stabbing and the blood sucking.
Tagging with your hands only, Granny G. Yeah, whatever.
But now that you mentioned mosquitoes and diseases, did you know that mosquitoes are considered to be the most dangerous creatures on Earth?
More than lions?
Yep.
More than tigers?
That's right.
More than bears?
Much more.
But mosquitoes are so teeny.
And tiny.
That is true.
And while they might not kill directly, some mosquitoes carry deadly diseases and spread them through their bites.
Where'd you come from?
Get away from me, you tiny tears.
But it's important to know that, out of the more than 3700 species of mosquitoes in the world, only a very small number of species is responsible for most of the diseases that are spread.
Oh, yes.
So in most cases, a mosquito bite is going to come from a mosquito who is not infected or carrying disease.
And those bites are generally pretty harmless.
I mean, maybe just like a little itchy bump or something.
That's right, especially in places like North America.
But in some parts of the world, mosquitoes are a really deadly problem.
And scientists are always looking for new clues to help stop them. before they can attack.
Well, that's nice.
Now, can we please stop talking so I can get back to the rules of Mosquito Tag?
So, once the mosquito... That would be Ms.
Mosquito, ma'am.
Thank you.
Yes, once Miss Mosquito Man tags the human Tommy and gets his pretend blood, she has to buzz all the way over here to feed the blood to her little eggs, represented by these bowling pins.
And then...
Mindy joins the game as newly hatched mosquito babies.
And then what?
And then you die.
Damn it!
Okay, fine.
Grandma G-Force takes a three minute time out, lays some more eggs, then jumps back into the game to stab and tag once again.
Please remember, we all agreed, no stabbing, just tagging.
Oh, right, just tagging.
This game is too complicated.
Actually, this is a pretty good rule, because female mosquitoes can lay eggs multiple times during their lives.
But she better act quickly, because the average lifespan of a female mosquito is only about six to eight weeks.
That's right.
So for this game, I will set a timer for six to eight minutes.
And after your time is up, you die.
Okay, Grandma G-Force?
Why?
Because it's the law.
The law of what?
The law of nature.
I don't make the rules.
Uh, yeah, you kind of do, Dennis.
Whatever.
Once Grandma G-Force dies... In the game.
Right.
Once Miss Mosquito Man dies in the game, her little mosquito baby Mindy, hatches and grows up real fast.
And then she's the new stab and tag mosquito lady girl.
Wait.
And then I have to find and tag Thomas Fingerling?
No, Tommy is already dead from Grandma G-Force's deadly mosquito disease.
I don't know if I like this game.
Mosquito Mindy then has to stab and tag Guy Raz.
Once again, we're just tagging.
No stabbing.
Right.
Whatever you say.
Wink, wink.
Um, I have a question, Dennis.
Yes, baby mosquito girl Mindy?
What if we put a scientific twist on this game of mosquito tag?
No, no, wait.
I'm interested in hearing what Mindy has to say here.
Thank you, Guy Raz.
So here's the thing.
What if we made it harder for the mosquito to tag the humans?
Like hide and seek?
Yeah.
I mean, have you ever wondered why mosquitoes seem to attack some people and not even notice others when they're sitting in the same place?
Yeah.
Why do mosquitoes always want to eat me and not G-Force here who's covered in mayonnaise?
What?
I thought it was suntan lotion.
You know, I've always wondered what attracts mosquitoes to some people and not to others, and how they decide to attack.
Well recently, scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, wondered the same thing.
How do mosquitoes decide where to fly?
And how do they know when they've found a human to attack?
Well, judging by the swarm that seems to be circling around Thomas Fingerling here, I'd assume that they're all just following each other.
Like follow the leader?
Well, that's what some scientists originally assumed.
But others wondered if they were actually flying alone and finding these humans on their own.
Well, let's just ask them.
Hey Skeeters, you all know each other or what?
To find the answer, they knew they would have to conduct an experiment.
For this experiment, the scientists built a special room and then invited a whole bunch of mosquitoes inside.
Dear Miss Mosquito Ma'am, I am a scientist and I hereby use the powers invented in me to cordially invite you and your mosquito friends to come to a party at my um clubhouse.
Yeah.
Signed, a real scientist.
And send.
Oh, an email.
Let's see here.
There, mosquito lady.
I blah, blah, blah, come to my new club, blah, blah, blah, party.
Okay, there better be free food there.
What the mosquito didn't know was that the scientist and his scientist friends were actually setting up secret night vision cameras to track every move the mosquitoes made at this party.
Ha ha!
With these cameras, we can spy on the mosquito gals.
Every move will be tracked, and we'll finally know all their deadly secrets.
And then the scientists tested different clues to see what the mosquitoes liked best.
Okay, team, quickly.
The mosquito gals are on their way over and we must put something in this clubhouse that will make them want to stay for a while.
What are some things that mosquitoes might like?
Uh, how about human blood?
Well, yes, obviously that.
What else?
How about heat?
Mosquitoes love heat, especially body heat.
Aha!
Good idea, fellow scientist.
Body heat.
And odors.
Mosquitoes have been known to be attracted to certain odors.
I like it.
I like it.
Odors?
Professor Pigeon, anything to add?
What?
Mosquitoes are famous for their terrible eyesight.
Well then, let's get some colors that really pop in the light of this clubhouse.
Right.
Dark colors.
Now quick, get me a dark colored object.
How about that black ball over there?
Thank you, Professor Pigeon.
Ah, so smooth, so round, so dark.
The mosquitoes will never be able to resist this.
Knock, knock.
Open the door, scientist.
My mosquito girls and me are here to party.
They're here.
Quick, hit the music.
Welcome, ladies.
Welcome to my super cool special PIP Mosquito Clubhouse.
I ran out of blood.
I'll go get some.
Um, you just stay right here and enjoy anything else that stands out to you at this party.
Like, uh, maybe this dark ball perhaps?
With nothing else in the room, the mosquitoes flocked toward the ball.
They examined it for a moment, but quickly checked out.
In the end, they found it pretty uninteresting.
This party is buns.
Come on, ladies, let's get out of here and go find some fresh blood.
Now, how do we get out of here?
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Meanwhile, the scientists were in their laboratory watching the mosquitoes every move.
Oh, no.
Look, fellow scientists.
They were only mildly interested in the dark-colored ball, and now they're trying to leave.
We need to do something that will hold their attention longer.
Quick, what do we have around here?
Uh, let's see here.
Oh, maybe some tiny mosquito lip gloss for their proboscis.
Huh?
What's a proboscis?
You know that little stabby mouth part on their face that they use to pierce skin and suck blood through.
Oh, no.
Lip gloss won't work.
The scientists kept thinking.
A tiny foot bath?
No.
A tiny hot tub?
No.
A tiny charcuterie board?
No.
No, no, no, no.
What is it, Professor Pigeon?
That's it.
Carbon dioxide.
Mosquitoes love it.
But where will we ever find carbon dioxide at this hour?
Well, we are full of carbon dioxide.
Huh?
When we humans exhale, carbon dioxide is what we're releasing from our bodies.
Really?
Then carbon dioxide it is.
I'll just exhale a bunch of carbon dioxide into this little perfume bottle here.
And now I'll go spray it in the clubhouse.
And that's exactly what the scientists did.
More or less.
Hey, ladies.
Just coming in to see what the buzz is.
Let me get this black ball out of your way. put that in here?
This is a very weird party.
Oh, thank you.
Um, I'm still trying to find that blood you were wanting, but in the meantime could I interest you in a little ode to CO2?
Spritz, spritz, spritz.
Ooh la la.
Is that human essence?
Oh, you'll have to excuse me.
I need to go back and check on something.
I'll be back in just a minute.
The mosquitoes eventually found the invisible carbon dioxide, but it took them a while.
And in the end, without the presence of a real human, they just seemed a little confused by it.
What's the point of this CO2 perfume if it's not going to lead us to any human blood?
Okay, team, I'm back.
What are we observing here?
Well, it turns out they were kind of interested in both things the dark color of the black ball and the carbon dioxide.
And when you took the ball away but left the invisible carbon dioxide in the room, the insects slowed down and started to pay attention, almost like they would if a real human were nearby.
But here's the interesting part.
On its own.
Neither one of those things was enough to keep the mosquitoes interested the way an actual human does.
Interesting.
So what are we to do?
How will we ever know how mosquitoes decide where to fly and how they find humans to feed on?
That's it, Professor Pigeon.
We'll give them the dark black ball and the bad breath.
You mean carbon dioxide, right?
Right, whatever.
We'll give them both.
They'll never be able to resist a black ball and some good old CO2 breath.
So the scientists put both the dark ball and the carbon dioxide in the room.
Hey, ladies, I'm back.
And I've got a treat for you.
How about this black ball and a complimentary spritz of something I like to call human breath.
Now that's what I'm talking about.
Let's go, girls.
Come on.
Once the mosquitoes had both the dark ball and the carbon dioxide gas in the same place at the same time.
Ooh, yeah.
Party on, everyone.
Let's party.
They went wild.
Look at them go.
They're circling the ball.
And sticking around.
You're right, Professor Pigeon.
It looks like they're trying to feed on that ball.
You must have tricked them into believing it's human or something.
It was in that moment that these scientists discovered something.
It would appear that the magic combination for attracting mosquitoes is both dark colors and carbon dioxide.
The same carbon dioxide found in human breath.
You're right, Professor Pigeon.
There's only one way to know for certain.
And that is?
And that is to put a real human into the party clubhouse with all the mosquitoes.
Well, where are we going to find a human brave enough to put themselves into a room with a bunch of mosquitoes?
It was in that exact moment that another scientist from the team entered the lab.
Sorry I'm late.
What's going on in the old clubhouse over there?
That place is really buzzing.
Bingo!
Oh, hi, Technician Tommy.
Why don't you go into the clubhouse and see for yourself?
Oh, okay.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Here, first put on this black shirt and white pants.
I think the color combo really suits you.
Why, thank you, fellow scientist.
Okay, now go.
Okey-doke.
And don't forget to breathe through your mouth.
Oh, good idea.
All right.
Now, let's observe technician Tommy on this monitor.
Hey there, everybody.
So what's the buzz around here?
What's that?
Is somebody here?
Oh, hey there.
Is it someone's birthday or something?
I don't think there's nobody here.
Let's go.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Hey, where are you going?
The vibes around here are weird.
As the scientists observed the mosquito's behavior around their fellow researcher, they began to notice something.
Technician Tommy, can you hear us?
What's going on?
Oh, hey there.
The mosquitoes at this party seem very confused.
I can't tell if they're coming or going.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Get out of the way.
Maybe they're confused by your outfit.
Come back over here and let's try all black.
And let's just say that when that scientist walked into the mosquito party wearing an all black suit in a light, bright room while breathing carbon dioxide into the tiny space, he was the bell of the mosquito ball.
Okay, got my black suit on.
Gonna breathe through my mouth.
Let's see how they like me now.
Hey, everybody.
Now that's what I call hot lunch.
Get them, gals.
The scientists discovered that once the mosquitoes detected carbon dioxide on the human's breath, along with the heat and smell of his body, the contrast of his dark suit in the light room helped them to see the target they were aiming for.
My, my, my.
What pungent breath you have.
Why, thank you.
And in the end, this experiment led to one major discovery.
Oh, hi, Technician Tommy.
I have discovered...
Then I do not like mosquitoes.
Okay, two major discoveries.
Aha!
I've got it.
I've made a major discovery.
Mosquitoes use clues like carbon dioxide and breath, body heat, odors and visual clues like contrast or dark colors to help figure out the best path to take to the closest humans.
And when these clues wind up in the same place, consider it an invitation to a mosquito party.
Wow, great story.
Can we get back to the game now?
Oh, yeah, of course, Dennis.
Wait a minute, Mindy.
Yeah, Guy Raz?
You mentioned before the story that maybe this scientific study on mosquitoes could change the way that we play Mosquito Tag.
Oh, yeah, exactly.
So, now that we think we know the essential clues for attracting mosquitoes Dark or contrasting colors and human breath Then why don't we use this combination to attract the mosquito and then, instead of waiting for her to tag us, we trap her?
Mosquito trap!
I love that game!
It's not just a game, Dennis.
The scientists who worked on this study are hoping that, by knowing how to attract mosquitoes, they might be able to come up with more effective ways of trapping them before they could hurt humans.
By using dark colors and bright light and carbon dioxide in an effort to lure them into their traps?
That does seem to be the winning combo.
Okay, let's change games.
Instead of mosquito tag, we're playing mosquito trap.
In this game, the humans have to trick the girl mosquito into attacking them, but when she does, the humans trap her.
Now, Grandma G-Force, you'll be the girl mosquito.
Mindy, you're the narrator.
In this game of tag?
I don't make the rules.
Guy Raz, you're a sassy scientist tinkering in your laboratory.
Wow in the World will be right back after this ad break.
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After the beep, get ready to record.
Hi, my name is Teddy and I'm six years old.
I'm from Corning, Georgia.
And my wow in the world is that sometimes turtles lay their eggs and crocodiles nest.
Say hi to Dennis.
Hi!
Grandma Geforce.
Woohoo!
And Reggie Forney.
Woo!
There once was a lake the size of England and the Sahara.
Hi, Grandma G-Force.
Booyah!
My name is Josephine, and I'm from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
And my law in the world is that horse fetishes are not related to horses or animals.
My practice knows 50,000 species of spiders in the entire world.
Hi, my name is Charlotte, and I'm from Seattle.
Washington, and my vow in the world is that our contender has 270 degrees.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Benny, and I am from upstate New York.
My wow in my world is that French poodles did not actually come from France.
They came from Germany.
Say hi to Grandma G-Force.
Oh, yeah.
Thomas Fingerling.
Chop.
Um, a sleigh cat.
And Dennis and Reggie.
Hi there.
Hi, my name is Ella.
I'm an eight-year-old girl, and my mom in the world is... that jellyfish didn't eat peanut butter.
Bye.
Say hi for Reggie.
End of messages.
Before we get into the credits for today's episode, we want to give some special shout outs and say a huge thank you to some of the wowzers whose families are powering the wow this year.
We broke the names up into two batches and here is our second batch of names.
We are so grateful for your support.
Dekayla from California, Avani and Avir also from California, Martin and Matias from Utah, Penny James and Anna Louise from North Carolina, Lennox and Langston from Arkansas.
Fiona, Bram, and Callum from Wisconsin.
Samuel and Victoria from Louisiana.
Aaron and Eden from California.
Milos from California.
Jonah and Elijah from New Jersey.
Naya, Nuran, Sumitra, and Bivas from New York.
Noah, Hudson, and Ella from Pennsylvania.
Evan and Emma from North Carolina.
Wesley from Virginia.
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Lily and James from Georgia.
Beckett, Harper, Tim, and Annie from Texas.
Josiah, Elijah, and Dad from Texas.
Ellie and Daniel from Michigan.
Alex and Eli from Colorado.
Ethan and Eli from Wisconsin, Kira and Corinne from Illinois, Jack and Nick from Florida Odin, Lyra and Newton from California, Stella and Molly from Illinois.
Carolyn and Theo from Missouri.
Owen and Riley from Canada.
Clark and Finley from Virginia.
Ani and Mia from Massachusetts.
Orly and Beckon from California.
Theo and Mira from Virginia.
Sebastian and Oliver from Michigan.
Charlotte and Dean from New York.
Campbell from Massachusetts.
Nate and Sophie from Hawaii.
Webby and a belated happy birthday to Sanderling from Gilly and Ranger.
From the bottom of our hearts.
And the tops of our brains.
Thank you.
Thanks for listening to this episode of Wow in the World.
If you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call our wow hotline at 1-888-7wowwow for a chance to be featured at the end of the show.
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Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with contributions from me, Guy Raz.
Original sound design and music editing is done by Tyler Thole, with help from our senior production director, Jed Anderson, and audio producer Henry Moskal.
You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis Thomas Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters you hear on our show.
Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker.
Steph Sosa keeps our heads on straight as our executive producer.
And Meredith Halpern-Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.
Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, the Pop-Ups.
Find them at thepopups.com.
Special thanks to our team, including Kristen Yang Thuy Mac, Ali Paksima, Linda Rothenberg and Anna Zagorski, and all of the other Tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.
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