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Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I gotta 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!
Mindy?
Mindy, you really scared me there.
Oh, yeah.
Sorry.
I'm wearing my sneakers.
Presumably for sneaking?
Exactly.
So, you ready to go?
Ready to go?
Go where?
To our dance class.
Dance class?
Yeah, the one that we signed up for last week.
Remember?
I don't remember that at all, Mindy.
So, you got some dancing shoes to wear?
Dancing shoes?
No Mindy, I'm wearing my ethically sourced vegan leather sandals, like I always do when the weather's this nice.
Hmm, yeah, those are not going to be great for dancing.
Too much air resistance.
But, lucky for you, I've got just the thing in my adventure toolkit here.
Uh-huh.
All right, let me just take a look in here.
Oh, here we go.
Here, try these on.
Clown shoes?
Mindy, those are worse than my sandals.
Yeah, you're right.
Uh, hang on.
I've got something else here.
Ooh, tap shoes.
Well, they're a little noisy.
Okay, let me just keep looking here.
Oh, another pair of sneakers.
What size are you, Guy Raz?
Uh, a 10.
Perfect.
I've got one 9 and one 11.
Uh...
There.
Dancing shoes are on.
Now what?
Now we walk down to the dance studio.
Come on.
Follow me.
It's just down the road here.
All right.
Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk.
So what is this dance class anyway, Mindy?
Hip hop?
Tap?
Ballroom?
I've actually got a little bit of experience with the Lindy Hop.
Oh, there will be no Lindy Hopping at this dance class, Guy Raz.
Check out this flyer.
Wait a minute, Mindy.
What?
Is that a picture of... Yep.
Dennis and Grandma G-Force?
You know it.
Mindy, why are Grandma G-Force and Dennis' faces on this flyer?
Because it's their dance class, Guy Raz.
They're teaching it.
Huh.
Let's see here.
Dancing for self-defense?
Uh-huh.
You know, to fight off ferocious predators.
But I don't have any predators.
Well, maybe not now, but you can never be too prepared, Guy Raz.
Plus, this whole class is inspired by a new scientific study that just came out about these fish from Mexico who dance away their predators.
They dance for self-defense?
Yep.
Huh.
Oh, look, we're here.
The Fancy Pants Dance Center?
Oh, man, I forgot to wear my fancy dance pants.
Mindy...
Isn't this where we took those cockroach karate classes?
Oh, yeah, they share the same space.
Monday through Thursday, dojo.
Friday through Sunday, dance studio.
Come on, let's go inside.
The class is about to start.
Hello?
Anyone here?
Where is everyone, Mindy?
I don't know.
What do we do?
Well, it seems like the music is coming from down this hallway, so I guess we should Follow the music.
Usually works for me.
Come on.
Follow, follow, follow, follow.
So this dance class is based off a dance that some fish in Mexico do to help fend off predators?
Yeah.
These scientists from Germany studied these tiny little Mexican fish called sulfur mollies.
How small are we talking?
Oh, only around four inches or seven centimeters long.
That is pretty small.
Yeah, but they have strength in numbers.
Well, what do you mean?
When they go swimming, they always go with thousands of their closest fish friends.
Whoa, you mean that in these groups of fish, there are thousands of them at any given time?
Uh-huh.
And that's not even the bunker balls part.
When these fish move around, they do it in this choreographed way.
Choreographed, huh?
Kind of like a dance?
Yeah.
Did someone say dance?
Thomas Fingerling!
What's up?
Mr. Fingerling, are you here for the dance class, too?
Yep.
Been taking dance classes here since I was a boy.
Of course, back in my day, it wasn't called dancing.
It was called booty scooching.
And the hottest booty scooch was the Bayside Shuffle.
It went a little something like this.
You see?
You want to get the leg knuckles popping real good.
Leg knuckles?
You mean your knees?
You got your words, I got mine.
Mr. Fingerling, I think the class is starting.
Oh, right.
Yeah, should we all go inside?
Right behind you, Mandy.
Check, check, check, check.
Oh, yeah.
Okay, good.
Attention, everyone.
Excuse me.
Hello?
Mindy, I still don't understand what business Dennis and Grandma G-Force have teaching a dance class.
I mean, do they have any experience?
Well, Grandma G-Force did used to be a regional ballroom dancing champion back in the day.
Really?
I wouldn't have guessed that.
But Dennis?
Yeah, I'm not so sure about that.
I'm trying to start the class.
Excuse me.
Yikes.
OK.
Well, that's more like it.
Thank you, Grandma G-Force.
And hello, everyone.
Are you all ready to dance?
I can't hear you.
You can clap.
All right.
Welcome to our very first Dance Dance Defense Solution class.
I never agreed to that name.
This class is fun, functional and it has a terrific name that we all agreed on Granny G Ah hush puppy.
Okay, well, Grandma G-Force, you want to start us off?
Well, okay.
Now, this class ain't your grandmama's dance class, I'll tell you what.
It is So I better not see no pirouettes or cliers out there.
That's right.
This class is about coordinated defense.
Flesh mob style.
It's about kicking some batut by hitting them with a bit of razzle dazzle.
The moves that we will be teaching today are the perfect way to fend off any pesky predators.
I don't have any pesky predators.
Not yet.
Oh.
Oh.
Uh, okay.
Everyone arrange into a straight line across the studio.
I'm just going to get the music going here.
Uh, huh.
It's not working.
Did you done gone and bust my space?
Speaker system again, boy?
Uh, no, I didn't break it.
Maybe I broke it.
Yeah, I broke it.
Give me a second, give me a second.
Grandma J-Force, this stereo is a delicate piece of technology.
So, uh, Mindy?
Uh-huh? exactly are these dance moves supposed to keep us safe from predators?
Well, didn't you hear Grandma G-Force?
It's all about hitting them with a little razzle-dazzle.
Yeah, I heard, Mindy, but I still don't get it.
Okay, well, remember how I was telling you about that scientific study before?
The one about those sulfur molly fish from Mexico?
Yeah, well, those fish have a of predators in the wild.
You mean there are a bunch of animals that want to gobble them up for lunch.
Oh, yeah.
These fish are a real delicacy for certain birds.
So to avoid getting eaten, you'll never guess what they do.
They dance?
You know it.
Oh, there.
There, there, there.
I got it.
Well, I told you it just needed a good wallop.
All right, everyone.
Follow my lead.
OK.
One.
One, two, three, four.
You get that?
No.
Okay, let's go again.
One, two, three, four.
One, two, three, four.
One, two, three, four.
Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
I won!
Watch where you're dancing!
Mindy, when you gave me these dancing shoes, you gave me two left feet.
I can't stop dancing in counterclockwise circles.
One, two, three, four.
Great job, everyone.
Let's take five.
Take five what?
Gummy bears?
Are there gummy bears here?
No, Tommy.
There isn't any candy.
Take five minutes to rest and catch your breath.
I don't need to catch my breath.
Yeah, me neither.
I said take five minutes.
Well, huh.
So, Mindy, let me get this straight.
These sulfur molly fish hit These predator birds with a flashy dance routine to protect themselves?
Yeah.
You see, these researchers from Germany noticed something interesting about these fish when their pond's surface water was disturbed.
Like if something fell in and made a splash?
Yeah, or if a bird swooped in and tried to pick one of them out for their lunch.
Right, what happened?
Well, as soon as they noticed anything that caused the water in the pond to ripple, the fish started to dance.
What?
Yeah, the fish broke out into this wave-like rhythmic dance.
Whoa, what do you mean?
Well, from the surface, it kind of looked like ripples dancing across the water's surface.
And these researchers thought that this dance move was to try and confuse their parents and make them attack less often.
Exact Doritos, Guy Raz.
And was it true?
Well... Ahem, okay!
Has everyone caught their breath now?
I mean, I suppose.
No.
All right, great!
So, for this next part of the dance class...
We're going to have G-Force dress up as a predatory bird and we're all going to have to work together to confuse her into not eating us.
I got my eye on you, Mr. Spectacles.
You're looking awfully tasty.
Me?
I'm going to go get changed.
What?
Go get changed?
Grandma G-Force, why didn't you get changed during the break?
Oh, sorry.
Couldn't hear that.
OK, everyone.
Let's take five again.
Now, when you say take five, would there by any chance be some, uh... No, Tommy!
There are no gummy bears!
Rats.
So what did the researchers find, Mindy?
Did the fish dancing really help them from getting eaten?
It sure did.
It reduced the amount of times that the birds attacked them?
Yeah, and not only that, it also helped them to survive when the birds did attack.
Ah!
Because it was harder for the birds to zone in on a single fish when they were all moving around so much.
I mean, that's what the scientists think.
So the whole dancing for self-defense thing really did work.
Looks like it.
The researchers recorded over 200 sessions where these birds were hunting for the sulfur molly fish and found that when the fish were dancing, birds were only successfully able to snatch a fish out of the water just 25 of the time.
Wow.
So out of the 200 hunting sessions they watched the birds only came back with a fish in 50 of them.
Yep.
And the birds waited twice as long between swoops when the fish were dancing.
It's as if they knew that when the fish are dancing, they would have less of a chance of catching them.
So the birds waited longer, waiting for the fish to stop dancing, so they'd have a better chance of catching them.
You know it.
Wow, that's pretty incredible, Mindy.
So the lesson of this story is never stop dancing.
Well, seems like a pretty good safety tip if you're a fish Mindy, but I don't know if it applies so much to us humans.
Well...
Thank y'all, and I'm here to kiss somebody.
Grandma G-Force?
Why is she dressed up like a turkey?
Because we couldn't find an egret costume, or a kingfisher, or a kiskadee.
Gobble, gobble.
That's one fearsome-looking bird.
Quick, everyone, start dancing before the bird of prey gets you.
I'm looking at you, garage.
I'm coming for you.
My name is Guy Raz, not Garage.
Quick, Guy Raz.
Keep on dancing.
She's coming straight for me, Mindy.
Come on, come on.
Remember, Guy Raz, never stop dancing.
Never stop dancing.
Wow in the World will be right back.
Grown-ups.
This message is for you, 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 wowser learn about their world through play plus 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 tinkercastcom slash toys.
That's tinkercastcom slash toys Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Maggie and I'm from Boston, Massachusetts.
And my wow in the world is that butterflies land on people because they like the taste of their sweat.
Say hi to Grandma G-Force.
What'd you say?
Thomas Fingerling.
Dennis.
Hi there.
And Dennis, I love your work at static management.
It's really interesting.
Well, I mean, that goes without saying.
And also, say hi to Reggie.
Woof, woof, woof. and the sleigh cats, especially Steve.
Bye.
My name is Aaron Bell, and I'm from Maryland.
And my wow in the world is that the winds on Neptune blow faster than the speed of sound.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Ross.
My name is Aiden.
I live in Lehigh, Utah.
I'm 10 years old, almost 11.
And my wow in the world is that vacuums used to be horse-drawn.
My name is Ethan.
I live in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
I'm eight years old.
My wow is that in British Columbia, Canada, there is a spotted lake.
The colored polka dots on its surface are minerals, or as Mindy might like to call them, Mindy rolls.
Hi, my name is Guy Ross.
My name is Eleanor, and I live in Lindenhurst, Illinois.
And my wow in the world is is that giraffe tongue is shades of purple, blue and black, which prevents it from getting sunburned.
Say hi to Thomas Fingerling, Grandma G-Force, and Dennis.
Hi!
Bye!
Hi, Mindy and Guyraz.
I'm Elan from Alpine, Utah.
My wow in the world is that sloths are three times faster in water than they are on land.
Please say hi to Reggie for me.
Also, Reggie, can I get an autograph?
Bye! the fairest one of all.
And Grandma G-Force for me.
Oh, isn't that nice?
Hi, Mindy and Guy Raj.
My name is Thomas, and I live in Warner Robins, Georgia.
My wow is that scientists say that dinosaurs may have not roared, that they probably did cooing or mumbling sounds instead.
Say hi to Thomas Fingerling, Dennis, Dennis, And Static Man.
Oh, and Grandma G-Force.
Say what?
I challenge you to a dance battle.
Well, hum.
End of messages.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me.
Original sound design and music editing is done by our senior producer Jed Anderson and Tyler Thull.
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 and Meredith Halpern-Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.
Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, The Pop-Up.
Find them at thepopups.com.
Special thanks to the rest of our team of tinkerers, including Anna Zagorski, Rebecca Caban, Kit Ballinger and Henry Moskal.
To keep the wows rolling, visit us at tinkercast.com.
There you can learn more about becoming an official member of the World Organization of Wowsers.
Learn more about upcoming events.
Shop our shop and pick up a copy of our new number one New York Times bestselling book, The How and Wow of the Human Body.
Grownups, you can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at wowintheworld.
And our email address is hello at tinkercast.com.
And if you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call us at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of our show or an upcoming episode of Two What's and a Wow.
Thanks again for listening, and until next time... Be fun wowing!
Wow!
Made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
