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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 7pm 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!
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Your portal to the original universe Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where they have flying dragons too.
It's about science where no spells are required.
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Take a behind-the-gates bus tour for an exclusive look at NASA's legendary launch sites and the future of space exploration.
Visitors also have the chance to meet an astronaut.
Talk about a core memory in the making.
And get this, our friends at Kennedy Space Center have offered our listeners $7 off admission.
Just use code WOW at checkout.
With missions to Mars, rocket launches, and deep space exploration...
No trip to Orlando is complete without landing at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Discover something real.
Anyone would just abandon a perfectly good drive-thru car wash.
I mean, just imagine what would have happened to it if i didn't find it first.
What do i plan to do with it?
Like i even have a choice reggie, i have to rescue it.
What do you mean?
I can't rescue a car wash?
Well, i can't just leave it here and let it be abandoned a second time.
That would be cruel.
Now i'll Just get my lasso out of my adventure toolkit here.
Okay, here we go.
Now I'm just gonna swing it over the entire car wash here and then we're going to Oh hey, Mindy.
I didn't expect to see you at the car wash today.
Oh, hey, Guy Raz.
I was just coming over here to get my electric scooter waxed, and is anyone working here today?
I'm afraid not, Guy Raz.
Sadly, this car wash has been abandoned.
Abandoned?
Yeah.
So Reggie and I I'm sorry, I completely on my own, without any help from Reggie at all have decided to rescue it.
You want to rescue a car wash?
What?
And you don't?
Wow.
I really thought I knew you better, Guy Raz.
Here, help me swing this lasso over the car wash.
Are you sure this is a good idea, Mindy?
Yes.
Of course I'm not sure this is a good idea, Guy Raz.
Oh, hi, Mindy.
Hi, Guy.
I thought I would find you here.
Really?
Why?
Because I followed you here.
Dennis, I told you to stop doing that.
And I told you no!
Well, as long as you're here Dennis, then maybe you can help me get this car wash back to my gingerbread mansion.
Huh?
Wait, that's why you're tying a lasso to the car wash?
You want to drag it home with you?
Of course I want to drag it home with me, Guy Raz.
Why else would I be tying a lasso to the car wash?
But this place has been here for 50 years, Mindy.
It's cemented and polished. bolt it to the ground.
Well, I believe in you, Mindy.
Thank you, Dennis.
But I'm not going to help.
What?
Yeah, this is where I draw the line, Mindy.
Well, fine.
If no one's going to help me rescue this car wash, then I'll just have to do it myself.
Oh.
Okay.
All right.
Lasso securely lassoed.
Also called a lariat.
And on the count of three, I'm just going to pull until I get this thing in motion.
Simple physics.
Physics are not on your side this time, Mindy.
One, two, three, pull!
Here, let me try this again.
One, two, drive-through car wash, Mindy.
It's going to weigh a little more than a puppy.
Come on, Mindy.
You can do it.
Not giving up.
I'll rescue you car wash.
One, two, three.
Coming home with me!
Oh!
There, got it.
Now, who's going to help me drag it back to my gingerbread mansion?
Oh, no, I couldn't.
I'm super busy.
Oh, well, I just remembered I have to go to bed.
Bed?
Wait, Guy Raz?
You're going to bed?
Okay, fine.
I'll help.
Dennis?
Dennis?
Will you take me out for ice cream after?
Sure, whatever you want, Dennis.
I want two scoops.
Dennis!
Oh, fine.
One really big scoop, then.
Okay, Mindy, how are we going to do this?
I really do have to go to bed in seven or eight hours.
Okay, Dennis, Reggie, you're going to push from the back of the car wash, okay?
Aye, aye, Captain Ice Cream!
And Guy Raz, you're going to help me pull from the front.
So grab hold of this lasso here.
Lariat!
Okay.
And when I say pull, we're going to start pulling this car wash down the road and we're not going to stop until we reach my gingerbread mansion.
Okay, everyone?
One, two, three. through rush hour traffic.
How long do you think this is going to take, Mindy?
I don't know.
I've never dragged an entire car wash to my house before.
Hey, Mindy.
I've been thinking.
I'm going to name Sprinkles on my ice cream, OK?
You got it, Dennis.
Sorry.
I just need to stop to take a little break, Mindy.
But, Guy Raz, we're in the middle of a four-way intersection.
That's never stopped you before.
That's true.
Hey, Dennis, Reg.
What?
We're taking a quick break.
Will you two direct traffic until we're ready to move again?
Fine.
But then I get to upgrade to a waffle cone.
Whatever you want, Dennis.
Take a load off.
So, Guy Raz, while we rest here, you read any good science studies lately?
Oh, well, you know, I did just read this fascinating discovery in the journal iScience.
Oh, what was it about?
Well, it's about how certain cetaceans interact with coral reefs in the Red Sea, off the coast of Egypt.
Cetaceans.
Oh, you mean like marine mammals?
You know, whales, porpoises, dolphins?
Yeah, and in this case, bottlenose dolphins.
Oh, bottlenose dolphins are my favorite dolphins.
They always look like they're smiling.
They are pretty adorable.
You know, Guy Raz, I actually speak bottlenose dolphin.
You do?
Uh-huh.
So you were saying that the study has something to do with the way these dolphins were interacting with the coral reefs?
Yeah, so the story begins in 2009.
Ooh, I feel a story time coming on.
In 2009, a biologist named Angela Ziltaner was observing bottlenose dolphins in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt.
Uh, time out.
What?
Sorry, when you say biologist, you're talking about a scientist who studies living organisms like plants and animals, right?
That's right.
Okay, time in.
Okay, so while Dr. Ziltaner was observing these dolphins, she began to notice something unusual.
Unusual?
Like were they wearing clothes?
What?
No.
Well, then what was so unusual about the dolphins?
Well, she noticed that as they swam through the big, bushy, spongy, soft coral...
They took the time to rub their bodies up against specific spots that contained specific corals and sponges.
So that would be like you or me walking through an active car wash and leaning into specific spots on specific brushes and sponges to maximize the soapy massage powers.
Wait, what?
Mindy, stop interrupting the story.
Sorry, sorry.
Got car washes on the brain.
Thank you.
Guy, I have a question.
Yes, Dennis?
What's a coral?
Dennis, you're really interrupting the flow of this story.
Well, I'm curious, and I have a question.
Oh, I got this, Guy Raz.
So Dennis coral is a type of living sea creature that mostly lives in warm tropical waters, but stays in one spot for their whole adult life.
They can also look a lot like bright, colorful underwater fireworks or plants.
Huh.
Yeah, and when you have a lot of coral living together in one place, they form what is called a coral reef.
Oh, got it.
Thanks.
Also, can we start moving again?
I'm starting to feel like I'm a coral standing here at this intersection.
And Reggie does too.
We're basically a reef now.
Yeah, fair point.
We should probably start moving again.
Okay, let me grab my lasso here.
Let's get back to dragging this car wash back to my gingerbread mansion.
Okay, come on, Reggie.
Oh, quit whining.
There's going to be ice cream when we're done.
Moving again on the count of three.
One, two, three.
Mind if I get back to the story I was telling you about this scientific study I read?
The one about the dolphins and coral reefs?
Oh, sure, Guy Ross.
Anything to distract me.
Okay, now, where was I?
You were saying how the dolphins swam through a car wash of coral and rubbed up against their favorites.
Okay, uh, something like that.
Hmm.
Once Dr Ziltaner observed the dolphins rubbing up against specific corals and sponges, she noticed something else, something about the way they were doing it.
What did she notice, Guy Raz?
Yeah, what did she notice, Guy Raz?
Well, she noticed that the whole system created by these dolphins was extremely well organized.
Oh, just like you, Guy Raz.
That's right. the dolphins would line up and take turns rubbing against particular corals.
They took turns?
So Dr. Ziltaner set off on a quest to discover why.
After all, this was the first time any scientist had ever observed dolphins doing this in the wild.
Huh, and you mentioned that they would rub their bodies on specific corals as they worked their way through the reef.
Yes, they seemed to prefer certain corals over others.
So they had their favorites.
Like a favorite ice cream.
Exactly.
Out of the hundreds of coral species in the reef, the dolphins seemed to only seek out a select few.
And after rubbing their bodies on them, Dr Zoltaner would notice that these specific corals would leave stains on the dolphin's skin.
Oh, Mindy!
I noticed earlier that you had a stain on your skin.
It's right above your lip, under your nose.
Oh, that's not a stain, Dennis.
It's my signature chocolate milk mustache.
Oh.
So, Guy Raz, what was so special about these specific corals that the dolphins just couldn't get enough of?
Well, that brings me to the next stage of the study, Mindy.
Dr Ziltaner wondered if the dolphin's unusual behavior could have something to do with the mucus that these corals exude.
Wait, mucus?
As in snot?
Coral snot?
Well, yeah.
So Dr. Ziltaner reached out to Gertrude Morlock, a chemist from Germany.
And Dr Morlock agreed to help her investigate these corals to learn what it was about them that made them so attractive to these dolphins.
Huh.
Mindy!
Are we almost there?
Reggie's getting sweaty.
And Frankie.
Uh, yeah.
Yeah, we are, Dennis.
I can see my gingerbread mansion right over there.
Come on, just a little further.
Also, what are you going to Great question, Dennis.
Sorry, Dennis.
I can't hear you real well back there.
I said, what are you going to do?
Okay, Ross.
Back to the story of this dolphin study.
Okay, well, this brings us to the summer of 2019.
Many years later, after Dr Ziltaner first discovered the dolphins lining up to rub against these corals.
And at this point she's enlisted the help of that chemist, Dr Morlock, to help figure out what was in all that coral mucus right.
That's right.
So, with permission, because coral reefs are protected, Dr Ziltaner and Dr Morlock were able to take a few small samples of these corals back to the lab for examination.
Ah, they wanted to discover what chemicals were inside all that mucus.
And they did.
They did?
They did?
They did.
And what the scientists found was a bunch of different chemicals in the corals known to provide a sort of sunscreen to boost the immune system and help keep skin healthy.
So it turns out that the coral reef might actually be serving as sort of a drive-thru health spa for dolphins.
It sure seems like it.
Dolphins can be prone to skin rashes and fungal infections, and it turns out that this coral mucus could be used as a sort of lotion or cream to help them treat these things on their skin.
Wow!
I'm just gonna... Oh, look!
We're here!
Finally!
So now what, Mindy?
What do you mean?
Well, what are you going to do with this car wash?
What am I going to do with it?
Yeah, I mean, now that it's your responsibility, you should probably have a plan for taking care of it.
Oh, yeah.
Well, this might shock and surprise you, Guy Raz, but I didn't really think this through.
Now, Mindy, you can turn this car wash into a drive-through health spa for humans.
You just pull your car up, open all your windows, and drive through.
Dennis, that's a ridiculous idea.
Dennis!
Great idea.
What?
Sort of like a coral reef, but for humans.
Yeah, and instead of corals and sea sponges exuding mucus, you can just have the brushes and sponges shooting out cream to treat my eczema.
Oh, yeah, and special healing soaps and sunscreens and moisturizing lotions.
Yeah!
Uh, Mindy?
And wrinkle creams and sour creams and creams of wheat.
Mindy?
And we can name it The Drive-Thru Dolphin Spa, since the inspiration for this came from those dolphins in that study.
Oh, and the sign will be written in human and dolphin.
Mindy!
Yes, Sky Ross?
What is it?
Did you happen to notice a sign on the front door of this car wash before you decided to rescue it?
Uh, no, because I never read signs, Sky Ross.
Well, maybe you should have read this one, Mindy.
Why?
What does it say?
The sign says, we are on a lunch break.
The car wash will reopen in 30 minutes.
Oopsie.
Mindy.
I don't get it.
How does a car wash eat lunch?
It doesn't have a mouth.
Oh, I see.
The car wash didn't eat lunch.
The staff running the car wash were eating lunch and the car wash was never abandoned and we have to return the car wash.
Well, I guess that means two scoops of ice cream for me after all.
Right, Mindy?
Mindy!
Guy, quit complaining.
Two scoops.
Wow in the World will be right back.
Grown-ups, this message is for you.
Hey, grown-ups, it's Mindy and Guy Raz 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.
Grownups.
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 Tinkercast.com slash toys. to record.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Mila, and I'm nine years old.
I live in Columbus, Ohio.
My wow in the world is that Titan boa was the largest snake that ever lived.
It was longer than a school bus and dined on 20-foot-long crocodiles.
Say hi to Dennis, Reggie, and Thomas Fingerling and Grandma G-Force for me.
And my wow in the world is that jellyfishes don't have brains or bones.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Daniel, and I live in Pensacola, Florida.
My wow is that in space, astronauts need to swallow their toothpaste.
Say hi to Grandma G-Force.
Say what?
Baby B. I'm the baby.
Wah, wah.
Someone changed my diaper.
Wah, wah.
And Reggie.
Hi, Mindy and Gray Ross.
My name is Edie, and I live in Park City, Utah.
And my wow in the world is that lobsters pee through their eyes.
Hi, I'm Elle from Buffalo, Washington.
My wow in my world is that oxymorons can regrow parts of their bodies, including parts of their brain.
Say hi to Dennis.
Hi there.
Reggie.
Grandma DeForest.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I couldn't hear that.
Thomas Bingley.
And your sly cats, Mindy.
And Buffy the horse.
And bye!
Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Sage, and I live in Durango, Colorado.
And my wow is ladybug spots are used to their predators to make them think that they're poisonous.
Say hi to Grandma G-Force, Reggie, and Thomas Fingerling, and Dennis Fermi.
Howdy.
Bye.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Ross.
My name is Liam, and I'm seven years old.
I'm from Los Angeles, California.
My law in the world is that if you eat too many carrots, your skin will change orange.
Hello.
My name is Paul from Maple Valley, Washington.
My law in the world is that the planet Uranus was almost named George.
Say hi to Reggie, Dennis, Grandma G-Force, and Thomas Fingerling for me.
Oh, snap.
I'm the fairest one of all.
Bye.
Love your show.
End of messages.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me, Guy Raz.
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 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-Ups.
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 Wowzers.
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 Wow in the World.
And our email address is hello.wow. 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, keep on wowing!
Wow in the world was made by Tinkercast. and sent to you by Wondery.
