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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!
Be here at the zoo, Reg.
So, where do you think we should go first?
We could visit the lion den that's over there.
Or, let's see.
Oh, there's a giraffe zone.
Maybe tiger land?
Avian world?
Reggie, we were just there last time.
Oh, I think I know why you want to go to avian world.
You just want to see that colorful toucan you've been texting with lately.
Okay, Reg, come on.
Avian world it is.
Isn't this fun, Guy Raz?
Uh-huh.
Is that Guy Raz and Dennis?
Just you and me having a day at the zoo together.
Dennis, you followed me here.
So?
Hey, Guy Razzy!
Dennis!
Over here!
Oh, hey, Mindy.
Hey, Reggie.
What are you two doing at the zoo?
Are you two having...
A side adventure?
Without me?
Yep.
What?
No, no.
We're not having a side adventure.
Aw.
Because for a second there, I thought... I want to go on a side adventure.
No, I told you, Dennis.
You followed me here.
I'm just here to get a photo of the African elephant in the safari zone.
Oh, right.
For your photo challenge thing or whatever.
Wait. photo challenge?
Yeah, I got this new camera last week and I've been putting it to use with this online photo challenge.
Ooh, a new camera?
Fancy!
Show me, show me, show me, show me, show me, show me.
Stop!
I'll show you, I'll show you.
Let me just get it out of the case here.
So shiny!
Yeah, so shiny!
So have you taken any pictures yet?
What's on it?
Well, let me show you what I've photographed so far.
Uh...
So this is a photo of our street.
Here's one of a cloud that looks like a manatee.
Wow, it really does.
Oh, and here's... Wait a minute.
Dennis?
What?
Did you use my camera to take a selfie?
No.
I mean, yeah.
What?
You said you needed to photograph something beautiful and majestic.
And you thought that thing would be you?
Of course I did.
Oh, boy.
Well, that's actually the reason why we're here, Mindy.
The last photo I need to take for my photo challenge is to get a photo of something beautiful and majestic.
And so you came to find me?
Guy Raz?
Aww.
What?
No, no, no, Mindy.
I'm here to take a photo of the elephants.
Remember?
Oh, yeah.
Well, Guy Raz, I don't know how to break this to you, but... What?
What is it, Mindy?
Well, the Safari Zone where the elephants live is closed today.
Safari Zone is closed?
Yeah, I think they're building a new water slide for the hippos or something.
I don't know.
Oh, man.
What am I going to do now, Mindy?
I've got an idea, Guy Raz.
Mindy, I can't take a photo of you.
I'm not talking about me, Guy Raz.
I know where we can find some elephants.
You do?
Yeah.
Where?
Greenland.
Oh, Greenland.
What's Greenland?
Like an amusement park or something?
What?
No, Dennis.
It's a country.
Oh, a country that's only 500 miles from the North Pole.
That's the one.
A country full of lush forests, sandy beaches and, most importantly, incredible wildlife, including elephants.
Uh, hang on.
Are we thinking about the same Greenland, Mindy?
The one owned by Denmark?
Yeah, the country that is two-thirds above the Arctic Circle.
Huh, so not an amusement park then.
I thought we were going to go see elephants, Mindy.
Oh yeah, we are.
Well, Greenland definitely doesn't sound like the kind of place an elephant would live or even want to live.
Oh yeah, there are no elephants in Greenland now.
But there used to be.
What do you mean?
Well, I was just reading about these scientists who were able to take some DNA from permafrost in Greenland.
What?
DNA extracted from some permafrost in Greenland?
Yeah.
And it turns out about 200 million years ago, Greenland was bursting with life.
Dear God.
Crabs, trees, and, most importantly, elephants.
Wow, really?
Really.
Oh, come on, Reg.
You can see that toucan whenever you want.
Guy Raz needs our help for his photo challenge.
Yeah, Reggie.
Wait, what toucan?
What do you say, Guy Raz-y?
Quick trip back in time to two million years ago?
Uh...
Anything for a photo challenge?
Anything for a photo challenge.
Hooray!
Anything for a photo challenge!
Oh, no, Dennis, not you.
I'll be Guy Raz's chief assistant camera carrier.
Now, if you could just please give me... Dennis, don't touch my camera!
Don't!
Don't worry, Guy.
Mother says I'm a very good carrier.
I have the steadiest hands this side of the... Oh, it's okay.
It's okay.
Janice!
Nothing to worry about.
Let's just go with it, Guy Raz.
Come on, everyone.
I've got the wow machine parked right outside.
Alright, come on, everyone.
Hop inside.
Alright.
Oh, buttons!
What's this do?
What's this do?
What's this do?
Dennis, stop touching everything.
See here?
Got it.
Plug in some coordinates here.
Greenland, Cap Covenhaven, two million years ago.
Cap Covenhaven?
Oh, yeah.
That's where the scientists got their permafrost DNA samples from.
Mindy, you keep saying that word.
What word?
Permafrost.
What is permafrost?
Oh, well, it's basically frozen dirt.
Yeah, the technical definition is that it's Earth that's been completely frozen for more than two years.
Yeah, so permafrost means permanent frost.
Well, whatever it is, it sounds delicious.
Think we could stop for one on the way?
What?
A permafrosty or whatever.
I want one.
Dennis, were you listening to a word we just said?
Yes.
I mean, no.
No, I wasn't.
Oh.
Let it go, Guy Raz.
Come on, everyone.
Let's get going.
Everyone strapped in?
Uh, well, I'm trying, Mindy, but I don't see any buckles for this licorice-strapped seatbelt.
And I ate mine.
Oh, yeah, right.
Seatbelts.
That's what I was supposed to put in last week.
Uh, whoopsie.
Well, just hold on tight to something in here.
What?
Because here we go!
No! smooth landing.
Mindy, where do you keep your barf bags again?
Ooh, sorry, but I turned them all into paper hats months ago.
Here, guy, just barf in here.
Oh, wait, no, that's the camera bag.
That was close.
Uh, look, everyone, I think we're here.
Come on, Guy Ross, get your camera ready and let's go find you a... Frozen tundra?
Uh, Mindy, it The lush forest full of wildlife you promised?
Yeah, it just looks like a desert.
A really cold, snowy desert.
I'm going back inside.
I don't understand.
I mean, I put in the right location.
Oh, good idea, Reg.
Let me just check the Plex capacitor again.
You and Guy Raz wait here.
Okay.
Run, run, run, run, run, run.
It sure is chilly out here, Reggie.
Look at all that snow as far as the eye can see.
Okay, everyone.
Problem solved.
Well, what was the problem, Mindy?
Well, it turns out we only traveled through space, not time.
Meaning?
Meaning that we made it to Greenland, but this is modern-day Greenland and not the Greenland of two million years ago.
I see.
So you mean to tell me that this frozen tundra that we're looking at is going to somehow transform into a lush, animal-filled utopia if we just
Go back two million years?
That's exactly what I'm saying, Guy Raz.
Come on, hop back in.
There's no time to lose.
Okay, Mindy, but it's hard to imagine a place like this ever being warm.
Don't underestimate the power of geological time, Guy Raz.
A lot can happen in two million years.
We'll see about that.
Okay, everyone strapped in?
No!
Once again, no seatbelts.
Okay.
Plugging in the coordinates here, two million years ago.
Greenland.
And here we are.
That was a little rougher than last time, Mindy.
Yeah, probably because there's less snow.
Here's hoping.
All right, let me just check to make sure that everything is A-OK.
Yep, and yep.
Two million years in the past and a balmy 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Or 10 degrees Celsius.
That's still balmy.
Pretty chilly, Mindy.
Not exactly balmy.
Yeah, but remember how cold it was just a few minutes ago when we were in present-day Greenland?
It was like negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
So by comparison, this place is positively boiling.
Huh.
And remember, Greenland is only about 500 miles from the North Pole.
And look at this.
It's like jacket weather outside.
Good thing I brought my bikini.
I don't know if it's that bad.
But it is pretty amazing what a difference in temperature two million years can make.
And you think that's amazing?
Check this out.
Oh, wow.
Now that's what I'm talking about.
Mindy, are you sure we're still in Greenland?
Yep.
The same Greenland we were in before with that barren tundra?
Yeah, I told you.
Two million years is a long time.
I know, but this is incredible, Mindy.
It's so green.
Yeah, Greenland.
And you're sure there's elephants here?
Uh, well... Mindy?
Okay, it's time to come clean.
Mindy, there are elephants here, right?
Technically, no.
What?
Mindy... was the whole point of us coming all the way out here for me to get a photo of an elephant okay okay i can explain now while there are no elephants here there are mastodons good question reggie hey mindy what exactly is a mastodon a mastodon is a very close lowest relative of the African elephant that used to live in North America thousands of years ago.
Wow.
Okay.
And they're still beautiful?
Oh, yeah.
So beautiful.
And majestic?
So majestic.
Hmm.
They're basically exactly the same as elephants, Guy Raz, just a little hairier.
Okay, Mindy.
I'm sold.
Great.
Now let's go find you a mastodon.
Follow me, everyone.
This place really is bursting with life, Mindy.
Told you it would be.
Does anyone have any mosquito spray?
I keep getting... Ow!
Bitten!
Sorry, Dennis.
I left all the mosquito spray at home.
So, Mindy, you said you found out about this place from some ice sample?
Close.
A group of researchers found some DNA samples in a permafrost sample.
Which is sort of like an ice sample but also has dirt and other things mixed in there, right exactly, and they were able to tell from that block of permafrost that all of this was here.
All of these trees and birds and stuff yeah, even the mastodons that we're looking for right now all of that information was located inside that permafrost, even though the permafrost was two million years old.
Yeah, pretty bonker balls.
Huh, turns out that that The permafrost sample was jam-packed full of a bunch of DNA.
And DNA is sort of like the instruction manual that lives inside every living thing.
Exact Doritos.
Now, if I were to get a DNA sample from you and run it through the same machines that these researchers used, it would tell me that you were a human being.
Right.
But if they took DNA from Reggie, it would say that he was a pigeon.
And what if they took a DNA sample from me?
I'm not exactly certain what species you are, Dennis.
Yeah, my money's on dog.
So they found DNA in that two million year old Permafrost sample?
You know it.
In fact, they found DNA from 135 different species.
And I would imagine that they then put that DNA through their machines to figure out who each DNA sample belonged to.
Yeah.
That's incredible, Mindy.
I didn't think DNA could last for that long.
Yeah, and you're not the only one.
It even surprised the scientists.
The last oldest DNA sample collected was from a mammoth bone, but it was only about one million years old.
So this DNA is pretty much twice as old as the previous record holder?
Yeah, pretty nuts, huh?
I'll say.
Oh, you're right, Reggie.
Now I want nuts, too.
Did anyone bring any trail mix?
Nobody has trail mix, Dennis.
Ah, nuts.
Hey, Mindy, check it out.
It looks like Reggie's made a friend.
Oh, yeah.
Look at that guy, Roz.
He's so cute with his big floppy ears.
I just want to eat him up.
Just going to squish his little face and poop his nose.
Is that a rabbit, Mindy?
That bunny is actually an arctic hare, which is basically a big rabbit.
How do you know?
Well, it was one of the animals they identified in those DNA samples that they found in the permafrost.
Wow, what else was in there?
Well, there was a lot of birch tree DNA.
Which I'm guessing was the result of this forest we're standing in right now.
You know it.
And there was some caribou DNA in there.
Which I believe is just another name for reindeer.
And of course, there was the one...
And only... Uh, Mindy?
Mastodon!
Hey, Guy Razzi!
I can't wait to snap a photo of one, Mindy, and complete my photo challenge!
I'm excited for you too, buddy!
Mindy!
So, what are we looking for?
Well, the Mastodon was about the same size as an African elephant and it had a great big hairy trunk.
That goes impression of a mastodon, Guy Raz.
Uh, Mindy, that wasn't me.
Uh, so that was Reggie?
Dennis?
Uh, no, wasn't me.
Uh-oh.
Mastodon!
Oh, cut me a line!
Run, run, run, run.
Dennis, give me Guy Raz's camera.
What?
What?
Trust me.
Okay, fine.
There.
Thank you.
Mindy, this is not the time.
Yeah, Mindy, this is not the time.
But make sure you get my gun sign.
All right, everyone, say Greenland!
Greenland!
Got it!
Yes!
Thanks, Mindy.
Yeah, no problem, Guy Razzi.
Oh, wait, Dennis blinked.
Sorry.
Everyone say, oh no, a Mastodon's about to catch us!
Mindy!
Oh no, a Mastodon is about to catch us!
Man, bleeped again!
One more time!
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 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.
My name is Darcy.
I live in Georgia.
My wow in the world is that Arctic foxes have fur that changes color to help them blend in with their surroundings in different seasons.
Say hi to Grandma DeForest.
Did somebody call my name?
Thomas Fingerling and Dennis.
Who, me?
Hi there.
Bye.
My name's Ben.
I live in Ohio.
My wow in the world is that cows eat your food and then they spit it up and Say hi to Ready For Me.
Bye.
Hello, my name is Fiona.
I live in Washington, D.C.
And my wow in the world is that adults have 206 bones and kids have 300 bones.
I'm not static, man.
Bye.
Hello, Mindy and Guy Ross.
My name is Cormac, and I live in Boise, Idaho.
And my one rule is that there's a new species of peacock spider in South Australia.
And the name of the species is Sparkle Muffin.
And can Grandma Judy Ford say hi to my mom?
Bonjourno.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Ross.
My name is Ellie.
I live in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
My wow in the world is that some plants don't have roots.
Hi, Nadine, Guy, Roz.
I'm Gigi.
I live in New York and I am seven years old.
My wow in the world is that sharks have been around longer than dinosaurs.
Love your show.
Say hi to Dennis for me.
Hi!
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 tyler thole with help from our supervising producer, jed anderson.
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 Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, The Pop-Ups.
Find them at thepopups.com.
Special thanks to Steph Sosa, Henry Moskal, Ruth Morrison, Rebecca Caban, Kit Ballinger, Sana Ali Muhammad, Anna Zagorski and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.
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 about upcoming events, shop our Wow shop, find our best-selling books and learn about all of our other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.
Grown-ups, you can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Wow in the World.
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, keep on wowing!
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
