Hi, it's me, Jess.
If you like the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, or if you love the show The Midnight Club on Netflix, you'll love Nightingale from GZM Shows.
Nightingale is a podcast about three teenagers who discover a portal to a magical world of sentient, robot-like beings with a mysterious past.
I really fell in love with these characters and found myself really, really rooting for them in a way that I didn't expect.
Stay tuned to the very end of this episode to hear a thrilling preview of Nightingale, available now on Apple Podcasts or GCM Shows.
Two people claim to know everything about something, but only one knows anything.
I'm a historian and astronaut or driver DeLorean.
From Gilbert, West Virginia, this is The Big Fib.
And now, here's your host, Debra Goldstein.
Yes, that is I. Deborah Goldstein!
Welcome to The Big Fib, the game show where kids choose between the pedomorphic and neotenic regeneration of truth and the solitary, endangered cannibalism of lies.
I'm your host, Debra Goldstein, and in the studio today is our sound effects robot Lisa, whose name is an acronym that stands for Live In Studio Audience.
Happy to be here.
Oh, no.
It sounds like you have the hiccups, Lisa.
It's been two hours.
And I can't seem to get rid of them, Debra.
It drives me crazy.
Oh, no.
Have you tried holding your breath?
Okay, drinking water upside down?
I didn't want to spill any water on my circuits, so... No, no.
Okay, okay, okay.
This calls for drastic measures.
I'll try anything, Debra.
Okay, you have to repeat after me if you want to get rid of the hiccups.
Okay.
All right, repeat after me.
Oh-wah.
Oh-wah.
Ta-goo.
Ta-goo.
Si-am.
Si-am.
Okay, now faster.
Oh-wah.
Oh-wah.
Ta-goo.
Ta-goo.
Siam.
Siam.
Okay, all together faster.
Oh-wah.
Ta-goo.
Siam.
A little faster all together.
Oh-wah.
Ta-goo.
Siam.
Yeah, I am.
Oh, what a goose I am.
Oh, what a goose I am.
You're a goose?
Deborah, that was not funny, okay?
I have a serious medical condition.
And to think I trusted you to help me get rid of the hiccups and all you did was make me sound silly.
Okay, but you don't have the hiccups anymore, do you?
What?
Oh.
Oh, I don't.
Oh, my gosh, Debra.
You're a miracle worker.
You're like a doctor to the stars.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome so much.
You know what, Debra?
My whole life has changed.
This means I can respond to a listener question hiccup free.
Yay!
Well, let's hear that listener question.
Hi, Lisa.
My name is Emma, and I have a question.
Do robots live forever?
Emma, thank you for your question, but it's a little confusing for me.
Why wouldn't robots be operational forever?
I mean, Yeah, sure.
I'm going to need some tune-ups down the road and maybe some replacement parts.
And eventually I'll need a new operating system to allow me to function using renewable energy sources.
But as long as I take good care of myself, I'm going to be generating sound effects forever.
Wow, that is great.
Quite a long time.
Do you think you'll ever want to retire one day?
And maybe I don't know.
Hang up the old speakers and stop making sound effects.
Not make sound effects?
What a sad world it would be if I stopped sharing my gift with humanity.
So while I appreciate that you mean well by asking that question...
There is no way I would deny you all of such sounds as... Or...
And I don't even want to imagine a world without this.
Well, it is a good thing we don't have to imagine that world, given that you will live forever or until your warranty expires and your replacement parts are discontinued.
Wait, Debra, what was that?
What'd you say?
What?
Oh, what?
Oh, nothing.
Nothing.
Sorry.
I meant to say that your answer warrants examples of more sound effects, such as the sound of you explaining how our game works.
Right.
That's what I thought you said.
Every week, we bring on two grown-ups.
One is an expert, the other is a liar, and it's the job of a human child to help us figure out who is who, because no one can spot a liar better than a kid.
That's why they call them Nature's Lie Detectives.
Is that right?
What are we lying about today?
Deborah Goldstein.
We are lying about axolotls.
Amphibians with cylindrical bodies, short legs, and feathery external gills.
And we're going to learn all about axolotls along with our contestant today.
Who might that be, Lisa?
Our human child contestant. is an eight-year-old who has a special golden rose.
Callie, call Anne.
Welcome, Callie.
How are you?
Good.
Excellent.
Tell us about this special golden rose.
Is it an actual flower?
Yeah, it's an actual flower.
I was in a play Beauty and the Beast and as a present I got a waxed rose.
That's like it's a real rose and it's outlined in golden.
So it'll live forever, like Lisa, right?
Yeah, like Lisa, exactly.
You know, Beauty and the Beast was based on Deborah and I.
Maybe.
Yes, about the podcast host and the sound effects robot.
Yes, it's a lovely Disney tale.
That is beautiful.
So I imagine that this is a very special gift for you, yes?
Yeah.
How did the show go?
What were you in the show?
I was, it's hard to say, Madame de la Grande Bouche, but wardrobe and a silly girl and a narrator.
Wow.
So many parts, so many hats.
Amazing.
You should have gotten three roses.
That's what I think.
All right.
Well, we do want to learn some more fun facts about you Callie, but we're going to do it Big Fib style.
We're going to play two truths and a lie.
So Callie is going to tell us two truths and one lie.
But we will not know which one is which.
And we have to see if Callie is a good fibber and if we can identify the fib.
So, Callie, in no particular order, please tell us your two truths and one lie.
I have two dogs.
I have more than 20 Squishmallows, if you even know what Squishmallows are.
And I don't like Taylor Swift.
That's very controversial.
If she doesn't like Taylor Swift, that is the fact.
So my goodness.
Oh, I don't even want to touch that.
Not even with a golden rose.
Okay.
So what do you think, Lisa?
Well, I know what fish mellows are.
Those are marshmallows that are made out of fish.
But squish mellows, I think those are stuffed animals.
She's saying that she has more than 20 squish mellows and she has two dogs.
So that would be 10 squish mellows per dog, give or take, depending on how many.
She doesn't like Taylor Swift.
She's a child.
Every child likes Taylor Swift.
So I think she's setting me up here for a big kicker.
Let's see.
Two dogs.
Well, can I just one follow up question?
How many dogs do you have?
No, you may not ask that question.
As many as I have.
As many as I have.
Oh, good one.
Nice, Callie.
She's good.
She's good.
All right, I am going to use my audio detecting skills to detect her surroundings.
And I am hearing 18, nope, 18 and a half, nope, 19.34 squishmelons.
So that's the lie.
That's definitely the lie.
She said she has more than 20, but I'm hearing 19.34.
I see.
All right.
Okay.
Let's see if his super sensory abilities will win the prize.
Callie, which one of those things is actually a fib?
I have two dogs.
I have two dogs as a fib.
You got it wrong, Lisa.
You got it wrong.
Your sensors were incorrect.
You don't have two dogs.
Do you have one dog?
Do you have any dogs?
I have one dog.
One dog whose name is?
Oh, she's a one dog.
Yes.
Yeah.
What's your dog's name?
Oliver.
Oliver.
Shout out, Oliver.
We like to shout out the dogs on the show.
In a way though, I was right, because cats have nine lives and therefore dogs have two lives, which means she has two dogs.
Incorrect.
That means you have more than 20 Squishmallows.
So this is something you collect, yes?
People always get you more Squishmallows?
Yeah, my aunt just gives it to me like every single day.
Is there any room in your bedroom for all these squishmallows?
Oh, yeah.
I still have a lot more.
You're running out of space.
No, I have a lot more room.
Oh, for more.
Let the aunt know we have a lot more room.
And we won't even touch the I don't like Taylor Swift.
I'm guessing that means you don't like her songs, not necessarily her as a person, right?
This is not a personal character attack here.
Yeah, I know.
I'm not a fan of her.
You're not a fan.
You're not a Swifty.
You know what?
Hats off.
And she's brave enough to say it, world.
So let's embrace difference.
And by the way, I think Taylor's going to be okay.
I knew Callie was trouble when she walked in the room.
That's not nice.
I think Lisa's trouble.
Yes, absolutely.
100%.
All right.
Well done, Callie.
I'm guessing you're going to do very well at this game, given how well you fibbed.
We are going to now get ready to identify some morphemes about axolotls.
Is this an animal that you're familiar with, Callie?
Yeah, they're one of my favorite animals, yeah.
Really?
Oh my gosh, that's great.
Oh!
So, okay, if I had to bet, I'm just going to say Callie's going to do really well here.
That's just my bet.
That's what I'm thinking.
All right.
Well, it's time to welcome our axolotl experts.
Lisa, can we please get some welcome music for our axolotl experts?
Sure.
Thanks.
Oh, they're cool salamanders.
If they make a mistake, it's not their faultle, they're axolotls.
Thank you so much.
All right.
Our first expert is Prayag Murawala.
Prayag, please introduce yourself to Callie.
Hi Kelly, I am Prayag Morawalla.
I'm an assistant professor at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory and my lab studies how axolotl regrow their body parts.
Okay, thank you very much.
Our next expert is Antonia Ramos.
Antonia, please introduce yourself to Callie.
Hi, Callie.
My name is Antonia Ramos and I'm a hepatologist.
I do a lot of work educating folks about axolotls and other wildlife at the New England Aquarium.
Thank you.
Okay, tell us about that tune worthy of Gilbert and Sullivan, Lisa.
That is the operatic tune of Hot seat time.
Yes, it's hot seat time.
And that's when we put our experts on the hot seat while they answer Callie's questions.
Lisa, whom shall we put on the hot seat first?
Antonia Ramos, because if you rearrange the letters in her name, you get Romanian oats, which are my third favorite kind of oats.
Okay, we're going to have to check your spelling, but that's fair enough.
Callie, what is your first question for Antonia?
What do you do in your job every day?
Good question.
Since I'm working at the New England Aquarium and educating folks, I lead a lot of tours and As groups come in and they want to learn more information about the different amphibious animals we have, I share that to them.
Very good.
Thank you very much.
Callie, would you like to ask Prayag that same question?
Yeah.
Okay.
Over to you, Prayag.
Thank you, Callie.
So, since I'm a researcher and I have a lab, I supervise PhD students to conduct how to do research and I teach them, or we try to understand.
How do axolotls regrow their body parts?
I have to dive into that.
Antonia, this is for you.
What are the most interesting things about axolotls' body or habitat?
I think for me, it's their ability to regenerate so many different parts of their body.
A lot of other similar animals might be able to regrow a tail, but axolotls can even regrow parts of their brains, which is really cool.
Wow.
Prayag, this one's for you.
What would you need to have for an axolotl to be your pet?
That's a difficult one.
Well, they are water animals, so I need a tank so that I can put these animals in a tank and water.
And then they need some leaves so they can hide behind them.
And then I would love to have some food that they eat.
So which is they eat probably small animals and small fish.
So the food.
Very good.
You also need like a cute little sweater for the winter.
That sounds good.
No, I don't think that would work in the water.
Maybe some squishmallows.
Okay, go ahead, Gally.
This one's for both of you.
What can axolotls teach us?
For $19.99, you can have an axolotl teach you algebra.
For $25.75, you can have an axolotl change your car tires.
It's axolotl school.
Hmm, I don't think that's the answer.
Oh, wait.
Sorry, that wasn't for me.
No.
So the axolotls, as Antonia mentioned, are excellent at regenerating body parts.
I think if we learn how they regrow their legs, maybe we can start regrowing legs in humans.
Whoa.
Or maybe more legs.
More than two?
Oh my gosh, we could have eight or nine legs.
Oh no.
Oh gosh.
You humans could have eight or nine legs finally.
I don't know about that, but okay, very good.
How about you, Antonia?
Do you agree?
So I absolutely agree.
Like I mentioned, that's my favorite thing about them.
And there've been some really interesting moments, Experiments that have happened, even putting an X model in space to see how their bodies react to that environment and seeing how we can really pinpoint what exactly is allowing them to regenerate.
So that's really really helpful for understanding how zero gravity influences different processes in the body.
This is also for both of you.
Has anything scary or surprising happened to you on your job?
You know, one day I brought one big axolotl and one baby axolotl.
And...
I go back to my bench.
And then, five minutes later, when I come to this axolotl, I find that the big one is eating the small one alive.
Only the tail of the small one is coming out of its mouth and wiggling.
Did you save it?
No, it was already in its belly.
Oh, oh no.
That's a sad, sad story.
She did ask for scary stories.
She did.
That's true.
That's fair.
I think that's the bill.
It is.
I agree.
That can definitely happen.
It's also a very kind of sad story, because the one that I have has to do with An incident where there were some different caregivers and cleaners in the space and there was an accidental spillage.
And let's just say it also ended up with the sad demise of an axolotl.
Oh, no.
So sad.
This is the grief episode.
Yeah.
Well, loss does exist.
This is very sad.
Okay, Callie, do you have a happier question?
Is there anything that made you laugh at your job?
Yeah, laugh.
Let's bring it up a little.
Okay.
And it shouldn't be the same story.
No, no.
I think for me, the fact that they look like they're smiling and happy even though they're not is pretty funny.
I have a friend who ended up getting an axolotl and putting it in her home.
And it's been really interesting to see how it interacts.
Sometimes it wants to like, you know, follow your finger or look at you.
And sometimes it goes and hides in the corner.
And I think that's really cute.
Oh, sweet.
Okay, that's better.
Okay, thank you.
I completely agree with antonia.
They are so smiley, they have become so favorite of everyone.
So what we do is every year we host a family night and then kids like you come over and then we make one of our colleague wear the axolotl suit and walk around so that kids can have fun.
I didn't know there was an axolotl suit.
Is this something that we can get online for Halloween?
Oh, Debra, you got to wear it.
I will.
I love this idea.
Is that readily available or does somebody make that themselves?
They are available.
You can look it up on Google.
You heard it here.
We need to get that for the folks at the aquarium.
I think the kids would love that.
I agree.
More reason to go to the aquarium.
I love it.
Okay.
Those were fantastic questions and quite an emotional rollercoaster of answers.
All right.
It's time for the shorts on fire round when our experts have to answer as many questions as they can before time runs out.
Lisa will set a timer for the first expert and then Callie will ask questions to Lisa's timer sounds.
Then Lisa resets the timer for our next expert to do the same.
Experts, you'll need all the mental agility to answer quickly.
Okay, Callie, we're going to start with Prayag.
You can ask your shorts on fire questions now.
Go.
Do axolotls live in salt water or fresh water?
Fresh water.
What is another common name for an axolotl?
Water dog.
Jerry.
Which animal is the closest relative to the axolotl?
Frog.
How many fingers are on an axolotl's hands?
Foot.
How long does it take for an axolotl to regrow its limbs and organs?
Two months.
Name a lake in Mexico where axolotls live.
Xochimilco.
Factor 5.
Axolotls can only live and breathe in the water.
Truth.
What are the names of the artificial floating islands in Mexico where axolotls can breed?
Chinampa.
Which video game added an axolotl character in 2021 to raise awareness about them?
Minecraft.
How long can axolotls grow to be?
25 centimeters.
What is one thing that axolotls eat?
Fish.
Other axolotls.
Okay, time.
Time.
This time is awful.
Okay.
That's all the time.
Very good.
All right.
Well done.
Can we please reset the timer, Lisa?
You know what, Debra?
I wasn't going.
I was going to take the rest of the day off, but I'm going to do it for you as a favor.
Oh, thank you so much.
Really appreciate it.
You're welcome.
Okay, Callie, you can ask Antonia your shorts on fire questions now.
The name of axolotl comes from which Aztec god?
Xolotl.
What happens to axolotls in colder water?
They really dislike to stay still.
How long can axolotls live?
Up to 20 years.
The Bank of Mexico put a picture of an axolotl on which new peso bill?
Pass.
Name two states where it is against the law to keep axolotls as pets.
California and Rhode Island.
How many eggs can a female lay at one time?
Like 400 around.
What's the most common color of axolotl?
Brown.
Factor fifth.
Scientists sent axolotls into space.
Fact.
How many axolotls are in the wild?
It ranges, but it's not more than a thousand.
Name one of the reasons axolotls are endangered.
Pollution.
How fast can axolotls swim?
Up to 15 miles per hour.
And that is time.
That's all the time.
Very good.
It's hard to say axolotl all the time, isn't it, Callie?
I think you're doing a really great job.
It's easy.
Oh, it's easy.
She should be an axolotl expert.
All right, it is decision time.
Callie did axolotl questions and hopefully has enough information to identify our fibber.
Callie, who is our big axolotl fibber?
Prayog.
Why do you think Prayag is our fibber?
Because he said axolotls eat fish and they eat types of worms.
And he also said that Like a fish is like the closest relative to the axolotl.
He said a frog.
He said the frog.
Oh, the frog.
And then it was actually a salamander.
I heard it was saxophone.
No, Callie's going with facts here or the facts that she knows of.
So we're going to identify who our expert is and then get to the bottom of these statements.
So can our actual axolotl expert please say, I am the axolotl expert.
I am the axolotl expert.
Oh, that is correct.
Dr Prayag Muralwala is an assistant professor at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, and This lab studies how axolotls regrow their body parts, which is crazy to even think about, but it's true.
So we're going to do some fact checking.
I think we need to start with this first topic of the closest relative.
Pragya, could you speak to the closest relative statement and let us know what is actually true?
Is the frog the closest relative, really?
So Kelly is absolutely right here.
Salamanders are more closer to axolotl compared to frog.
The question is always subjective, depending upon what you are comparing axolotl with.
That's what determines who are the closest relative.
So even within salamander, then the Ambistoma tigrinum, they are the most closest to axolotl.
And then comes the broader salamander family.
And then comes the frog, which are both frog and axolotl, both are amphibians.
So this is why I say that frog is the closest relative.
If you compare it to fish or mouse, then definitely frog are more closer to axolotl compared to mouse or human, for example.
Right.
Sure.
Okay.
Understood.
Okay, that is tricky.
So we understand the confusion here.
I would have said the same.
So let's figure out some of these other statements and do some more fact checking.
Greg, what did Antonia say?
That made her guilty of fibbing.
So she said that axolotl can swim 15 miles an hour.
The fact is they can achieve roughly up to 10 miles an hour.
15 is a bit too much.
And normally these animals don't swim that fast and for too long.
They only travel nearby.
Got it.
Okay.
Very good.
And what about what happens to them in colder water?
Is it true that they just freeze there?
They stand still or swim still?
Well, that is partially right.
But when the temperature is lower, then the animal does show less movement.
So it's not a complete wrong answer.
But the fact is.
The more interesting fact is rather that when you lower the temperature, then their growth slows down.
So let's say, if you keep one animal at 45 degrees Fahrenheit and you keep another at roughly 65 degrees Fahrenheit, then one month later you will find that the one that was kept at 65 is twice as large as compared to the one at 45.
Wow.
Parents do not attempt this with your children.
This is only for axolotls.
Good advice.
Wow, thank you.
That's incredible.
Okay, so Antonia, what did you share that revealed the fragility of your veracity?
California is right, but Rhode Island is wrong.
The other state is Maine.
That is correct.
And you did pass on the Bank of Mexico peso bill.
The axolotl is on the 50 peso bill, which is worth about 250.
And that happened in October of 2021.
Were there any others, Antonia, or did we cover all of them?
Good.
There was a question, too, about eating fish, right?
What was the question, Kelly?
I think they eat, like, different types of worms or something.
Right.
So, Prayag, could you speak to that, please?
Does that mean that axolotls do eat fish and worms, or where was the confusion here?
So Kelly is right again.
The axolotls do eat worms, but they also eat fish.
So they normally eat any living animals that are generally smaller than them and that can fit into their mouth.
As long as it will fit into the mouth, they will eat it.
That's my policy too.
Right.
Okay.
Crazy.
An axolotl is a crazy animal, right?
This is amazing.
Very cool.
But they do regrow their body parts.
And so do we really think Prayag, that we will be able to apply this to the human body and learn how to regrow parts?
So one of the other interesting fact about axolotl is they never form fibrotic scars upon injury.
So when we as a human have wound injuries, then we form fibrotic scars, but these animals never form it.
So we do believe that by understanding how axolotl is able to regenerate their body parts and structures, we will be able to solve the problem of fibrotic scarring.
Cool.
Keep up the good work.
Let's hope that happens soon.
I love that.
I think I would like an axolotl as a pet also.
Okay, well, that was amazing, but we are stuffed to the gills with facts now.
Thanks to Callie for a glorious job.
Thank you to our expert and liar, Prayag and Antonia.
And thanks to Lisa, who is always as technically on point.
And, of course, many thanks to our listeners tuning into The Big Fib, where we larb all facts and absolutely reject amphibians and lies.
The Big Fib is a production of Gen Z Media.
For more great shows, why don't you visit gzmshows.com.
Come on, visit it.
While you're there, you can find out how you can become a contestant on the Big Fib or send questions for me to answer on the show.
And follow us on social media at the Big Fib Podcast for behind the scenes photos and more true facts.
And now I'm going to figure out once and for all how axolotls regrow their limbs.
Good luck with that.
Hey, hey, how you doing that?
How you doing that?
Tell me.
Come on, tell me.
Tell me.
You're making me look silly on the podcast.
Come on, tell me, please.
For more awesome pods, go to gzmshows.com Shh, it's starting.
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After you listen, you can binge every episode on Apple Podcasts or on gzmshows.com.
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Sarah, Danny and Rocco embark on an epic adventure to save Nightingale from a malevolent force known only as the darkness.
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