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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!
Let's see here.
Bucket hat, check.
Sunblock, check.
Beach towel, check.
And now for the big decision, which Frisbee I'm going to bring.
Hmm.
Coming!
Good morning, Guy Raz!
Mindy?
That's my name!
You ready for the big beach trip?
Yeah, just finishing packing up my tote bag, but, uh...
Are you?
Yeah, what do you mean?
Well, what I mean is you're covered from head to toe in snow gear.
Yeah, well, it is going to be pretty cold when we get there.
Mindy, it's 90 degrees outside today.
Well, not where we're going it's not.
Oh, no.
This isn't going to be one of those crazy adventures where you take me to a Siberian icy tundra and then try to tell me that it's actually a beach, is it?
What?
No, I'm not.
Taking you to Siberia, Guy Raz?
Phew.
I'm taking you to Mars.
Oh, no.
Why do you think I have the wow machine idling out front?
Mindy, the wow machine?
What in the wow are you talking about?
Oh well, I'm talking about a brand new scientific study released by a group of scientists at NASA that explains that the best beaches in our solar system are not here on Earth.
They're on Mars.
But Mindy, how can you have a beach without any water?
Oh, there's water all right.
A whole bunch of it.
Uh, what?
Well, not anymore there's not.
But a little over four billion years ago, there was.
But why would we travel over 140 million miles just to go to the beach when we've got several perfectly good beaches right here on Earth?
Guy Raz, it's the middle of the summer.
The beaches here are beautiful.
Uh-huh.
And what better way to secure a secluded beach all for ourselves than going to a beach that's 140 million miles and 4 billion years away from the closest human?
Huh.
You know, Mindy, now that I think about it, that might not be a bad idea.
Of course it might not be a bad idea, Guy Raz.
So what do you say?
Want to turn Mars into our very own private beach resort?
Okay, I'm in.
Let's do it.
Booyah!
Reggie!
Rev up the engine!
Oh, but Mindy, I'm packed for an earthling beach.
Exactly how cold is it going to be when we get there?
Oh, let me just check my weather app here.
Mars.
I have to scroll through the whole solar system just to get to Mars.
Here it is.
What?
You have a weather app for Mars?
Okay, it says here that on Mars, it is currently minus 86 degrees below freezing.
Huh?
Minus 86 degrees Fahrenheit?
Or minus 65 degrees Celsius?
That doesn't make it any better, Mindy.
Don't worry, Guy Raz.
I'm pretty sure that old coat that I made out of boo-boo beanie poppers is in the wow machine.
That'll keep you nice and warm.
Huh?
Fine.
Yes.
All right.
Follow me.
After you, Guy Raz.
And don't worry about the smell.
I just finished greasing up the gears.
Why does it smell like bacon?
I just told you.
Now, watch your step.
I haven't cleaned up all the puddles yet.
Ow.
Hello, wow machine.
Hello, Reggie.
Take a seat and strap yourself in there, buddy.
Just need to add the coordinates here.
Let's see.
Mars.
Four billion years in the past.
And ready?
Good.
Because here.
How you doing, buddy?
Uh, good, I guess.
Okay, let's just see where we ended up.
There we go.
Whoa!
Yeah, pretty wild, huh?
Mindy, what in the world is that thing?
That, Guy Raz, is ancient Mars.
That's Mars?
Yep, four billion years in the past. before it got all touristy.
Are you sure?
Well, let me just double check here.
Yep, this is definitely ancient Mars.
Wow, there's so much water down there.
Is that what those NASA scientists were talking about, Mindy?
You know it, Guy Raz.
They predicted that this ancient Martian ocean was about 2000 feet deep and contained about a quarter of the water of the Atlantic Ocean.
It looks like it's covering about a quarter of the planet.
Yeah, it does, doesn't it?
So what happened to all this water?
How come we don't see any of it when we look up at the red planet today?
Well, there are a lot of theories.
Yeah?
Most scientists believe that a part of it was literally blasted off into space by solar winds.
Solar winds?
You mean those highly charged winds? particles that the sun blasts out across the solar system?
You know it.
Scientists think that they could have broken the water apart into hydrogen and oxygen and then just sent it off into space.
Whoa, like a giant hand dryer, blasting the water off of your hands after you've finished washing them.
Uh-huh, exactoritos.
And so where did the rest of the water go?
Well, this new research paper suggests that most of the Martian water, up to 99 of it, was sucked up into the rocks.
Sucked up into the rocks?
Like a sponge?
Well, sort of.
These NASA scientists were able to make this hypothesis, or educated guess, based on rock samples from the Martian surface.
Oh, right.
And I think they collected those rock samples using rovers, right?
That's right.
These little sophisticated robots called rovers have been driving all around Mars for the last 20 years performing all kinds of science experiments.
And during some of these science experiments, they collected rocks from the Martian surface.
Exactly.
And inside these rock samples, scientists found what they call hydrated minerals.
Hydrated minerals?
Yeah.
So when water is added to the crystal structure of a mineral?
And scientists studying this could see that sometime in the past, rocks had been soaked by liquid water.
And by using this data, I guess they were able to predict that Mars once had a giant ocean.
You know it.
Wow.
I mean, it's hard to imagine that an entire ocean could just disappear into rocks.
Well, I mean, it didn't happen overnight.
It took at least a billion years.
But after that Mars was as dry as a, leaving behind dry riverbeds and canyons that we can still see on Mars today.
Well, what are we waiting for, Mindy?
Let's go check it out before all this water gets sucked up.
That's the spirit, Guy Razzi.
You want to get some hot chocolate before we go?
Hot chocolate?
Yeah, remember?
It's going to be minus 80-something degrees below freezing when we get there.
Oh, yeah.
I almost forgot.
And go check in the back of the Wow Machine.
I think I've got that boo-boo beanie bopper coat back there.
You can wear it to keep you warm.
Not really my style, but... Well, there's some other costume options back there as well.
Go check them out.
Find something to keep you warm.
And I am going to make us two of my world-famous double chocolate, hot fudge chocolate, hot Chocolates.
I've never made these before in my life.
Well, okay, Mindy.
Let's see what we've got here.
Cockroach costume.
No. lamingo bathing suit.
I think that's off-brand.
A couple of space suits from NASA.
Mindy, how did you get your hands on those?
Exploding ants, costumes, pass.
Oh, wait.
This looks okay.
Did anyone order a hot chocolate?
Are you okay, Mindy?
Oh, I think I broke my butt.
What happened?
Ah! bacon grease that was all over the floor.
Did you save the hot chocolate?
No, it looks like I spilled it all over the control panel.
Mindy?
Warning.
Double chocolate hot fudge chocolate hot chocolate detected on internal components.
Mindy, what's happening?
Complete malfunction imminent.
Initiating emergency procedure alpha alpha duty bot.
Nothing good.
Hold on, everyone.
I don't know what just happened, but I'm glad I strapped all those boo-boo beanie boppers to the bumper huh.
Uh-huh.
You all right, buddy?
Yeah, I think I'm good.
Let me see what the damage is here.
Okay, look.
We are back in the present day.
Oh, thank goodness.
And we have crash landed on Mars.
What?
Present day Mars?
Mindy, there are no beaches on present day Mars.
It's dry as a dust bowl.
That's not even the worst of it, Guy Raz.
Looks like we sprung a flat tire.
The wow machine has...
Not anymore, it doesn't.
We're going to have to pump this baby up again.
Here, pass me one of those spacesuits.
All right.
Here you go.
Thank you.
And look, there's one for you, too.
Oh, thanks.
Okay, let me just put this on here.
There we go.
Lift it up.
And done.
How you doing, Guy Razzi?
Almost there, Mindy.
Let me help you out with that helmet there.
Say cheese.
Huh?
There we go.
Mindy!
All right, I think we're ready to open up the hatch.
Whoa.
Look at this place, Mindy.
I know, Guy Raz.
It's like one great big red desert.
Yeah, it stretches all the way out to the horizon.
Honker balls.
Whoops, almost forgot.
We've got the wow machine to fix.
Here, let me just set this thing up here.
There we go.
The wings should be all inflated and ready to go again in just a couple of minutes.
Wings?
I thought we had a flat tire.
Tire?
Hey, Roz, it's a wow machine.
It doesn't have tires.
Want to go for a spacewalk?
Do I lead the way?
All right.
Spacewalk, spacewalk, spacewalk, spacewalk, spacewalk.
Whoa, wait a minute.
Did you hear that?
Hear what?
That!
Yeah, I did.
It sounded like a robot.
Look over there, Mindy.
Oh, what is that thing?
It looks like a giant computer chip on wheels.
Mindy, I'm...
Pretty sure that's the Perseverance rover.
What?
The Perseverance rover.
It's a robot that NASA sent up to Mars in 2021 to try and find out whether life ever existed here.
Right, because if a planet has liquid water, Or if a planet once had liquid water, Then there's a chance that life also existed there.
That's right, Mindy.
And one thing that most scientists agree on is that water is key to creating life in the universe.
So is that why there are so many different things living on Earth?
Because there's so much water?
Well, that's right.
One of the reasons.
In places on Earth where there's not much water, there's also much less variation in the sort of animals that live there.
Huh.
So these scientists at NASA think that if liquid water used to exist here on Mars, Then there's a chance that life also existed here.
Whoa.
Yeah, I bet that little rover is off to one of those dried-up riverbeds we were talking about before.
Huh.
Because that's where the water used to be.
Exactly.
I mean just there.
Think about it, Mindy.
If we were to find out that life once existed here on Mars, it would change everything.
It would change how we see the universe.
It would change what we've always thought about our planet as uniquely special, as one of the only places where life can thrive.
But you know, we have always had a hunch that it might soon be possible elsewhere, but we've never had proof.
But soon this little rover might just get that proof.
I mean, wouldn't that be amazing, Mindy?
Uh, Mindy?
Yeah?
Mindy, what are you doing on that rover?
I'm taking this perseverance rover for a ride, Guy Ross.
Here, give me your hand.
I'll help you up.
Mindy, get off of that thing.
That robot costs $2.2 billion, and it took seven months to get here.
Seven months?
They should have just asked me to take it.
How long did it take us to get here?
What, three, four seconds?
Mindy!
Okay, fine.
I'll get it down.
Mindy!
Thank you.
So long, Perseverance Rover.
And good luck finding those origins of extraterrestrial life or whatever.
All right.
The Wow Machine should be finished pumping itself up by now.
Want to head back?
Please.
All right.
Spacewalk, spacewalk, spacewalk.
You know what, Guy Raz?
I think I might have been right.
About what?
Beaches.
Maybe Earth does have the best beaches after all.
I told you that.
Right.
Well, want to head back to Earth?
Sure.
I've still got all my beach gear in the wow machine.
Okay, so beaches on Earth.
Where should we go?
Oh, I know.
How about Coney Island?
12,000 BCE, before it became all crowded and touristy.
Oh, yeah, sure.
That's one of my favorites.
Oh, wait.
But if we go back that far, cotton candy won't have been invented yet.
Okay.
Well, how about the Yucatan Peninsula?
Wow in the world will be right back.
Grown-ups, this message is for you.
Hey 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 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.
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 Tinkercast.com slash toys.
That's Tinkercast.com slash toys.
That's it.
Back to the show.
Wow in the World.
Hi, thanks for calling Wow in the World.
After the beep, get ready to record.
Hi, I'm Myla.
I live in Los Angeles, went through their paws.
Thank you and bye hi, mindy and guy roz.
My name is simon and i live in washington dc and my wow is that seeing enemies poop from their mouth.
Say hi to dennis and thomas fingerling for me.
Hi heavens, goodbye hi, mindy and guy roz.
My name is henry and i'm from milwaukee, wisconsin.
My wow is that Gila monsters have venom in their teeth.
They hide to Reggie, Grandma G-Force, Thomas Fingerling, and Sonic Man.
Hi, Mindy.
Hi, Guy Raz.
My name is Abe.
And my wow in the world is that reticulated pythons are the largest snakes in the world, reaching lengths of 33 feet.
Say hi to Grandma G-Force.
Bonjourno.
Very, very, very, very, very annoying Dennis.
Howdy.
Thomas Fingerling.
Gnarly.
And Reggie for me.
Hi, Minion Girls.
My name is Kaya, and I live in Sierra Madre, California.
And my round-the-world fun fact is that spiders eat the old webs to get protein and it's really healthy for them.
Bye. from Tucson, Arizona.
And my wow in the world is that manatees fart to propel themselves faster through the water.
Bye.
Hi, my name is Leela, and I live in Brooklyn, New York.
My wow in the world is that octopuses have three hearts.
Say hi to Grandma G-Force for me.
Oh, isn't that nice?
Bye.
Hi, Mindy and Guyra.
My name is Vivian and I live in Los Angeles California, and my wow is that sharks can grow back a tooth, even if it pops out when it's an adult tooth.
That's crazy.
Bye.
Hold on.
Wait just a second.
Oh, right.
I forgot how to end the call for just a second.
End of messages.
On Apple Podcasts.
Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music.
And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me.
Our senior producer, Jed Anderson, brings our show to life with sound design and music editing and is also in charge of wrangling Dennis Thomas Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters you hear.
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.
We'll see you next time.
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 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.
