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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!
The Curious Incident of the Missing Salmon.
It's the kind of case that comes across your desk once in a blue moon.
Hundreds of innocent fish, healthy one minute, and then a spell of rain, and bam, gone.
For 20 years, they've been trying to crack the case, but the trail went cold.
And if it wasn't for that amateur detective that waltzed into my office that morning, might have never found.
The killer.
Come in.
Good morning, detective.
No, that's not it.
Good morning, detective.
No, that's not it either.
Good morning, detective.
Yeah, that's it.
Sorry.
Detective Mindy.
Detective Guy Boz.
Have you had a chance to look at the morning paper yet?
Seen this?
Scene what?
Here, right here.
Local pigeon becomes first bird to complete Iron Man triathlon?
No, no, not that headline.
The one right next to it.
Oh, sorry, sorry.
Huh, mysterious salmon killer strikes again.
Go on.
For almost 20 years, a mysterious and elusive killer has stalked the salmon near Puget Sound.
After an ambitious project to reintroduce coho salmon to the region, up to 90 have died off in some of the creeks and streams in the area.
Puget Sound, you say?
That's in Washington State, isn't it, Detective?
Right you are, Detective Mindy.
It says that these mysterious die-offs occur directly after it rains.
Rain?
In Seattle?
Well, now I've heard it all.
Uh-huh.
Keep reading.
Despite ongoing efforts to protect the fish from this apparent aversion to rainfall, the cause of these deaths remain a mystery.
You know what I'm thinking, Detective Guy Raz?
I think I do, Detective Mindy.
This sounds like another job for... Guy Raz?
And Mindy.
Detectives at Large.
We took the first pigeon out to Seattle to see if we could crack the case.
I was certain that the case had gone cold, but Detective Mindy told me she had a lead.
This way, Detective Guy Raz.
I believe the information we're looking for is just inside this box.
Old, creepy neighborhood grocery store.
Oh, hey, Mindy.
Hey, Guy Raz.
Dennis, you're supposed to be in character.
Oh, right.
Arrgh, mateys.
Nope, that's a pirate.
Um, welcome, detectives.
What brings you to my grocery store this day?
Well, mister, um, I'm sorry.
I didn't catch your name.
Oh, my name is Static Man.
No, wait.
It's Mr. Static Man.
Yeah, Mr. Static Man.
Really?
You heard me correct, sir.
Okay, Mr. Static Man.
We heard that there was something fishy going on around here.
Fishy?
Good one, detective.
Thanks, partner.
Something? fishy, huh?
Yeah, and we heard that you might know something about it.
Is that right?
That's right.
Well, all right then.
Huh?
You ever heard of Coho Salmon before, Mr. Stedigman?
Coho Salmon?
Of course!
Dennis!
I mean, of course.
Coho Salmon.
They were reintroduced to this area about 20 years ago.
Well, in that case, did you also know that in some streams in this area, almost 90 of those fish have kicked the bucket?
I don't know what that means.
Kick the bucket?
They're gone.
Vamoose.
No longer here.
Oh, right.
And you wouldn't happen to know anything about that now, would you, Mr. Stedijkman?
Who, me?
Mr. Seneichman?
No, no, I'm just a lowly old shopkeep.
I don't know anything about that.
We got word that these sorts of die-offs tended to happen after it rained.
Ring any bells?
Oh, hey, Larry.
Haven't seen you in a while.
Hello, Mr. Seneichman.
You see I got a sale on papaya?
It's fresh.
That's what I'm here for.
Oh, that Larry.
Always after a sale.
Oh, sorry, Mindy.
I mean, Detective.
I mean, where were we?
Ahem.
Oh, right, the rain.
You know, now that you mention it, I did notice something odd about those salmon after it rained last.
Aha, I knew it.
Write this down, Detective Guy Raz.
Good idea, partner.
Okay, get this.
After it rained, the salmon... started acting real strange.
Strange?
What do you mean by strange?
Well, they would start swimming in circles, all jittery-like.
Jittery-like.
Then, they'd just roll over and stop moving altogether.
Hmm.
It almost sounds to me like maybe those fish were... Poisoned.
Poisoned?
Where exactly did you see these fish, Mr. Steikman?
Just down the road.
There's a creek over there that I use to wash my underwear.
Everyone does it!
Let's check it out, Detective Mindy.
Maybe we can get a water sample.
Water sample.
Great idea, Detective.
Come on, let's get out of here.
Thanks for letting me play, Mindy.
No, Dennis.
I'm Detective Mindy.
Oh, right, right, right.
Myself and Detective Mindy decided to take a stroll down to the local creek.
Here we are at the creek, Detective Guy Raz.
Now, I'd seen a lot of creeks in my time, and this one looked just like any other.
Hmm, looks like an ordinary creek to me.
So, what was it that was causing all this commotion?
Are you even listening to me?
Oh wait, you're doing that thing where you talk inside your head again, aren't you?
It had just rained the night before we touched down in the Pacific Northwest, so it seemed like the perfect time to take a water sample and try to get to the bottom of this mystery once and for all.
What a way to go.
Just look at this, Detective Gyrons.
There are fish all over this creek, and they're all belly up.
What do you think could be causing all this mayhem?
Well...
I was just able to pull up the forensic report by Jennifer McIntyre, a toxicologist and professor at Washington State University.
A toxicologist, you say?
A scientist who specializes in how chemicals affect living organisms?
What did she have to say?
Well, it looks as though the fish were suffocating due to lack of oxygen.
Lack of oxygen?
Suffocating?
How does a fish suffocate?
They're swimming around in the water.
Well, Detective Mindy, fish breathe a little differently than you or me.
Hmm.
You don't say.
Go on.
They still use oxygen to work everything from their brain to their guts to their muscles.
But instead of breathing oxygen out of the air like us humans, they extract the oxygen from the water around them using organs called gills.
Oh, I know about gills.
As the fish swim through the water, their gills help them suck the oxygen up out of the water, pumping it into their bloodstream.
Well, sometimes if the river or stream the fish are swimming in is dirty or polluted, it can make it difficult for them to suck up that oxygen in the water and they suffocate.
Well, Detective, do you think that's what happened here?
Well, that would have been my first guess.
But?
But that wouldn't explain why it only happens once it rains.
Wait a minute.
I think I've got it.
Got what, Detective Mindy?
One of my famous brain waves.
Well, spit it out, partner.
What is it?
What if it's not the rainwater that's killing the fish?
What if it's something in the rainwater?
Something in?
In the rainwater?
What do you mean?
I'm talking about road runoff.
Road runoff?
The water that runs off the road when it rains.
Huh.
You see, when it rains, the water washes everything from motor oil to trash to animal feces, off the road and into the surrounding creeks and streams, like you see here.
And you think that there's something in this road runoff that's causing the fish to get sick?
There's only one way to find out.
Water sample?
Water sample.
Great idea.
All right, now let me just get out my official detective water sample extraction kit here.
Where's my adventure toolkit?
Oh, there it is.
Ugh.
Let me just see here.
Here it is.
Uh, detective?
Yes, Detective Guy Raz?
Is that just a pool noodle?
No, it is a highly sophisticated official detective water sampling tool kit.
Really?
Yes.
Because it looks just like that Cool noodle you gave me to give you for your unbirthday two weeks ago.
Just go with it, okay?
Come on.
Okay.
Okay, now, Detective Roz, if you could just hold that plastic bag open there.
This plastic bag here?
That's the one.
Now just hold it open for me.
To do what?
To collect the sample.
I'm just going to squirt it.
I mean...
Dispense it from this water extractor into this plastic bag.
Wait.
What?
Now stay still while I suck the water out.
And... Whoopsie.
I'm sorry, detective.
It looks like I may have missed my mark.
I'm soaked.
Well, as I always say, anything to crack the case.
Right, Detective Guy Raz?
Anything to crack the case.
Ah, that's the detective spirit I know.
Now, it does appear that some of the water did make it into this plastic bag indeed.
Let's get this sample sent off to Washington State University and let Professor Jennifer McIntyre and her team of researchers there do what they do best.
The idea was simple.
We'd send this road runoff water to the big brains at Washington State University.
From there, they'd be able to use a fancy machine called a high-resolution mass spectrometer to compare the water in the creek to the water that killed all those fish.
After that, we'd be able to find out exactly what it was that was causing these fish so much grief.
Detective Guy Raz?
Detective Mindy.
The results are in.
And what's the verdict?
Tire particles.
Tire particles?
You heard me, Detective Guy Raz.
The research team from Washington State University have identified 2000 similar chemicals in the water sample we sent and the water samples from the poisoned fish.
All of which were found in tires.
Well, I'll be...
Those chemicals must rub off the tires when cars drive on the road.
Only to be washed off the roads and into the streams when it rains.
Great detective work, partner.
Well, don't thank me.
I'm just the messenger.
The real detectives are those scientists out at Washington State University.
Let's make sure to send them a fruit basket.
Ah, let's not celebrate too soon.
You see...
We still need to find out which of these 2,000 chemicals is causing all this trouble.
Right.
Do we still have those water samples from the creek?
Yes, we do.
They're right here in the evidence locker.
Perfect.
Let's get this downstairs staffed.
See if they can make heads or tails of this fishy situation.
Great idea.
She always had a plan, that Detective Mindy.
Sure, it got her in trouble every now and then. but they got results.
We took the water samples we'd taken in Seattle down to our toxicologist, a little lady by the name G-Force.
No one knows how she got her name.
All we know was that she was the best forensic officer this side of the Atlantic.
Well, howdy, partners.
What can I do you for?
We've got something for you, G-Force.
Oh, yeah?
What's that, Mr. Rousey?
That's Detective Rozzy to you.
Oh, I gotcha.
Detective Wink.
Wink, wink, wink, wink, wink, and a wink.
It's a water sample from that creek out near Seattle.
Yeah, I heard you detectives were out there investigating all that fishy business.
That's right, because we're detectives and that's what we do.
Well, what do you want me for then?
Well, we got the results back from the lab at Washington State University.
And?
Tire particles.
Tire particles?
That's right.
There are 2,000 chemicals that make up this tire residue and... And let me guess.
You need me to tell you which one of those 2,000 chemicals is your mysterious cod killer?
It's actually killing salmon.
I know it's salmon, huh?
I was just going for a little artistic alliteration.
Please, G-Force, we wouldn't ask if it wasn't important.
Thousands of fishy lives lie in the balance.
All right, you two detectives, leave it here for me.
Time for Mama to get to work.
I'd never seen anyone work as hard as G-Force did that day.
It was incredible to watch the determination, the talent, the dance moves.
And after a few hours, we had our results.
Oh, yeah!
All right.
Now, Listen up.
I got some letters for you.
6-P-P-D quinone.
Uh-huh.
I'm sorry.
Could you say that again?
6-P-P-D quinone.
That's what's making all them fish go belly up.
6-P-P-D quinone?
Boy, you got taters in your ears.
And this is a chemical that's found in tires?
I don't know.
I mean, yes.
Then the rain comes along and sweeps it right into the creeks and rivers where the fish live.
Bingo.
And this matches what those researchers out at Washington State University found?
That's right.
Looks like they've been doing some rather intense detective work of their own.
Well, in that case, it looks like we've found our killer, Detective Mindy.
High five, detective partner.
Oh, we missed it.
Try it again.
Okay, just never mind.
Another mystery solved by Mindy.
And Guy Razzi.
Detectives at Large.
And that was how we solved the case of the Puget Sound Salmon Killer.
In all the years since, I've never forgotten about that case.
Some say it was luck.
Others say it was only a matter of time until the killer was caught.
I say it was destiny.
And I say... The end.
Now where's my money?
What?
There's no money.
Oh, hush puppies.
Loud in the World will be right back.
This message is for you, 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.
Hey, Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Jane, and I'm from Chicago, Illinois.
My wow is that there are giant dust tornadoes on Mars.
Stay hidey-ready for me.
Bye.
Hi, Mindy.
I'm Guy Raz.
My name is Gert, and I am 10 years old, and I am from Prescott, Arizona.
My wow is that there is a bird called a swift.
These birds are so cool.
They can fly for 10 months straight without landing.
Isn't that bunker balls?
Oh, yeah.
And I love your books, The How and Wow of the Human Body, From Your Tongue to Your Toes, and all the
My name is Sage.
I live in West Des Moines Iowa, and my wow is that a grown-up's blood vessels, stretched out could circle around the earth nearly four times.
That's super long, but please don't try this.
Hi, my name is Maddie.
I'm from Harrisburg, North Carolina, and my wow is that Ancient Romans used to brush their teeth and wash their clothes and their urine.
That's crazy.
Say hi to Reggie, Dennis, and Stanigman.
Bye.
I'm Indian Guy Ross.
My name is Owen, and I live in Bend, Oregon.
My wow in the world is that coconuts are a nut, seed, and a fruit.
Say hi to Jed Anderson for me.
Hello.
Bye.
My name is Kate, and I'm from El Cerrito, California.
And my wow in the world is that life has been found in the Hadle Zone, the deepest, darkest zone of the ocean.
Hi, this is Autumn from Welch's, Oregon.
My wow in the world is that there are over 400 species of sharks.
Isn't that bonker balls?
Say hi to Grandma G-Force.
Oh, snap.
And Dennis.
Hi.
Bye.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Ross.
My name is Colton.
I'm six, and I live in Golden Valley, Minnesota.
And my wow is to share is that river otters can hold their breath for eight minutes.
I'm Indian Guy Raz.
My name is Cooper.
And my name is Jordan.
And we live in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our wow in the world is that honey badgers are so tough, they can scare off lions.
Bye, let's go.
Hi, I'm Adeline.
And I'm from Hillsborough, California.
My wow is that the first popsicle was made by a kid who left his juice outside on his cold porch.
And then it turned into an icy thing that we now call popsicles.
Bye.
I love your show.
End of messages.
Everyone thanks so much for hanging out with us this week on wow in the world.
And to keep the wow rolling, consider becoming a member of our world organization of wowsers.
Each membership includes episode specific digital activities, science experiments, book lists and more.
Plus, you'll get a welcome box including a special edition members only t-shirt and an autographed picture of us.
Find out more at Tinkercastcom.
There you can also find more info on our upcoming shows.
Shop our shop and find our New York Times bestselling book, The How and Wow of the Human Body.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me.
Guy Raz.
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.
And Grandma G-Force wrangles Grandma G-Force.
Grandma G-Force, get out of the credits!
Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker.
And Meredith Halpern-Ranzer powers the wow at, And special thanks to the rest of our Wow in the World team, including Anna Zagorski, Rebecca Caban, Kit Ballinger and Henry Moskal.
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 the show or on an upcoming new episode of Two.
What's in a Wow?
Also, be sure to subscribe to Wow in the World wherever you get your podcasts.
And you can also ask your smart speaker to play Wow in the World.
Thanks for listening.
And until next time, keep on wowing.
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