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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!
Guy Raz, what's grosser than gross?
Uh, eating a picnic lunch in a trash dump?
No, having a picnic lunch in a trash dump isn't gross, Guy Raz.
It's convenient.
You don't even have to throw your trash away because you're already in a dump.
It took me three days to get the smell off my clothes.
Oh, no, that That smell wasn't from the trash dump, Guy Raz.
That smell was from the time that I was borrowing your kitchen and your blender to make a shrimp smoothie.
Anywho, forgot to put the lid on the blender.
Next thing I know, it's exploding all over your kitchen and I had to clean it up or you'd freak out.
So I grabbed the first thing that I could find, your tweed blazer hanging in your coat closet.
It worked like a charm, but I forgot to tell you about it until now.
Sorry.
But that's not even what I'm talking about.
What's grosser than gross?
Guy Raz is a killer.
Kiss from a fish with big thick, suctioned cuppy fish lips.
Lips that look like an upside-down mushroom top.
Fish lips that are covered in slime from cells that push out a never-ending stream of snot, like mucus.
Mindy, that's just disgusting.
Yep.
Where do you come up with these things?
Science.
Science?
Yeah, I'm not even making this up, Guy Raz.
You know, science is full of wonder and beauty and discovery.
But it's also about some really gross stuff.
Uh, OK.
Tell me more about this fish.
So two marine biologists named Victor Huerta and David Bellwood from Australia's James Cook University, We recently spent a lot of time trying to figure out how in the world this fish called the tubelip wrasse is able to survive living in coral reefs.
The tubelip wrasse.
What a name.
What a fish.
So the tubelip wrasse is this colorful fish, and it's just a little over six and a half inches long, and it lives in coral reefs in the Indian Ocean.
But you can also find them in some major aquariums around the world, which is where I first noticed its crazy fish lips.
Wow, so we might be able to actually see this fish up close and personal.
Yeah, for sure.
So we all know how they would survive living in aquariums, but how they survive living in coral reefs is another story.
Huh, how so?
So you know the deal with coral, right?
You better believe it.
Coral looks really beautiful to us humans, But to some small fish and other little tiny sea wandering organisms like zooplankton, coral can be deadly.
Yeah, because some coral is super sharp to the touch and some types of coral are covered in a slimy coating that is poisonous to small sea creatures.
Yeah and, as you know, when it comes to eating for survival, Fish in the wild can't order pizza delivery when they're hungry.
Nor would they want to, necessarily.
And they don't have humans to drop in fish flakes every other day either.
So what do they eat?
Okay, so Guy Raz, saddle up your seahorse and buckle your seat belt.
Well, you know, I'm always wearing one just to be safe.
What?
Oh, man, you are.
Really?
What?
Okay, what I mean to say is get ready for this because the tubelet brass is so tough...
That it eats the poisonous coral for breakfast.
Wow.
And what does it eat for lunch and dinner?
Guy Raz.
There are something like 6000 species of fish living in these razor-sharp, venomous coral reefs.
And only 128 of them are tough enough and brave enough to eat them.
So it's super rare.
And the tubelip wrasse, I guess, is one of those species.
Yep.
So how...
How do they do it?
I mean, because coral is hard.
Well, that's one of the big questions that these marine biologists set out to discover.
And did they find their answer?
They sure did.
And do you want to know what they found?
Absolutely.
Okay.
So first the tubelet brass puckers up and puts its slimy, mucousy lips on the coral, like it's going in for a kiss.
Ugh, are you making this up?
What?
No, this is for real.
Just listen, okay?
Okay.
So If you were to see its lips coming at you, they would look like a slimy upside down mushroom top.
You are right.
This is grosser than gross.
And it gets even grosser.
So then it uses these little tiny detectors in its slimy mushroom lips to help it inspect the best part of the coral for eating.
Interesting.
And then when it's ready, tuckers up, making its lips almost the shape of a long tube.
And it forms a section around the spot that it wants to eat.
And then it goes in for the kiss.
These marine biologists were even able to hear the sound.
That is amazing.
And it's not over, Guy Raz.
Finally, it sucks the coral's mucus and flesh right off.
Ugh. and it even leaves a mark.
You can totally see the spot where the coral's been kissed by the slimy mushroom fish lips.
So how are they able to do this without getting stung by the venomous, poisonous coral?
Well, these marine biologists don't know for sure, but based on what they've observed, they think that maybe the tubelip wrasse's slimy magic, mucus-producing lips might actually form sort of a like a barrier or protective shield guarding it from the stinging cells.
Wow, and this makes it possible for the fish to eat the flesh or the meaty parts off of the coral?
Yeah, once the lips seal against the coral, they start acting like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up the good parts but separating the poisonous parts from being eaten.
Wow.
Crazy, right?
Yeah well, I'm just glad that I'll never have to come face-to-face with a smooching tube-lip wrasse.
Guy Raz?
Don't tell me you're going to pull one out of your pocket.
No, I'm going to pull one out of your bathtub.
What?
Pucker up, Buttercup.
It's coming for you.
Oh, Mindy, please.
Just kidding.
I couldn't get my hands on a two-blip wrasse.
It's just a long-nosed pygmy shark.
Wait, come back.
I think he likes you.
Wow in the World will be right back.
Grunups, this message is for you.
Hey, grownups, 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.
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.
My name is Aiden.
I'm eight years old.
I live in Riverside, California.
And my wow is... is when I went to the jet propulsion lab in California and got run over by a rover.
In other words, I was a human speed bump.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Raj.
This is Piper.
I'm 10 years old, and I'm calling from Turkey in the state of Victoria in Australia.
My wow is that we went camping at a place called Kennet River and I saw real live koalas in the trees.
They were so cute.
Bye.
Hi, my name is Nick, from Tobro, Oregon.
My wild world is I recently learned that polar bear has four eyelids instead of two.
Having four eyelids protects their eyes from the cold.
Hi, my name is Hayden.
I'm nine years old and I'm from Canton, Georgia.
And my big wow in this world is Leonardo da Vinci, because his big dream is to fly and my big dream is to fly and I also draw like Thanks, bye.
Hi, my name is Gabor, and I live in North Hollywood.
My wow in my world is that I have a pool cover that looks like bubble wrap and it's a solar blanket and it keeps the pool nice and light.
It feels nice in the pool, and it uses solar rays.
Hello, my name is Jackson, from Dallas, And my wow in the world is that I recently learned Mars used to have water, but the surface and the atmosphere got too hot, which got the water to rise up.
Then it went out of the atmosphere and turned into crystals and floated it away.
I love your show.
You're the best, Guy Raz and Mindy.
Can't forget you.
Bye.
Hey guys, thank you so much for checking out this Thursday edition of Wow in the World.
Grownups.
To keep the conversation going, we've posted some fun questions on our website, wowintheworldcom.
And we love hearing from you.
Grownups, you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at wowintheworld.
And our email address is hello at wowintheworld.com.
Today's show was written by me and Guy Raz and produced by Jed Anderson.
Say hello, Jed.
Our theme song is written and performed by The Pop-Ups.
You can find more of their awesome music at thepopups.com.
Finally, we've loved hearing what's been wowing you.
Thanks so much for sending in your voicemails.
We listen to each and every one of them.
For a chance to be featured on an upcoming episode.
Have your grown-ups help you share something that's recently wowed you by dialing 1-888-7-WOW-WOW.
Thanks again for subscribing and telling your friends about our show.
We will be back on Monday with a new full-length episode.
In the meantime, go forth and find your own Wow in the World.
Wow in the World is made by Tinkercast.
Grownups, if you like Wow in the World, you can listen early and ad-free right now on Wondery Plus.
Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, or on Wondery Kids Plus on Apple Podcasts.
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