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[The Science of Feet: From Tarantula Taste Buds to Hoof Anatomy]-[Two Whats?! And A Wow! - Best Foot Forward (12/16/22)]

Wow in the World · B1 · 2022-12-16

Preschool Enlightenment
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📋 Summary

Exploring the Wonders of Feet

In this episode of Wow in the World, hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz take listeners on an educational journey focused on the anatomy and science of feet. The show highlights the importance of appreciating our own feet, which contain "26 bones, at least 30 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments," and frames them as parts of our bodies that deserve care and recognition.

The Game: Two Whats and a Wow

The central segment of the episode is the interactive game "Two Whats and a Wow," where contestants must identify the single true scientific fact among three statements. The category for this round was "feet."

The Scientific Wow: Tarantula Taste

The winning answer was that "tarantulas taste with their feet." Mindy and Guy Raz explain that this is a fascinating biological trait shared by many insects and arachnids. These creatures possess "special sensory organs" on their legs that allow them to smell and taste their environment. This mechanism is essential for survival, enabling spiders, flies, butterflies, and mosquitoes to determine if a surface or substance is "good and safe to eat" before ingestion.

Debunking the "Whats"

  • Foot Cheese: While the hosts clarified that you cannot find "cheese made from feet" in grocery stores, they noted that the concept is grounded in biology. A scientific exhibition in Dublin once used "bacteria samples from different people's feet" to produce cheese. This is possible because the same bacteria that "ripens cheese and makes it stinky" naturally lives on human skin and feeds on dead skin cells.
  • The Frog of the Hoof: Though there are no "tiny frogs living in the feet of horses," the term "frog" is a legitimate anatomical feature in equine science. The "frog" is a "small, slightly squishy triangular pad" located on the underside of a horse's hoof. This structure serves a vital protective function, cushioning the horse's joints and bones while it travels across hard ground.

Conclusion and Scientific Challenge

The episode concludes with a call to action titled "Operation Step To It." This challenge encourages listeners to experiment with different forms of movement—such as tiptoeing, taking "gigantic steps," or hopping—to explore the mechanics of how we get from one point to another. By engaging in these activities and mapping their movements, the show aims to foster a deeper curiosity about the world through play and scientific observation.

🎯Key Sentences

1
But for now, let's get on with the show.
2
Is everything okay?
3
Think about it, Guy Raz.
4
The last time I talked to my feet?
5
I can't remember.
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📝Key Phrases

1
music to your ears
2
get on with the show
3
putting together
4
on our feet
5
nourish the soul
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📖 Transcript

Grownups, Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Wow in the World early and ad-free right now.
Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or Wondery Kids Plus on Apple Podcasts.
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.

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