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[The Science of Cars: A 'Two Whats and a Wow' Exploration]-[Two Whats?! And A Wow! - Vroom Vroom (11/18/22)]

Wow in the World · B1 · 2022-11-18

Preschool Enlightenment
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📋 Summary

Exploring the Science of Cars: A 'Two Whats and a Wow' Special

In this high-energy episode of Wow in the World, hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz engage listeners in their signature game show, Two Whats and a Wow. The theme for this session is "cars," serving as a springboard to explore fascinating, real-world scientific phenomena through a mix of trivia and humor.

Round 1: The Goldfish Joyride

In the first round, the hosts presented three claims: that scientists trained goldfish to drive cars, that cars can run on candy canes, or that the world’s fastest car reaches 350 miles per hour. The "true scientific wow" was revealed to be the goldfish experiment. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev successfully trained six goldfish to navigate a water tank mounted on wheels. By maneuvering the tank toward specific marks on a wall, the fish received food as a reward—a classic example of behavioral conditioning applied in a bizarre, aquatic context.

Round 2: Prehistoric Giants

Moving to the second round, the trivia shifted from modern technology to paleontology. The contenders evaluated whether the first speeding ticket was issued to someone driving 50 mph, if cars are more numerous than chickens, or if ancient turtles were once the size of cars. The winning fact was that, indeed, turtles once grew to the size of automobiles. Scientific excavations in Colombia’s Tatacoa Desert unearthed fossils of a turtle that weighed over 125 tons and spanned 13 feet in length, proving that nature once produced "vehicles" of its own long before human engineering took hold.

Round 3: Tornadoes vs. Formula One

In the final round, the hosts explored the raw power of nature versus human mechanics. Participants were asked if the center of the galaxy smells like a new car, if some tornadoes travel faster than Formula One race cars, or if black is the most common car color in America. The correct answer highlights the incredible velocity of extreme weather: tornado winds can exceed 250 miles per hour, effectively outpacing a Formula One race car, which typically peaks around 230 miles per hour. This contrast emphasizes the sheer kinetic energy present in severe atmospheric events compared to even the most advanced racing technology.

Operation: Reinvent the Wheel

Beyond the game show format, the episode concludes with a hands-on scientific challenge titled "Operation Reinvent the Wheel." Mindy and Guy Raz encourage listeners to engage in creative engineering by attaching wheels to household items. This activity aims to get children thinking about the mechanics of transportation and the physics of motion by repurposing everyday objects into functional, rolling vehicles. The hosts invite listeners to document their inventions, fostering a spirit of curiosity and play-based learning that defines the Wow in the World mission.

Through these segments, the podcast successfully blends entertainment with education, ensuring that even the most mundane subject—cars—becomes a gateway to understanding biology, paleontology, and meteorology.

🎯Key Sentences

1
That's it.
2
But for now, let's get on with the show.
3
Yeah, last I checked.
4
I figured as much.
5
What in the...
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📝Key Phrases

1
music to your ears
2
get on with the show
3
last I checked
4
reduce your carbon footprint
5
figured as much
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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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