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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!
We'll be right back.
I'm yelling so much, it's four o'clock in the morning.
Good morning, Guy Raz.
What's with all the shouting?
I'm not supposed to be at yoga for another hour and a half, and you know how important it is to me to get my full eight hours of sleep.
Yeah, I know.
That's why you never make it out to my and Reggie's late-night warehouse dance parties.
Right, Reg?
Certainly one of the reasons is loud music also makes me kind of nervous.
Really?
Now, a nice afternoon warehouse sonata?
A what?
That's something I could get behind.
Okay.
So, what's with all the yelling?
This isn't a repeat of last week, is it?
Oh no, should I get out my noise-canceling headphones?
Mindy, what are you doing?
Sorry, Kairos.
I've got the regional yelling competition tomorrow morning.
I gotta practice.
Use the noise-canceling headphones I gave you.
Okay.
Sweet dreams.
No, this isn't a repeat of last week.
My next yelling match isn't until next month.
Then what's with all the noise?
I can't find any of my bees, Guy Raz.
They've all vanished into thin air.
Your bees?
Yeah.
I woke up wanting a midnight snack.
A 4 a.m. snack.
Okay, fine.
A 4 a.m. snack.
Anywho, I needed something to dip my Pop-Tart into, so I thought I'd come out here to ask my bees for some of their honey.
But they're all gone.
Wait a minute, Mindy.
You're a Well, I'd like to think of myself as more of a bed and bee-reck-fist.
Get it?
Get it?
Bee-reck-fist?
Mandy?
Anyhoo, they're free to come and go as they please, and I charge very reasonable rates.
Reasonable rates?
Yeah.
I charge them three ounces of honey per night.
What?
And four ounces on weekends and national holidays.
Okay.
But when I came out this morning, they were already...
All gone.
The only one that's left here is Beyonce.
Beyonce?
Yeah, the queen bee.
Oh, right.
So now I'm trying to find her long-lost friends.
I've printed out some flyers.
Uh-huh.
Called the missing bee unit at the police station.
Uh-huh.
And now I'm on to stage three.
Which is?
Yelling randomly in the street.
Mindy.
Hey. just had an idea.
Uh, what's that?
Can you help me find them?
I mean, you've got such a good yelling voice, Sky Ross.
I do not!
I do not.
Uh-huh.
But I guess I'm awake now.
Okay, fine.
Let me get my slippers on and I'll be right down.
Yes!
If you like it, then you should put a sting on it.
Don't be mad now that the bees want it.
Uh-oh.
Mindy, were you just... Oh, Sky Ross!
No Hey, can I have a look at that flyer, Mindy?
Oh, here, sure.
Okay, let's see here.
Bees missing.
Very important to ecosystem.
Needed for pollination and Pop-Tart dipping.
Missing bees include Susan B Anthony, Johnny B Good and Samantha B Mindy, are you eating the Pop-Tart?
Oh! where they all could have gone.
Wait a minute, Mindy.
I think I know what this is.
You do?
Yep.
Wait right here.
I have a book on it back home.
What?
Wait.
It feels like I should have put a stain on it.
Don't be mad now.
That's the face on it.
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh-oh.
Uh-oh-oh.
Ta-da!
Uh, garage? why are you wearing that trench coat and detective's hat?
Because, Mindy, what we have here is a mystery.
A mystery?
It was four o'clock in the morning.
The sky was black as ink, and I could only think in metaphors.
It was then that the case of the missing bees fell directly onto my lap.
Uh, what was that?
Oh, I was just doing, you know, the whole... detective mystery narration thing.
Oh, okay.
Well, first of all, I can't even hear you when you're narrating, since it's all in your head and you won't let me back in there after the last time.
And second of all, I don't even have a trench coat.
How am I supposed to be your detective partner when I'm dressed like this?
Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that, Mindy.
Why are you wearing that mascot costume?
Well, my beekeeping costume is at the dry cleaners, because I spilled honey all over it last week and this was the next best thing.
A giant kangaroo costume?
Well, technically, it's a wallaby costume, but yeah.
Oh, all right.
You're looking at the Washington Wallaby.
The Washington Wallaby?
Yeah, for the National Ultimate Frisbee Team.
Well, if that's what you want to wear, that's OK.
But I thought you might want a spare trench coat, so I brought one.
Aw, thanks, buddy.
Let me just get it on here.
It's a little snag here over this mascot costume.
OK, there we go.
All right, all set.
Let's go solve this mystery.
All right, Detective Mindy.
Here's the prime suspect.
C-C-D.
C-C-D!
I knew it!
What C-C-D?
C-C-D.
Colony Collapse Disorder.
It's been causing havoc in the bee community since 2006.
How dare it!
And according to this book here... You mean its case file?
Of course.
According to its case file...
Colony collapse disorder is a phenomenon where the majority of worker bees evacuate the hive.
And then they leave behind the queen to fend for herself.
Oh, Beyonce!
And a hive without its worker bees can't survive.
So after a while...
The whole thing just collapses.
Which is why it's called colony collapse disorder.
Correctamundo, Detective Mindy.
But the question is why, Inspector Guy Raz?
Why?
Well, that's where the mystery lies.
According to its case file, there are three main factors that could be causing this.
Factor number one.
A bee virus.
A bee virus?
Yep. parasite known as Varroa destructor.
This parasite sucks the blood out of the bees and it causes their wings to shrivel up and it makes it very difficult for them to fly home.
Yikes!
Okay, factor number two.
Pesticides.
Pesticides?
You mean like the chemicals that farmers use on their crops to stop bugs from eating them?
Exactly.
And although these pesticides are only meant to kill the bugs that chomp down on crops like corn and fruit, some pesticides have also been hurting bees that land on those crops.
Man, ruthless.
OK, factor number three.
Habitat loss.
But habitats are like homes.
You mean some bees are being kicked out of their homes?
Well, sort of.
Bees have a pretty large area where they fly and collect food.
This is called their foraging range.
And in recent years a lot of that area has been cleared, meaning Meaning less food and nutrition for the poor little bees.
Exactly.
So they just keep going out further and further to find food.
And then they sometimes can't find their way back home.
Well, it appears we've cracked the case, Inspector Guy Raz.
Why don't we... Sorry, Guy Raz.
I can't do it.
I cannot do the detective voice.
It hurts my throat.
Can we just talk normally?
She asked if we could stop doing our detective parody.
She said the voice hurt her throat.
She had a point.
It had been... Guy Raz!
Oh, sorry.
Yeah, sure thing, Mindy.
So colony collapse disorder.
Huh.
That must be why all my bees disappeared.
Yeah, and it looks like you might have to head down to 7-Eleven to get your honey fix from now on.
What?
Don't be redonkulous, Sky Roz.
Huh?
This is not just about honey and Pop-Tarts.
Well, what do you mean?
Bees are an important part of our ecosystem.
You mean how bees help out with pollination.
That's exactly what I mean.
Pollination is how plants reproduce or make more of themselves.
And they do this by catching a ride on everyone's favorite flying insect.
The bee.
Yep.
As the bees go around from flower to flower or crop to crop, they collect pollen on their feet.
Because pollen is really sticky.
Right.
Like stepping in some gum and it's sticking to the bottom of your shoe.
Ugh, that's gross.
Then, when they land on the next plant, a little bit of this pollen rubs off their feet.
Kind of like how you brush your feet off on a doormat.
You know it, Guy Raz.
Then this pollen fertilizes that plant, which can then turn into a fruit or a vegetable or a flower.
That's probably why flowers are so colorful and pleasant.
Mm.
What do you mean?
Well, the nicer a flower looks and smells, the more likely a bee will land on it and carry its pollen off to another flower.
Hmm.
Talk about making a good impression.
Right?
And that's why these guys are so important.
Something like 80% of all pollination is done by bees.
80%?
Yep.
So you're telling me that 8 out of every 10 plants needs bees to make more of themselves?
You know it.
And that's why scientists are so worried about colony collapse disorder.
If the bees keep disappearing, the plants could go too.
That's terrible, Mindy.
Tell me about it.
But luckily, a group of scientists from Bangor University in the United Kingdom are on the case.
Scientist detectives!
Pretty epic combo, right?
Yeah.
So what are these scientists from the UK doing to solve the problem of colony collapse disorder?
Well, they're tracking bees using this.
Uh, I don't see anything.
It's right here, Guy Raz.
Right there on the tip of my... pinky finger.
Uh, huh?
Um, hold on.
You might need some magnifying goggles.
I think I've got mine right here.
It's okay.
I've got a pair.
You just happen to have magnifying goggles in your pajama pocket?
Yeah.
I never go to sleep without them.
Okay.
All right.
Let's see here.
Huh.
Oh, I think I see it.
It's like a small black box.
What is this, Mindy?
That, Guy Raz, is a bee backpack.
A
Bee backpack?
Yes!
So these little trackers are attached to the backs of the bees and then monitored or watched by the scientists to see how and where the bees are going.
But Mindy, you called it a backpack.
I don't see any straps or cargo pockets.
It doesn't even have a hydration pack.
How is this a backpack?
Okay, so bees typically weigh about the same as four grains of rice.
Okay.
And these little trackers are about one third of the weight of a bee, making them about the same weight as what a backpack would be to you or me.
Wow.
And the trackers that scientists have used in the past to track bees have weighed as much, if not more, than the actual bees themselves.
Which I guess would be like us humans carrying a... panda bear on our back.
Right.
So all of those studies in the past that have tracked bees were not exactly super accurate.
Yeah, I bet.
I mean, if I was walking around with a panda on my back, I probably wouldn't hike or walk as far as I normally do.
Ah!
Ugh!
Great outdoors!
Ah!
So how is this backpack so light?
Well, the researchers were able to take out the battery which, in the trackers before, was the heaviest part.
Wait, so how does this tracker work if it has no battery?
Oh, so this part is really cool.
The tracker uses the electrical energy created by the bees beating wings to power the device.
Wow, so the bee is powering its own backpack?
Isn't that so wow?
And by knowing more about the foraging habit of the bees, like where they fly to and what they interact with.
That could probably give us more clues as to what is causing colony collapse disorder.
And help us close the case once and for all.
Hey, look, Mindy, the sun is rising.
Oh, yeah.
Wait, what's that on the horizon?
What in the...
Guy Raz, give me those magnifying goggles.
Mindy, I'm not sure that's how magnifying goggles work.
It's my bees!
Samantha, Johnny, Susan, Gang's all here!
Guys, where have you been?
You had me worried sick!
Uh-huh.
Oh, ow.
Oh, okay, that's fair.
What'd they say, Mindy?
Oh, they said they just popped out for a midnight snack.
Uh-huh.
Oh, sorry, a 4 a.m. snack.
I would love some honey.
Discounted rate?
Ugh, fine, I'll give you my friend's discount.
Mindy, would you mind if I got some honey, too?
It'll go great with my chamomile tea.
Oh, sure thing, Guy Raz.
I'll even give it to you at an unbeatable price.
You get it?
Come on, I'll be reasonable, but I'm still trying to run a buzzness here.
Get it?
Mindy...
You get it?
Wow in the World will be right back.
Grown-ups, this message is for you.
Hey, grown-ups.
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.
Grownups.
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.
Hi, thanks for calling Wow in the World.
After the beep, get ready to record.
Hi, Mindy and Guy.
My name is Cassia, and I live in New York City.
My Wow in the World is that scientists can combine two living things to create a new living thing and that they can edit genes.
Hello, Guy Raz and Mindy.
My name is Amna.
I'm 11 years old, and I live in West Hartford, Connecticut.
My wow in the world is that there is a place in Venezuela, South America, where lightning flashes up to 280 times an hour.
Bye.
I love your show.
Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Claire, and I'm from Arizona.
I'm 9 years old.
And my wow in the world is that bats and beluga whales use echolocation to talk to others and get their food.
Bye, Mindy and Guy Raz.
I love your show.
Hi, Guy Raz and Mindy.
My name is Elle.
I live in Keene, North Dakota.
My wow in the world, that is, if you don't put sunscreen on before you go in the water, you can still get sunburned, because water is like a magnifying glass to the sun.
Bye, Guy Raz and Mindy.
I love your show.
My name is Lola, and I'm seven, and I live in Santa Cruz, California.
And my wow is that there are female banana trees and male banana trees.
And I love your show.
Bye.
Hello, Minnie and Guy Ross.
My name is Yasha.
I'm seven years old.
I live in Washington, D.C.
My wow is that mayonnaise removes crayon from the wall.
Love your show.
My name is Jude from Glenside, Pennsylvania.
And my wow is that a giant squid eyeball is as big as a basketball.
Bye, Minnie and Grime Rose.
I love your show.
Hi, my name is Harper.
I live in Bedford, Mass., and I am six years old.
My wow in the world is that you two know everything.
Bye.
Bye.
End of messages.
Hey, everyone.
And if you want to keep the conversation going, check out some of the questions we've posted on this episode at our website, wowintheworldcom.
And grownups.
There you can find more details on how your kids can become part of the World Organization of Wowzers.
Lots of cool perks, exclusive t-shirts, autographed pictures of us and a bunch of other cool stuff wowintheworldcom.
Our show is produced by Jed Anderson.
Say hello, Jed.
Hello.
With help from Thomas Van Kalken, Chelsea Erson, and Jessica Bode.
Meredith Halpern-Ranzer is the big boss.
Our theme song was composed and performed by The Pop-Ups.
You can find more of their awesome all-ages music at thepopups.com.
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If you want to send us an email, our address is hello at wowintheworldcom.
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