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Hey, Wowser fans!
Mindy and Guy Raz here and before we start the show, we've got some gigantic epic news to share with you.
That's right, Mindy.
Uh, what was that?
Oh, I'm so glad you asked, Guy Raz.
Mindy, is that a T-Rex in your gingerbread mansion?
Sure is, Guy Raz.
But look what's in his little hand.
Your door?
No, in his other hand.
Oh, wait.
Is that our new book, Dinosaurs Are Wow?
Aw.
Mindy, how did you find a T-Rex?
Uh, don't worry about it.
I just wanted to get a real dinosaur's opinion on our new book.
Since, you know, they're kind of the main character on this one.
Well, it looks like Steve is giving it two very sharp claws up.
Grownups.
If you want to bring the wows of dinosaurs to life with our new book Dinosaurs Are Wow, pre-order your copy today at Tinkercastcom.
Slash dinosaur.
There, you can shop at your favorite book retailer or support a local indie bookseller near you.
Once again, that's Tinkercast.com slash dinosaur.
And if you pre-order before October 28th, you will be invited to a special prehistoric party happening on our book birthday, October 28th.
Learn more at Tinkercast.com slash dinosaur.
That's Tinkercastcom slash dinosaur to join us in our virtual prehistoric pre-order party on October 28th.
Whew!
I gotta go drop Steve back off in the Jurassic period, and you've got an episode to listen to.
So, without further ado, hit it, Reg!
We wow on the weekend.
We wow on the weekend.
We wow on the weekend.
Cause this is what we do on the weekends.
And then we, oh wait, no, I said laughing twice.
Uh, whatever.
We wow on the weekend.
We wow on the weekend.
We wow on the weekend.
Cause this is what we do on the weekend.
Hello and welcome to Wee Wow on the Weekend.
I'm your host, Dennis.
And that's Reggie, the giant pigeon.
This is the show where we chit-chat and answer questions from our fans and listen to Tinkercast podcasts.
I love the weekend.
Don't you, Reggie?
Yeah, because I can really take my time and enjoy my breakfast.
Oh, today's breakfast is buttery toast with extra butter.
Ham.
And a cup of tea and, oh no, i spilled my tea and broke my mug.
It slipped right out of my buttery toast fingers.
Yeah, i know that was my favorite mug.
It said number one, dennis on it.
And now it's all broken, my poor mug.
I'll never find another one like it.
Reggie, that's a great idea.
We can make another mug.
And you know what that means.
That's right.
It's time for a crafternoon.
Ahem.
Pancakes are for eating and rivers are for rafting, and Broadway is for my one-man show, but afternoons are for crafting.
Crafternoon!
Today on Crafternoons, I will be making a new number one dentist mug.
Okay, so, um, what are mugs made out of, Reggie?
Clay?
Well, I don't have any clay.
Do you?
Hmm.
What do we have that's like clay?
Um... Oh!
How about this big pack of chewing gum?
Perfect!
What flavor do you want?
We have peppermint, spearmint, cool mint, ice mint, fresh mint, extreme mint, or pineapple.
Okay, here you go.
Now, we're going to need a lot of chewing gum, so just give each piece a few chews, just like this.
And then, spit it out on the table.
What?
It's not gross, Reggie.
It's ceramics.
Yeah, our breakfast is going to smell so good after this.
All right.
And my new mug will probably smell good too.
Yeah, maybe we should sell these gum chunks and flavored mugs on Getsy.
Getsy, Reggie!
Getsy!
It's a website where you can get stuff.
You know, stuff that people make and then sell, like crocheted jigsaw puzzles.
Right, or hand-carved t-shirts that say things like, um, I'm in my dumpster diving era.
Okay, I think we have enough gum now.
Now we just have to sculpt this gum into a mug shape.
And then I'll roll this part into a handle.
And just stick it on there like...
Ta-da!
A brand new mug.
That was so easy.
And now whenever I need a hot cup of joe in the morning, I'll grab my new mug and... Oh, no!
It's stuck to the table.
Come on, mug.
Get unstuck.
Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
Ow!
No!
Oh, no!
It's stuck to my head!
And my hair!
Ew!
What do we do, Reggie?
Peanut butter?
Really?
That gets gum mugs out of hair?
Okay, after the show, we're going to go find some peanut butter.
Well, I'm just going to leave the mug in my hair for now.
Yeah, it's like a fascinator.
Very fashionable.
Okay, next up is a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios.
Inside Tinkercast Studios.
This is the part where we revisit an episode of one of my favorite Tinkercast shows.
And today we're listening to Wow in the World.
Season 3, Episode 7, called Long Live Lonesome George.
This is the one where you and Mindy and Guy go to visit your parents, isn't it?
I love your parents.
Yeah, that one time I met them, they made me cookies and taught me how to play Mahjong.
Okay, here we go.
And play.
WeeWow will be right back.
Grownups, this message is for you.
That's it.
Now back to the show.
Flight QR432 Philadelphia has been delayed by eight hours.
Passengers wishing to board this flight may continue to wait at gate 20.
Gate 20.
Oh!
Hey Reg, I'm just picking up some snacks for the flight.
You want some cool, refreshing mints?
Already cool enough, huh?
Yeah, you've made that joke before.
You got the tickets?
Okay, well come in here so you can see what snack options they have.
Look, they've got a share the air section now.
Perfect for small enclosed spaces.
Let's see what we got here.
We've got egg and mayo sandwiches, tuna fish, salad, kimchi.
Kim G. Oh, hey, Guy Raz.
You made it.
Yeah, sorry I'm late, guys.
I got held up at the airport security line.
I had to get my shoes scanned, and then my jacket scanned, and then my elbow patches scanned.
What?
But I made it.
Yep.
And what is that you're dragging behind you?
Oh, this whole thing?
This is actually really cool, Mindy.
Check it out.
It's my new carry-on luggage.
Okay, um... It's made out of a Kevlar fabric with reinforced zippers, and check this out.
The flight's about to take off.
Self-deploying handles with custom latex grips.
Isn't it amazing?
Well, I mean, amazing's kind of a strong word for a suitcase, but Uh, where's your luggage, Mindy?
Oh, it's right here.
I've been holding it the whole time.
Oh, oh, hmm.
See?
See?
Uh, Mindy, is that a Nina Toten bag?
Oh, you know it is.
Never go on a trip without it.
It's soaking wet.
I know.
It's all the salsa.
Why do you have a tote bag full of salsa?
Well, because I'm only going away for the weekend, Guy Raz.
It's not like I'm going to need a whole suitcase full of salsa.
This is all the salsa I'll need.
No, no, no, Mindy.
Why do you need... Flight W0W1 to Florida is now boarding.
Will all passengers boarding this flight please make their way to gate 23.
Ooh, that's us, Guy Raz.
Come on, Reg!
Let's go!
Whoa!
Wait up for me!
You know, Mindy, I never asked.
Why are we taking a plane down to Florida?
I mean, wouldn't it make a lot more sense for us to just hop on Reggie and then away we go?
Well, yes and no.
Oh, did he have another taekwondo accident?
No.
Because if I've told him once, I've told him a thousand times when performing the downward roundhouse kick, you've got to keep your back straight.
Otherwise, he's going to keep on hyperextending his tail feathers.
No, no, no.
Reggie's tail feathers are just fine.
Uh...
His parents?
Yeah.
Um, so you know how we're going down to Florida to visit Reggie's parents in their newfangled retirement village.
Uh, yeah.
Well, just before we left, they sent him this message.
Hey, Reg, can I borrow your phone for a sec?
Oh, nice throw.
Okay, now where is that message?
Here it is.
Okay, check it out.
Mindy, these are just a bunch of claw prints.
Oh, right.
I keep forgetting you can't read pigeon scratch.
No worries.
I'll translate.
It says... Our dearest Reginald... Reginald?
I know, right?
Our dearest Reginald.
We can't wait to see you when you come down and visit us in the Sunshine State next week.
However...
We'd feel more comfortable if you were to take a plane down.
We know you're a responsible flyer, but we worry about all of the other less responsible birds that fly in the jet stream.
It would make us all feel much more comfortable knowing that you are safe.
Lots of love.
Blah, blah, blah.
You're one and only.
Blah.
Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
It just pretty much goes on like that for a while.
Okay, so we're taking a plane down to Florida, I guess.
We are.
Right, okay, got it.
Okay, so now that we've got that out of the way, here we are, gate 23.
Oh, hello.
Hello, boarding passes and IDs, please.
Ooh, an organ donor.
Why, bless your beak, sir.
Go right ahead.
Here you go.
And thank you, Mr. Raz.
Sorry, I wasn't prepared.
I know it's in here somewhere.
No, that's our receipt.
Oh, here it is.
Thank you.
Oh, ma'am, this is a library card covered in salsa.
Yes, but it has my photo on it right there.
Oh, yes, sorry.
Just couldn't recognize you with you pulling your nose up like that in the picture.
I know.
I get that all the time.
All right, straight on through.
Enjoy the flight.
Florida, here.
Hello, folks.
From up on the flight deck, the seatbelt sign has now been turned off.
You are free to move about the cabin.
Mindy?
Mindy?
Yeah?
Mindy, everyone on this plane is looking at you.
Why on earth is it so funny?
Oh, man, you've got to check this out, Guy Raz.
It's this hilarious movie where this guy has to reach under his seat...
Get this.
He has to put on this bright yellow vest and an oxygen mask.
And then Mindy, are you sure you weren't just watching the safety video?
What?
No.
I was... I was totally watching the safety video.
Oh.
Uh, where did Reggie go?
Uh, I don't know.
The last time I saw him, he was in the cockpit.
Oh, how cool.
Is he getting a little tour of the plane?
Nah, he was teaching a couple of new pilots how to fly.
Uh-huh.
We will now begin service of our lunch menu.
We are offering two options a Pop-Tart with a slice of aged American cheese or a hearty home-style lasagna made entirely of peanut brittle.
What kind of airline is this?
Guy Raz, you have no idea how pumped I am that we get to go down to Florida to visit Reggie's parents in their retirement village.
The last time I was there, oh man, that place was full of so many interesting characters.
I didn't think I was ever going to leave.
You know, Mindy, now that I think about it, I've never been to an animal retirement home before.
Oh.
You are going to love it, Guy Raz.
There are lizards and birds and marsupials, all living together in beautiful harmony, playing bridge and sucking on butterscotch.
Wow, that sounds great.
Oh, yeah.
And there are some residents that I can't wait to catch up with.
There's this one Greenland shark, Gary, who's celebrating his 400th birthday this year.
400?
Wow, that's a lot of candles to stick on a crab cake.
Yeah, that's nothing, Guy Raz.
The village's oldest resident is this quahog clam named Ming.
Last time I saw him in 2007, he was about to turn 507 years old.
Whoa, you mean Ming was born in, uh, carry the one, two, three...
1499?
You know it.
Pretty bonker balls, huh?
That's older than the United States, Mindy.
That's older than Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.
That's older than... The shrimp in my pocket!
Uh... But there's one creature down there that I'm really pumped to visit again.
Who's that?
Okay, so his name is George.
George...
George the Galapagos Tortoise.
Ah, I've heard about Galapagos tortoises before.
They're huge.
The biggest ones can grow up to six feet long and can weigh up to 900 pounds.
And most importantly, they are the longest living species of tortoise on the planet.
Which would explain why George is in the retirement village.
Exact Doritos, Guy Raz.
For the last 40 years, George has just been chilling out in the Florida sun training for triathlons, playing shuffleboard you know things that tortoises do.
40 years?
Mindy, I thought most tortoises don't live past 30 years and you're telling me that George has been retired for 40 years.
Uh-huh.
Well, how old is he then?
Well, let me see here.
So the last time I saw him seven years ago, and he was, he would be 110 years old.
And I'm pretty sure he's going to be celebrating his birthday while we're down there.
So excited.
I got him the perfect present.
Wow.
What did you get him?
I think it's in my overhead luggage.
Hang on a second.
Oh, sorry.
Sorry.
Excuse me.
I'm just going to squeeze by you.
Okay.
I'll open the hatch of this.
Sorry.
Oh.
Ow.
Ow.
Ow.
Mindy, Mindy, what is that?
It's a prickly pear, Guy Ross.
Why in the world do you have a prickly pear cactus in your overhead baggage?
Just told you, it's George's birthday.
Turns out prickly pear is his favorite tortoise food.
Greetings again from the flight deck.
The fasten seatbelt sign has been turned on.
Please return to your seats as we are about to begin our descent into Florida.
Excuse me, ma'am.
I'm going to have to have you take your seat.
This is not a problem.
Just need to put this back in the overhead.
Ah!
Can I help you with that cactus?
Suit yourself.
Catch!
Ow!
Thanks.
Madam, please don't throw cactuses at people.
You shouldn't have to say that.
We are beginning our final approach.
Flight attendants, please cross-check and prepare for arrival.
Thank you very much.
I can't forget your tip.
Let me see here.
Oh, how about this?
In a pinch, when making a sandwich and you're out of cheese, just use a yellow Post-it instead.
I already knew that one.
Have a nice day.
Well, Reggie, Guy Raz, here we are.
Final sunset retirement farm.
Man, oh man, this place is really nice, Mindy.
Nicely paved roads, golf buggies to get around.
They even have a koi pond.
Actually, that's just a swimming pool for Mr. and Mrs. Yakamoto.
Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Yakamoto.
It's me, Mindy.
I'm back.
Anywho, we should probably sign in at the front office so that Reggie can see his parents.
How you doing with those bags?
Hey, I think that's where we go check in over there, Mindy.
What makes you think that?
Well, the giant flashing neon sign above the door that says, check in here.
Oh, yeah.
Race ya.
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run.
Hello there.
Welcome to Final Sunset Retirement Farm.
Are you visiting family?
Pets?
Family.
Well, not my family exactly.
More like, um, well, my pigeon's family.
But we are kind of close.
I think they would consider me family.
Do you think that they would consider me family?
We Uh, we're here to see two elderly pigeons.
Uh, Mr. and Mrs. Uh... Mr. and Mrs. Uh... You know what, Mindy?
I don't think I know Reggie's last name.
Huh.
You know, me neither.
Hey, Reggie, what's your parents' last name?
Oh, of course.
Mr. and Mrs. You must be Reginald.
They will be very happy to see you again.
Please follow me.
Hey, Reg?
We're just gonna, you know, take a little look around.
We'll catch up with you later, okay?
Oh, and say hi to Mr. and Mrs., um... for us, okay?
Okay, Guy Raz, got some free time on our hands.
What do you want to do first?
We could play some bingo.
Maybe try one of those.
Sit and be fit.
Exercise classes, polish off some dentures, eh.
Well, actually I was thinking maybe we should try and track down that Galapagos tortoise you were talking about on the plane.
I mean, you could give him his birthday present and maybe he could tell us some stories.
You know, being 110 years old and all, I bet he has some great ones.
That's That's a great idea, Guy Raz.
Wait till he tells you about the time he met Meryl Sheep.
Hi.
Excuse me, nurse.
Would you be able to tell me where I can find Lonesome George?
They call him Lonesome George Guy Raz because he was the last Galapagos tortoise on the Pinta Island in the Caribbean.
But he's actually a real party animal.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Did you not hear?
Lonesome George passed away in 2012.
Young!
She does know he was over a hundred years old, right?
He had so much left to give!
Yeah, she'll be okay.
But you two did come on the perfect day.
Oh, why is that?
There is a celebration of life ceremony for him today in the cafeteria.
We do it each year on his birthday.
Today, he would have been 110 years old.
Thank you, nurse.
We'll be sure to be there.
Enjoy it.
And if you see a loose tail lying somewhere around here, let me know.
I have an iguana who could have sworn she left it in here.
We'll definitely keep an eye out.
Hey, hey, did you hear that, Mindy?
They're having a celebration of life party for George in the mess hall today.
Should we go check it out?
Yeah, yeah, maybe someone over there will want this prickly pear.
Lovely.
I just want to thank everyone for coming to the annual celebration of life ceremony for our beloved friend, Lonesome George.
Today he would have been 110 years old.
We don't know this for certain as he was very lonesome and very private about his age.
But I do have something very special I would like to share with you today.
We received a letter from a group of scientists who said they have sequenced Lonesome George's genome to try and understand how our friend came to live such a long, long life.
Whoa, that's incredible, Mindy.
I know, 32 animals in this room and nobody thought to put out any food.
No, not that, Mindy.
The fact that these scientists sequenced Lonesome George's genome in order to try and understand how he lived such a long life.
Really?
Yeah, that is pretty incredible because the genome is like the instruction manual of life.
That's right, the instruction manual that each living organism has inside of them that tells them how to grow and develop.
Right, and so when they say that they were able to sequence Lonesome George's genome, that means that they were able to basically translate that biological instruction manual into something that we can understand.
These scientists compared George's genome to the lifespans of other mammals fish birds, amphibians and reptiles to try and determine what differences there might be.
And to read the result of that study, we have one of George's oldest and closest friends, Michael.
George Michael?
No, no, no, no, no, no.
George and Michael.
Um, um...
Thank you.
It is such an honor to speak here today.
You know, it's not surprising that George lived to such a ripe old age.
You see, according to this letter, the researchers found that George had a mutation in one of his genes called IGF1R, a gene that is typically related to aging and long life.
Wait, 1GF1R?
Are you kidding me?
Uh... motor pickle a mutation mindy do you know what this means well i know that a mutation is when a gene in the body doesn't behave the way that it does in everyone else that's right and so if there was a mutation in a gene that controls aging and long life then that would explain how he was able to live for such a long time even though still think he died too young And in addition to possessing this long-life gene, these researchers have also discovered that George and Galapagos tortoises like him have extra copies of genes that help repair DNA.
Yes, yes, I know.
It's incredible.
I'm flipping out.
I'm so excited.
DNA are the small microscopic molecules that form the itsy bitsy strands that make up our genome.
Yeah, and a lot of the challenges that comes with old age, like getting hurt or getting sick more easily.
Well, that happens in part because the older we get, the more the DNA inside of our body becomes more damaged.
So if George was better at repairing that DNA in his own body, Then it would make sense as to why he was able to live so long.
Also also these researchers found that George had 12 times as many genes related to the immune system than most mammals, and that is including us humans.
The immune system.
Mindy, I think he's talking about the part of the body that fights off infections and keeps our bodies safe.
Yeah, and he just said that Lonesome George had 12 times as many genes to do with the immune system that we do.
Yeah.
So this means that not only was his DNA just crazy good at fixing itself, but his immune system was also kicking some serious batoot, keeping out all those nasty infections and diseases.
It does seem that way, Mindy.
Thank you, Michael, for that beautiful reading.
I understand these researchers will continue to study George's genome.
And apparently, next, they will be trying to unlock the mystery of why George was so big.
It seems that even in death, George is still teaching us so much about life.
Thank you all for coming today.
I must ask that we now make our way out of the cafeteria, as Babs and the rest of the Canaries Yes, hello there.
They have this room reserved for Tai Chi this afternoon.
Thank you.
Wow, Mindy, what a beautiful service.
I had no idea Lonesome George had all of those secrets just tucked away in his genome.
Right?
Anywho, we should probably go find Reginald.
He's probably just about ready to...
Reggie, look at you.
What a great sweater.
Oh, and it even has your name embroidered across the front of it.
Did your mom knit that for you?
He said that his dad knitted this sweater.
These were knitted by his mom.
Matching sweaters that say Mindy.
And Guy Raz.
Yep, that's what I thought.
Thanks, Reggie.
Well, here come the canaries.
I guess we should probably get out of here, Mindy.
Okay, so what do you two want to do next?
We could play a game of bridge with the lemurs, maybe?
Maybe do some water aerobics with the otters?
That would be nice.
Oh, wait, wait.
How about...
That was so cool.
I can't believe Lonesome George had a mutation in his DNA, and that's why he lived so long.
Also, your parents' retirement village sounds cute.
Okay, should we go get this gum mug out of my hair?
All right, let's wrap up the show first.
Thanks to all you listeners out there for tuning in to Wee Wow on the Weekend!
If you have a question for me, call and leave me a message at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW.
That's 1-888-7-WOW-WOW.
I just might answer your question on Wee Wow on the Weekend!
Okay, let's go.
So you're sure peanut butter will get the gum out of my hair?
Can I add jelly too?
And some bread?
Because I want to make a peanut butter and jelly and dinner sandwich.
Oh, and maybe we should add bananas.
Or potato chips.
Or bacon.
Or honey.
Or...
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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And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.
Thanks for joining us for this edition of Wee Wow.
Our show is written by Ruth Morrison and Jed Anderson.
The role of baby Dennis is played by Jed Anderson.
Well, then who plays the role of big Dennis?
Never you mind.
Original sound design and production is done by Tyler Thole, with contributions from Jed Anderson and Henry Moskal.
Original music for WeWow is composed and performed by Tyler Thull.
Special thanks to Jessica Bode, Rebecca Caban, Dr Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Kristen Yang, Meredith Halpern-Ranzer, Tweet Mac Jody Nussbaum, Ali Paksima, Guy Raz, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Mindy Thomas, Anna Zagorski and all of the other Tinkerer's at Tinkercast HQ.
Be sure to visit Tinkercastcom, where you can become an official member of the World Organization of Wowzers.
Learn about upcoming events, shop our Wow Shop, find our best-selling books and learn about all the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.
Thanks again for thinking, tinkering, experimenting, and exploring with me this week.
Be sure to check out episodes of Wow in the World on Mondays, two What's in a Wow on Fridays and We Wow on the Weekend with Dennis on the Weekends.
And remember, who wows, I wow!
No, baby Dennis, we wow!
All right, we wow!
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
