Psst! Hey Wowzer fans!
Mindy and Guy Raz here, and before we start the show, summer break is almost here!
And if you're looking for an adventure that the whole family will love, we've teamed up with our friends at Atlas Obscura to create trips designed for families to explore the Wow's of our world.
That's right, the first Wow in the World Family Tour starts at the end of June, and there's still a few more spots left. So why not join your fellow Wowser fams on an exploration of the ancient Mayan temples and the Pyramids of Tulum in Mexico?
Or if you're looking for some wows this winter, your family can discover the Pyramids of Giza and ride camels in Egypt in December.
All of our Wow in the World Family Tour has come with an adventure toolkit, t -shirts, a journal, and postcards.
And the best part, grown -ups, the planning is already taken care of.
Aw, but I love planning, Mindy, spending hours online, searching for the best locations, the best deals, the best...
I know you do, Guy Raz, but a lot of busy grownups don't really have that kinda time these days.
So our friends at Atlas Obscura have planned experiences that will wow your family each day of your trip, and we've put together some audio surprises and daily missions for you, too.
Grownups, if you wanna learn more about the Wow!
in the World family tours, visit tinkercast .com slash trips.
That's tinkercast .com slash trips.
That's it. Now, back to the show.
Hey, Wowser fams! It's Guy Roz and Mindy here.
And Mindy, can you believe we have our very own Wow!
in the World stem toys?
I know! And look, they even have our faces on them.
Look at little us, skyrozzy.
It's so bonker balls.
Aww, you're using my catchphrase.
Grownups, we are so excited to share our Wow in the World STEM toys with the future scientists in your life.
And now, you can find our toys at select Walmart locations near you and online at walmart .com.
From the ultimate high -flying air rocket to the light -up terrarium, there's something for every Wowser in your world to play and tinker with.
Wow In The World stem toys now available at Walmart.
That's it and now let's get back to the wow.
We wow on the weekend, we wow on the weekend, we wow on the weekend cuz this is what we do on the weekend, talking, laughing, me and Reggie, singing, laughing.
And then we... oh wait, no, I said laughing twice.
Uh, whatever! Wee -wow on the weekend, yeah, Wee -wow on the weekend, clap clap!
Wee -wow on the weekend, because this is what we do on the weekend!
Hello and welcome to Wee -Wow on the Weekend.
I'm your host, Dennis.
Brr! And here's my co -host, Reggie the Giant Pigeon.
Say hi, Reggie. Brr!
Hey, Reggie, look what I found.
Huh? It's my old yearbook from boarding school!
Brr! Oh, my cherished days at Count Montague's School for nosey little children.
The most wonderful moments of my young life.
Ha. Oh, look, there's my picture.
Brr. Yeah, I look different without a mustache.
Um, maybe I should draw one on Lilo Meek.
There we go. That's better.
Oh, and there's my favorite teacher!
Professor Von Sneekusen.
She was amazing. She taught my favorite subject, history of snooping.
Yeah, history of snooping was like the gossip from olden times.
You would not believe the drama in feudal Japan.
Who was your favorite teacher, Reggie?
Mr. Featherstein? What did he teach?
Oh, wow, I didn't know you took biochemistry.
Well, I just want to say thanks to all the teachers out there for teaching us how to eavesdrop on our neighbors.
Right, and for teaching us about science and biochemistry and stuff.
OK, that's enough of that.
Let's get to our first segment, reading revusies.
I'm reading revusies for me and for you -sees.
We've got us some doozies, so let's read reviews!
Zeez. This is the part where people write us comments on Apple podcasts or Spotify or whatever, and I print a bunch out and read them aloud.
And our first review -sy is from Reggie.
Look at these. It's a whole bunch of ideas for what to name my goldfish.
Yeah, remember? I got a goldfish.
and then I didn't know what to name it.
Oh, my poor little goldfish, swimming around without a name for weeks.
But we're gonna give you a name right now, Lil Fishy.
How's that sound? Yeah!
Let's do it! What's the name?
Ba -ba -ba ba -ba -ba ba -ba, what's the name?
Ba -ba -ba ba -ba ba -ba, what's the name of the fish?
Okay, in no particular order, here are some of the names that my devoted listeners think would be amazing for my fish.
First we got Fizzy.
Oh, that's cute. Then we got Goldie, Bubbles, Guppy, which is also cute.
And then there's Mango, Pancake, Sashimi.
Sashimi? What's that?
Sushi? No, we're not gonna eat this fish, Reggie.
It's a pet. We're not naming it after Sushi.
Okay, and then we got Goldie, Golden, another Goldie, Goldie McGoldface, another Goldie, Gold, Gold, Goldie McNuggets.
And then we've got Bob, Brad, Greg, George, Gilbert, another Bob, Pearl, Aurora, Sunrise, Vince, Static Fish, Mr. Shiny Scales, Flying, Big Chungus, another Bubbles.
And then this one's just a bunch of fish emojis.
Okay, and then finally we have Dennis Jr., Golden Dennis, and Bob.
Wow, our listeners really brought their naming a -game.
Except for static fish, not sure what that one's about.
Reggie, there are so many great names!
But I only have one goldfish!
Yeah I guess I could go out and adopt like 30 or 40 more goldfish so we could use all the names.
But then how would I tell them apart?
This is a real crisis, Reggie.
A crisis! OK, you're right, deep breath.
Ah, we can do this.
Oh, that's a great idea, Reggie.
There are some names that a lot of listeners suggested.
Like Goldie. Yeah, and like Bob.
OK, Goldie or Bob. Goldie or Bob.
Both are equally beautiful names for a goldfish, Reggie.
OK, how about Goldie Bob?
Yeah, it's perfect!
What do you think, Goldie Bob?
Ha ha ha, she likes it!
Brr brr. Yeah. I think it's a girl.
Are you a girl, GoldieBob?
Make bubble noises if you're a girl.
Yay! Okay, thanks for all the fish names, listeners.
And remember, if you leave a comment on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, I just might read it on WeWow on the weekend.
Brr brr brr. Five stars or more, please.
Brr brr brr. Because, Reggie, we need to look good for GoldieBob.
Brr brr brr. Isn't that right, GoldieBob?
Okay, next up is a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios.
Ahem, 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 10 called, One Plus Two Equals Three, Just Ask a Bee, The Scientific Buzz on Bees and Math Oh, I love bees!
What do you mean? Of course I love bees!
Well, yes, I hate bugs because they're icky and crawly and slimy and gross, but bees are the best kind of bugs because they pollinate all the flowers, including my prize -winning azaleas.
I don't even want to think about what would happen to my prize -winning azaleas if there weren't any bees around to pollinate them.
Oh, Reggie, don't even say it!
Okay, here we go. And play!
Wee Wao will be right back.
Grown -ups, this message is for you.
That's it, now back to the show.
Well in the world Will you be left in the dust And the cyst o' fire You're a sunflower You're a sunflower, every time I'm leavin' on you.
You don't make it easy, no, no. You don't make it - Hey, Guy Razzie!
Oh, hi Mindy. What are you doing out here in the community garden so early?
You know what they say.
Yep. The early worm gets the bird. Then it can't eat it because it doesn't have teeth.
I hadn't heard that one.
Eh. So what are you doing out here anyway?
I was just doing some math exercises.
Uh, math exercises?
Yeah. In the sunflower patch of a community garden.
I know. Isn't it perfect?
Well, I'll tell you what I'm doing here.
I am collecting sunflower seeds for a new energy bar recipe that Reggie and I are working on.
Energy bar? Oh, yeah.
There's a big opportunity in the energy bar for birds industry.
I'm thinking of starting a little business.
Oh, yeah? What's that?
Energy bars for birds?
Uh -huh. We're going to shove a bunch of sunflower seeds inside each bar.
Call them paleo. Birds going paleo.
I know, genius, right?
Reggie came up with the idea to turn this concept for bird energy bars into a business after he'd been listening to episode after episode of this one podcast called, um, How I Bird This.
Have you heard of it?
Mm, can't say I have. Oh, yeah, it's nuts.
It features all of these birds and all the cool stuff that they've built, like birdhouses that you can rent out to other birds for a night.
Huh. And then there was this one episode of this bird -owned company called Warbler Parker, where you can get these flying goggles to try on at home.
And if you don't like them, send them back.
Uh, that's a, uh. Any who, you should totally check out the show.
It's called How I Bird This.
I think you're really going to like the host. In fact, you kind of remind me of him.
OK, Russ, where are you going?
Wait up. You never explained why you were in the middle of all these sunflowers doing math exercises, or what those exercises even are.
That's right. See you later.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Guy Raz? I know that look anywhere.
You are up to something.
Guy Raz, were you in here doing a scientific investigation investigation without me?
Well, what makes you think that?
Well, for starters, you're wearing the handy dandy 5D sensory hat -dy.
Oh, this thing, I didn't even notice.
I just grabbed the first hat I could find as I walked out the door.
You know, with the strong sunlight, always better to be extra cautious.
Extra cautious, my math?
Guy Raz, you are totally up to something.
Hi Mindy, hi Guy. Hi Dennis.
what you doing? oh you know we were just about to....
search for the Fibonacci sequence yeah nothing too exciting what Oh you too Liberace had a lot of sequence you shouldn't have to search for them I mean unless he was walking around here back in the 70s and some loose sequence fell from one of his exotic costumes and into the yard Hi interesting well I'm actually talking about a mathematical concept known as The Fibonacci sequence, where each number in the sequence is the sum of the two numbers before it.
Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Yes, I understood none of that.
Now my brain hurts, so I'm going to go lay down.
OK. Well, thanks, Dennis.
Bye. Yeah, peace out, Dennis.
Oh. That was close.
OK. Garaz, what is going on?
First, I find you in the community garden.
You're standing in the midst of all of these sunflowers.
Then, you say that you're here to do math exercises.
Plus, you're wearing a full lab coat and the handy dandy 5D sensory Hattie.
And now there's something about sequins and nachos?
No, no, Mindy. Not nachos, the Fibonacci sequence.
Though I do have to say I made a pretty mean batch of kale and tofu cheese nachos last night.
You got to try them next time I make them.
Yeah, I think I'll take a pass.
So you're saying something about Fibonacci?
Well, Fibonacci was an Italian mathematician who lived more than 800 years ago in the city of Pisa.
Oh, like where the Leaning Tower of Pisa is?
Exactly. Wait, do you still have that Leaning Tower of Pisa jello sculpture you made that one time?
Don't you remember?
You ate it. That's right.
I did eat it. Anyway, Fibonacci was particularly interested in patterns.
I love patterns! Plaids, stripes, polka dots, paisley...
Well, not exactly those patterns.
More like patterns that he noticed in nature.
Giuseppe Leonardo, come quickly, you must look at this apple.
What, what is it? It is delicious but look at what happens when I slice it across its Hemisphere.
You see, it is right here.
I just see the inside of an apple.
Ah, but you see at the center there is a star.
And? And that star has five points.
It's a part of a sequence.
Don't you see? Everything in nature is connected to the sequence.
Fibonacci. I'm afraid I don't understand.
Well, if I take the number zero and add the number one, what do I get?
Well, of course you will get one because one plus zero is one.
That is correct, so now let's say I take another one and I add it to one!
Easy. One plus one is two.
Now, what happens when I add two and a one?!
Well, two plus one is three.
Where is this going, Fibonacci?
Ah, ha! And now it gets interesting!
What if I add three and two?!
Three plus two is five.
And that is the Fibonacci sequence!
You start with a number, and then you add to the number before it, And you get a new number!
Ah, Fibonacci! I am still not following.
Well... Well, uh...
Well, it's like this.
Zero, one, one, two, three, five, eight, thirteen, twenty -one, thirty -four, fifty -five, eighty -nine...
You catch my drift, eh?
Ooooh... Of course!
Each number is the number you get when you add up the two numbers before it!
Aha! And Leonardo, you can find these numbers represented in things like flowers, in a pine cones, even inside the human body.
Huh. So this guy Fibonacci, who sounds awfully familiar, figured out that there's a mathematical pattern in almost every part of nature?
Well, yeah. And in fact, Mindy, that's why I'm in this sunflower patch. OK, so how do we find the Fibonacci sequence in a sunflower?
Ah, well, that's precisely what I'm going to try and find out using my handy dandy 5D Sensory Hat D.
Of course, because the 5D Sensory Hat D helps to magnify or increase all your senses.
So that way? That way I'll be able to see the parts of the sunflower really well, and I won't need a magnifying glass.
Well, good thing I brought along my own 5G sensory hat.
Just get it out of my adventure toolkit here, put it on.
Whew. Now let's go find some Fibonacci numbers.
All right, let's see here.
Look at this beautiful sunflower.
Just a perfect specimen of a flower.
And look how many petals this sunflower has.
One, two, three, four, 55.
I've counted 55 petals.
That's it, a Fibonacci number.
55 is a Fibonacci number.
What in the Wow, guy -rozz?
It is bong or balls that we can find math all around us all the time 24 -7.
Get away. Ouch. Mindy, watch out for that bee.
it seems a little aggressive.
Get away from me, bee.
Stop being all up in my bee's nest. Shoo, shoo, mee, shoo.
Hey! This is my flower.
I was here first. Uh, Mindy, who just said that?
I think it was the bee.
Hang on. Hang on a minute.
I think the handy dandy 5D sensory hat is giving us super power hearing right now.
As I said, this is my flower.
Get lost. What in the… Uh, Oh!
Uh, well, Mr. B., sorry.
We didn't realize you were here first. We were just searching for some mathematics and nature and we didn't intend to disturb you.
Hahaha! Well, you did disturb me.
I'm just minding my own buzzness.
and you humans are droning on and on, like drones.
Why don't you buzz off?
Uh, Mr. B, uh, are you trying to tell us something?
Oh, wait a minute, Guy Raz.
I think we may have hurt his little bee feelings.
Andy, what in the world are you talking about?
You know what? Let's just ask the bee, okay?
Um, excuse me. Hi, little bee.
Um, what are you doing right now?
I was doing my homework, math homework, to be exact.
Math homework? Wait a minute.
What is going on? Guy Raz, this is that study I was going to tell you about.
What study? The new study I read about in the journal Science Advances.
Well, what's it about?
You ready for it? Yeah.
It's amazing. OK. This one's really going to blow your mind.
All right, spit it out.
I'm so excited to tell you.
Mindy, just tell me.
Bees can do math. Bees can do math?
What's the matter? Never seen a bee count to zero before?
Here, Guy Raz, you've got to check out this study for yourself.
I even brought along the journal with me.
Heads up! Oof. Huh.
Mindy, this is amazing.
Tell me about it. So we've known for a long time that doing math requires a certain combination of brain power mixed with a scoop of memory.
And scientists have known that some animals, like chimps, ravens, even spiders, can understand basic math.
Yeah, but some scientists at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, wanted to find out if bees could also understand basic math, like addition and subtraction.
Like one plus two, or three minus one?
Exactly. So one of the scientists, named Scarlett Howard, decided to see if she could train bees to add and subtract.
This is amazing, Mindy.
It says here that Dr. Howard made a special enclosure, or bee house, shaped like the letter Y.
Yeah, and if the bee went to one arm of the Y, it would taste delicious sweet sugar water.
But if the bee went to the other arm of the Y, it would taste bitter water made with something called quinine.
Mm -hm. The researchers then decided to put five different shapes on a piece of paper that the bees could see as they entered the bee house.
And each shape was blue.
So, blue represented addition.
In other words, each time the bees would see blue shapes they were supposed to add another shape to the picture.
So when the bee flew into the bee house and saw two blue triangles it would have to decide what 2 plus 1 is.
Which of course, is 3.
Right. And so at that point, the bee would have to either fly to a picture of 3 triangles Which would be the right answer.
Or a picture with one triangle.
Which would be the wrong answer.
And of course, if the bee picked the right answer, it got sugar water.
And look, guy Roz, they did the same experiment with yellow shapes.
But the color yellow was supposed to represent subtraction.
So every time a bee saw two yellow triangles, it had to find the answer with one yellow triangle.
Because, of course, 2 minus 1 is 1.
Right. But here's the crazy thing.
After about three hours of training the bees and trying to understand math, the researchers started to mix it up.
Sometimes the problems were 5 minus 1, or 4 plus 1, or 3 minus 1, or plus 1.
Which is slightly more complex. Yeah.
And what the researchers noticed was that after three or four hours of training, the Ps were getting the answer right on the first try, 70 % of the time.
Wow. That's like being right seven out of ten times.
That's amazing. Totally.
So what this means is that maybe even creatures with teeny tiny brains can understand and to perform basic math.
Hey. I may be a bee of a little brain, but your beehive your downright zdings.
Oh, sorry, little bee.
Yes, sorry, we had no idea you were out here doing math, just like us.
Ha. You're over there counting to three, and I'm beezy calculating the beeswax efficiency of the hexagonal prismatic honeycomb, and I'm very beehive.
Now, shoo! Wait, did he just say?
Oh, sure. We were just on our way anyway.
Yeah, we were just going to collect some sunflower seeds for my bird paleo bars.
OK, Roz, looking at the recipe here, it looks like we're going to need 4 ,181 seeds.
Hey, that's a Fibonacci number, 2 ,584 plus 1 ,597.
Wow. Or, if we're really ambitious, we can collect, say 6 ,765 sunflower seeds.
Another Fibonacci. 2 ,584 plus 4 ,181.
Or, if we wanted to, we could just go back to my house and make some Fibonaccos.
I - I got it! How about we take 89 tortilla chips, add 21 jalapenos, 13 olives, 55 grams of beans, and we make it uninated.
Wow! That was so cool!
Brrrr. I knew bees were helpful, but I didn't know they were so smart.
Brrrr. Yeah, they probably had a really good math teacher.
Brrrr. Brrrr. No, I don't think they got A plusses, Reggie.
They got... Get it?
The Grays are all bees?
Cause they're bees.
Whatever, I'm hilarious.
Okay, let's wrap up the show.
Ahem. 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, should we do the goodbye song here we go That's the end of the show.
I need to go and think of more hilarious jokes about bees But I'll do another show tomorrow But for now it's the end of the show Grownups, if you like WowInTheWorld, 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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