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Hey, Wowzer fams.
Mindy and Guy Raz here.
And before we start the show, did you hear that we are on YouTube?
That's right, Mindy.
Wowzer fams.
You can find full episodes of Wow in the World and more of your favorite Tinkercast podcasts on our YouTube channel, WowTube.
Plus on WowTube you can also watch me explode some watermelons and test out Bonker Ball's experiments in the Laboratory of Bad Ideas.
Or you can dance along with Dennis for music videos featuring music from WeWow on the weekend.
There is so much in store made just for you on WowTube.
Visit Tinkercast.com slash YouTube to watch now.
That's Tinkercast.com slash YouTube.
Wee-wow on the weekend.
Wee-wow on the weekend.
Wee-wow on the weekend.
Cause 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! 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.
And that's my co-host, Reggie the Giant Pigeon.
Or Reggie for short.
Or Reg for even shorter.
Or just R for even shorter than that.
Hey, Reggie, do you have a nickname for me?
I think you should call me the D-Man.
No?
Okay.
How about the Deninator?
Fine.
How about Denster?
Dashing Dennis?
Denny Cakes Jr.?
Mr. Wham Jam?
Mother's Little Gentle Boy?
Dennis the Darling?
Denny and the Jets?
Well, then what do you want to call me?
Ooh, just Dennis.
Classic.
Okay, let's get into the show.
First up, we're going to do some cooking with a little segment I like to call Dishing It Up With Mr Wham Jam.
Okay, fine.
Dishing It Up With Dennis.
Ahem.
Dish it up on a dish, anything that you wish.
Take a bite, that's delish.
Dishing it up with Dennis and Reggie.
So on previous Dishing It Up with Dennis's, we may have run into some issues with not having all the ingredients.
Right, or any of the ingredients.
So this time, we're making something super easy.
Toast.
Exactly, not even I could mess this up.
Okay, so I've got Mother's Old Toaster from 1975 here.
And I've got some bread.
Just going to put the bread into the toaster like this.
And press down on the lever like this.
And now we wait.
Oh, sorry, I'll stop.
It's ready!
And now, ladies and gentlemen, we have... Wait, why didn't it toast?
This bread is just still bread.
What gives?
Reggie, what do you mean it wasn't plugged in?
Well, why didn't you say something?
Okay, well, I'm plugging it in now.
There we go.
And we'll just push this back down.
Let's move on to the next segment while that cooks.
All right.
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 1, Episode 19 called Astronauts.
Clean up your space.
In this episode, Mindy and Guy fly into low Earth orbit to look at all the space junk floating around up there.
Okay, fine.
Reggie flies Mindy and Guy into low Earth orbit to look at all the space junk floating around up there.
Right, and then they talk about some of the biomimicry solutions scientists are working on to clean it up.
Yeah, let's listen.
Okay, here we go.
And play.
WeWow will be right back.
Grownups, this message is for you.
Hey, grownups.
Mindy here from Wow in the World, the number one podcast for curious kids and their grownups.
That's you.
And we are so excited to bring the wows of the world to your home with our brand new Wow in the World stem toys from Wondery Kids and Thames and Cosmos.
Channel your inner astronomer with our Wow in the World telescope kit.
Or zoom in on the tiny wows of nature with our Wow in the World microscope and biology kit.
You can even tinker like real scientists with our 100 experiments that wow kit.
And with every Wow in the World stem toy, you unlock access to exclusive audio content from me and my buddy, Guy Raz.
There are so many ways to wow, so whether you're shopping for a kid who loves science or one who doesn't, just yet our Wow in the World stem toys are the perfect gift for your curious kids.
Grownups, visit Tinkercast.com slash toys to shop the Wow now.
That's it.
Now back to the show.
Excuse me.
Is this thing on?
I don't think it's on.
Bagels.
Bagels.
It's on.
Oh, it is on.
It's on.
Can everyone hear me?
Can everyone hear me?
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Now, astronauts, please take your seats.
Sit down.
Please take your seats.
Sit down.
Sit down.
All the way down.
Okay, then you can float if you need to, alright?
Just, I need everyone's attention.
Okay, thank you.
Thank you.
Now, you may all be wondering why I brought you here today to the International Space Station.
Well, it's been brought to my attention that you have been leaving your space junk all over outer space, and now it's time to clean it up.
It's not even mine.
No, I don't care whose junk it is.
It's a mess up here, and it's dangerous, and if we don't clean it up, someone is going to get hurt.
Astronauts?
I'm only going to say this once.
Clean up your outer space right this minute or no freeze-dried ice cream for dessert.
And I don't want to hear any whining.
Hey, Mindy, who are you yelling at in here?
I could hear you all the way from my house.
Oh, hey, Guy Raz.
I'm just imagining what I would say to the astronauts on the International Space Station if I had the chance.
And it is not going well.
Here, pop the top of my head and see for yourself.
I still feel weird about doing this, Mindy.
Ugh.
Here, I'll do it for you.
Just... Get out of here!
Whoa, quit and close it back up before they get out!
See what I mean?
Yeah, wow, those astronauts are really mad.
What's going on?
I know, I just asked them to clean up all their scrap metal and junk that's floating around in space.
It's a mess up there.
You mean all those bits of old satellites and empty rocket parts and pieces of metal just floating around Earth.
Yeah, it's just this giant, junked jumble that's been growing since 1957.
Which, by the way, is the same year that humans first launched a rocket into space.
And that was the rocket that carried the world's first space satellite called Sputnik.
Still the best name ever.
Oh yeah, that was launched by Russia.
You are a little baby Einstein, Guy Raz.
Anywho, ever since then, we humans have been launching more and more and more and more and more rockets and satellites up into space.
Mindy, did you happen to investigate just how much junk is even up there?
Sure did.
So the last time I counted... You did not count it, Mindy.
Okay.
So the last time someone else counted NASA, they found more than 500000 pieces of space junk all the size of a marble or larger just orbiting or circling around the Earth.
Wow.
And now there are so many pieces of metal floating up there and orbiting around our planet that it's actually making things dangerous.
Dangerous as in some of this junk can actually crash into other junk?
Yep.
And in fact this junk is flying around so fast that it's pretty surprising that there aren't even more accidents and crashes.
Yeah, I see your point.
And I imagine that this can cause real problems for satellites like the ones we use to help forecast our weather or the ones that take pictures of Earth.
Yeah, and it could also be dangerous for the human astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Yikes!
And I'd imagine that crashes caused by the space junk would probably create even more space junk that would go on to destroy more objects in space, like a chain reaction of junk and disaster.
You know it, Guy Raz.
In fact, there's even a name for this crazy, catastrophic chain reaction.
Really?
Yep.
It's known as the Kessler Syndrome, and it's named after the NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler, who first came up with the idea all the way back in 1978.
Hmm.
The Kessler Syndrome.
A catastrophic chain reaction of junk and disaster.
That sounds like... Hey, that...
That sounds like you, Mindy.
What?
I can't believe you noticed, Guy Raz.
Hey, have you ever wondered what it might feel like to fly through all that space junk?
Come to think of it, not really.
Well, then you're in luck, my friend, because I have purchased not one, but two space debris-proof rubber space flying suits, and I got one just your size.
What?
And I lost it.
So I had to go back to the store, and they only had toddler sizes left.
No.
So I had to get one of those for you.
No.
It's going to be a tight squeeze.
No.
But it will be worth it.
No.
Here, put this on.
Whoa.
Come on.
You can do hard things.
There you go, little buddy.
This thing... Just try not to exhale while I jump into my seat.
...is a little tight.
All set.
Ready to go?
You promise this is going to protect us?
No, I can't promise you that.
But what's a few bumps and bruises, Guy Raz, when you are in the pursuit of safety?
Science!
Yeah, fair enough.
Okay.
So listen carefully, because here's how it's going to work.
So first, my carrier pigeon Reggie is going to fly us up to the upper reaches of the stratosphere.
Then we're going to have to use these rocket launchers on our rubber spacesuits to get us into low Earth orbit.
Okay, Mindy.
Reggie, slap on your space goggles, you cuckoo old bird.
We're ready for takeoff.
Kairos, let's say the magic words.
Here.
We.
Go!
Okay, now this is the part where Reggie says sayonara!
Flip on your rocket boosters, Skyrods!
Okay, I'm assuming it's this red button here?
Yep, that's the one! face, Skyron!
Mindy!
Mindy!
I think we're traveling at 17,000 miles an hour!
That sounds about right!
Whoa!
Rocket!
Straight ahead!
Roll the clock!
Watch your head!
Just missed it!
But wow!
This is nuts!
There's so much junk up here!
I know, right?
I told you!
Whoa!
Watch out!
Here comes a bunch of loose screws!
Mindy, I think I get the point.
Can we rocket back to Earth now?
Sorry, I can't hear you, Guy Raz.
I'm already halfway back to Earth.
Oh, brother.
Rocket booster's on.
Back to Earth.
What?
Oh, no.
Oh, hey, Guy Raz.
Ah!
You were right, Mindy.
It's a veritable junkyard up there in space.
So now do you see why I wanted to get the astronauts to help clean it up?
Yeah, but it's going to be virtually impossible for the astronauts to do it alone.
I mean, they're going to need some help.
You better believe it, Guy Raz.
So then...
Why don't we just invent like a giant space net for them?
Well, scientists have actually thought of that, but it wouldn't work because it would be so hard to capture all of that junk and keep it from floating out of the net.
And of course I guess a vacuum cleaner wouldn't work because it needs the air pressure here on Earth to suck things in.
Yep, and in space, there isn't enough air pressure to get the vacuum cleaner to suck stuff up.
So what can we do?
I mean, how can we solve this problem of space junk?
Well, the good news, Guy Raz, is that some super inventive scientists and engineers are already on the case.
Phew, that's a relief.
So what's their solution?
Oh, geckos.
Geckos?
Well, not whole geckos, just their feet.
Now, I did buy my car insurance from a gecko, but I'm not sure he'd survive in outer space.
Wait, did you really buy your car insurance from a gecko?
Phew.
You're the one to recommend him to me.
You said he'd give me a discount.
I didn't think it would actually work.
Anywho, back to the gecko feet.
I'm with you, I think.
So, you know how when you chase a gecko up a wall or a sliding glass door?
Uh, no.
I've never tried that.
Well, I've tried.
Let me tell you, it's not as easy as it looks.
Uh, okay.
They'll scale up super smooth walls like nobody's beeswax and then laugh at you as they hang upside down by the tips of their toes.
Right, and they're able to do this because they have super special sticky toes, right?
Well, this is where it gets interesting.
So if you were to look at the bottoms of their toes under a microscope, you'd notice that they're actually covered in teeny, tiny microscopic hairs called setae.
Interesting.
But how are hairy gecko toes going to help clean up all that space junk in low Earth orbit?
Well, the story begins with an engineering professor at Stanford University in California named Mark Kudkowski.
And he came up with this crazy idea which he published in the journal Science Robotics.
What was the idea?
The idea was that by using something called biomimicry... Biomimicry.
That means using animals and plants as the inspiration for new technology, for inventing cool new things.
Exactly.
So in this case, that animal would be the gecko.
And the gecko's sticky feet.
You're picking up what I'm putting down, Guy Raz.
So Professor Kudkoski and his team designed a robot that is actually a giant gripper.
Like a big robot hand?
Yeah, kind of.
And the bottom of it is covered in thousands of tiny bristles to mimic or copy the sette hairs on the gecko's feet.
Wow.
And what's really crazy is that each tiny bristle is ten times thinner than a human hair.
But how do these tiny hairs on the gecko feet and the robot help to create a sticky effect?
Well, on both the gecko and the robot, the hairs or bristles work together to create a special kind of sticky electric force.
Wait a minute.
Are you referring to the Vanderwall's force?
I knew this would excite you.
So there are atoms, or teeny, tiny little balls of material which, to be clear, we cannot see with our own eyes.
And they're on the hairs of the robot hand and the gecko.
And those atoms stick to the other atoms on the space junk?
That is a complicated phenomenon.
But when it works, it can create a really tight, sticky bond between two things.
Kind of like a friendship.
Yeah, just like you and me.
I get it.
Yeah, and the tiny bristles are put on little pads that are attached to the robot.
So it's kind of like a little robot hand or foot that the astronauts can hold onto and control.
Wow, and so that's how it's able to grab onto the space junk?
You got it.
Just like a gecko can stick and unstick its feet to walk up a wall.
And this way, the robot can grab the space trash, move it, and then, I guess, let it go.
Pretty cool, huh?
Yeah, I'll say.
And Professor Kudkowski and his team are designing this robot to be able to stick to and capture the biggest and most dangerous space junk up there.
But, I mean, how big and strong will these robots be?
Because, I mean, space junk can be huge.
Some space junk is the size of trucks just floating around up there.
I mean, it's pretty heavy garbage.
Well, that's the thing.
Because there's so little gravity in space.
Really heavy things like broken satellites or spacecrafts or space minivans aren't actually heavy at all.
It's a little bit like when you float in water and you feel a lot lighter.
Yeah, so the astronauts that you were scolding in your imagination actually might be able to clean up some of this junk.
That's what I was trying to tell them.
These astronauts would be able to take handheld robots with sticky pads and stick them to pieces of space trash, move it and then unstick it.
Yeah, but where would they put it, Mindy?
I mean, it's not like they're dumpsters floating around in space.
Oh, this is crazy.
So they would push the space trash back towards the Earth, which means that as it came back flying towards the Earth, the speed would create so much heat that the junk would naturally burn up before it even reached our planet.
Wow.
Or they could even take some of it and put it inside a special spaceship to be recycled.
So by cleaning up this giant garbage pile floating around in space, we would actually be making space a little bit safer.
Yep.
And this same gecko foot inspired technology could also be used to help us regular humans here on Earth.
Really?
How so?
Well, some medical researchers are thinking that maybe they could use it to create a special kind of tape that could be used in place of stitches.
Or even a pair of gloves that could give a person the ability to climb like Spider-Man.
Wow, I will never look at geckos the same again, Mindy.
Me neither, Guy Raz.
I'll never look at any animal's superpowers the same way again.
Hey, you know what?
That reminds me.
Speaking of all this biomimicry and animal superpowers, did you know that Velcro was inspired by the tiny hooks or burrs from bushes and plants that stick to our clothes?
No way!
Prickly plants are nature's velcro?
Well, can you guess why researchers are studying how schools of fish swim together without bumping into one another?
Hmm, I wonder if that might have something to do with wanting to figure out how to do the same thing with cars, with driverless cars, you know, to keep them from crashing.
Yep.
And hey, have you heard of the Ultra Cane edible peppermint candy walking cane that people can suck on when they're not using it to help them walk?
What?
No, no, no, no.
It's a cane for the blind which uses echolocation or sound waves to tell the person using it that they're close to an object, like a wall.
It's the same technique used by dolphins and bats.
Man.
It's so cool to think that biomimicry of the smallest creatures can solve some of the biggest problems in our universe.
So uh, about those astronauts in your head who are trying to get out of cleaning up their space junk?
Oh, yeah.
So, you want to break the news to them?
I don't know if my insurance covers climbing into your imagination, Mindy.
It does if you bring your gecko insurance salesman.
Okay.
Here we go.
Easy does it.
Do I just, uh, climb inside?
Well, take your shoes off first.
Okay.
You got it.
You got it.
Just climb right inside.
Yep.
I'm in here.
Now what, Mindy?
Okay, now take the podium and show them who's boss.
Astronauts, hello.
You're going to have to clean up your space job.
Now tell him the good news.
But thanks to the common reptile known as the gecko, cleaning up outer space is about to get a lot more fun.
That was so cool.
I love that part where Mindy and Guy flew through outer space.
And they were all like, yeah.
And then Guy was all like, wah.
And then Mindy was all like, look out.
And then, oh yeah, we just listened to it.
Well, now what?
What was that?
Oh, right.
The toast.
Was it toasting this whole time?
Oh, yeah.
That is... That is burnt.
Do you want to try it?
Oh, come on, Reggie.
It's not that burnt.
I'm not going to eat it.
It's completely charred.
I mean, sure.
I'll try it.
Hmm.
Mmm, so yummy.
Yeah, I need a glass of water.
Let's wrap up the show.
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.
The goodbye song?
Reggie, I need water.
Everything tastes like charcoal.
Okay.
Okay, fine.
That's the end of the show.
I need to go and gargle a bunch of water and then maybe eat something sweet so my mouth doesn't taste like burning.
But I'll do another show tomorrow.
But for now, that's the end of the show.
Grownups, if you like Wow in the World, you can listen early and ad-free right now on Wondery Plus.
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