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Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I got to 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.
Why would you have to take your sleigh cats out here?
This is literally the worst time to have them out here.
It's rush hour.
Yeah, I know.
And we're in a rush.
Are we almost there?
Uh, yeah, it should be just around this corner.
Let me just scooch up onto the curb here.
India, what are you doing?
Sorry, we're in a hurry.
Okay, let's check this address that Reggie gave me.
Your destination is on the left.
We're here!
Hey, flycats!
Stop!
Stop it!
Stop right now!
We're here!
Stop!
Mindy, I thought you said we were splitting a cab.
No, I said we had to split and we'd be taking the cats.
But hey, we made it.
And where did we make it to?
I'm Exactly sure.
Reggie gave me the address last week.
It's supposed to be a hidden location.
One of those cool underground hipster places.
It should be right down the street here.
Come on, let's go for a walk.
Let me just lock up the sleigh cats here.
Huh.
And walk, walk, walk, walk, walk.
So what are we here to see again?
Well, it's sort of hard to explain.
I guess the closest thing to it would be...
A dance battle.
Oh, I love dance battles.
Have I shown you my dizzy giraffe dance move?
Oh, yes.
Hey, Mindy.
Mindy.
Mindy.
What?
Check it out.
Are you watching?
I'm watching.
I call this one the dizzy giraffe.
Ooh, ah, yeah, yeah.
Ooh, ah, yeah, yeah.
Ah, good job, buddy.
How could I forget?
So we're going to a dance battle?
It's not so much of a dance battle as it is, well, a nice battle.
A nice battle?
Yeah.
I don't think I've ever heard of that before, Mindy.
Oh, you're going to love it.
So just think of a dance battle.
You have one person that comes up, busts a move, and then waits for the other person to do the same.
And then whoever has the best Best move wins?
Exactoritos.
So a nice battle is sort of the same thing.
You've got two contestants on the stage, each doing nice things for each other.
Then at the end, one of them is crowned the nicest of them all.
Huh.
And tonight is a big one, Guy Raz.
The headliner for the event is cat versus dog.
Cat versus dog?
Uh-huh.
The age-old question will finally be answered.
Which pet is scientifically the nicest?
Well, that's an easy one, Mindy.
It's got to be dogs.
They're man's best friend.
I wouldn't be so sure about that, Guy Raz.
No?
Nope.
There's a new study that just came out from Oregon that suggests that cats are just as friendly as dogs.
And even some human babies.
Huh.
You don't say.
Oh, hey, look.
I think we're here.
This... dingy, rusting, spray-painted door with a scary man standing outside of it?
Yep.
Come on, follow me.
Mindy, hold up.
Hey there.
Can I help you?
Uh, yes, thank you.
We are here for the nice battle.
Are we in the right place?
I don't know.
Maybe you is.
Maybe you ain't.
Okay, so can we come in?
That depends.
You know the password?
Oh, uh, Reggie wrote this down for me, too.
Just hang on one second.
Let me find it here.
Oh, got it.
Okay.
The password is... Ahem.
We say thank you.
We say please.
We say excuse me when we sneeze.
That's the way.
We do what's right.
We have manners.
We are polite.
Is that it?
Uh, well, that is... Ahem.
Ahem.
Completely correct.
Man, I got a little nervous there for a second.
Welcome to the nice-off.
Hope you two have an absolutely fantastic time.
Thank you so much for allowing us in.
I hope you have a great day.
Thank you.
Tough time now.
Well, here we are, Guy Raz.
We made it.
Uh, and where is here exactly?
I don't know, but I'm guessing maybe it's down this...
Dark and dingy hallway?
Uh-huh.
Well, by all means, Mindy, lead the way.
Don't mind if I do.
So you were saying outside that the researchers done a study that proved that cats were just as friendly as dogs or babies.
Yeah.
So Dr. Vitale and her colleagues have been studying cats and their social lives for years now.
And earlier this year, they performed an experiment... called a secure base test.
A secure base test?
You know, I think I've heard about that before, Mindy.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah, the secure base test is used a lot in animal behavioral psychology.
Ah, the study of how animals think and act.
Exactly.
And it's often used to measure the bond between an animal and its caretaker, kind of like a sniffer dog and its handler, or a chimpanzee and a zookeeper.
Yeah, see, you know, And so they performed the same experiment on cats?
Yeah, so get this.
Dr Vitale took 117 cats and their owners and put them all in a room that they'd never been in before.
And then, after a couple of minutes of having the two of them get used to the room, she had the owner leave.
Which was pretty stressful for the cat, considering the cat didn't really know where it was in the first place.
Yeah.
Then, two minutes later, Dr Vitale had the owner go back into the room so that she and her fellow researchers could observe how the cat acted with its owner once they returned.
And what did they find?
Oh, I'll have to tell you in a minute, Guy Raz.
I think the nice-off is just behind this door.
Water, water, water!
I just want to quickly say I feel truly blessed to be surrounded by so many talented and lovely people.
Now, before we get to the main event, let me introduce you to our warm-up act.
We have two very special guests coming up to the stage for a no-holds-barred, warm and fluffy compliment battle.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome two of the nicest people on the planet, Tom Hanks and Ellen DeGeneres.
Huh, what's that?
They both ran into homeless people on the way here and decided to take them out for dinner and then put them up in a hotel.
Uh-huh.
And then they went to the animal shelter together and rescued all of the animals?
And now they're volunteering at the soup kitchen down the street?
I got it.
I got it.
I got it.
No, I understand.
I understand.
All right, folks.
Unfortunately, Ellen and Tom aren't able to make it out tonight.
I know.
I know.
But do we have anyone out there in the audience that would like to take part in the warm-up compliment battle?
Oh, me.
I'll do it.
Pick me.
Hi.
Pick me.
Oh, how about you?
Right there.
The lady in the sparkly jacket covered in cat hair.
Lindsay, what are you doing?
What do you look like I'm doing?
Up.
My friend wants to play, too.
Mindy.
Perfect.
Perfect.
Get on up here, you two.
Yes.
Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk.
Mindy, Mindy, Mindy, Mindy.
All right.
All right.
Welcome.
Introduce yourselves.
Oh, hi.
Hi, everyone.
My name is Mindy, and I like surprising my friends for no reason.
I also have pretty excellent manners compared to most babies, and I am the type of gal who will give you the frosting off her back.
That's just me.
And who do we got here?
Is this thing on?
Oh, my name's Guy Raz.
I like to feed stray bunnies, and I once nursed an injured blue jay back to health.
Very happy to be here.
Oh!
Oh, baby, I was born ready.
Hit me.
Oh, you're gonna feel so good about your self-esteem by the time I'm done with you, Mindy.
All right, all right, all right.
Save it for the show, you two.
Okay, Mindy, you're up first.
You'll say something nice to Guy, then Guy, you'll respond.
Here we go.
Three, two, one, battle!
Okay, uh, hey, Guy Ross.
Uh, you are an awesome guy. who is always willing to do anything for science with me.
You are really, really good at organizing your beans.
And you smell like pine cones.
In a good way.
Okay, okay, Guy Raj, your response.
Uh, well, Mindy, your positivity is more refined than a glass of lemonade on a summer's day.
You have a great laugh.
Sorry.
And your personality is so colorful, I bet you sweat glitter.
All right, all right.
Let's give it up for our contestants.
Now for my verdict.
I think we have a clear winner today.
Congratulations.
For your prize, please accept this coupon for the spit-take restaurant.
Oh, no, I couldn't possibly.
Mindy, you should have won.
You take it.
Aw, don't be ridiculous, Guy Razzi.
Of course you should have won.
You take it.
No, no, I'd feel bad if I took it.
Please take it.
No, you take it.
You take it.
No, you take it.
Take the coupon.
You take it.
Take the coupon.
It's for you.
Someone take the coupon, please.
I've got a show to run here.
Oh, of course.
Let's give it up one more time for our complimenters, Guy and Mindy.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, everyone.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Okay, we're going to reset the stage here for tonight's stars of the nice-off, the big show, the who's friendlier of who's friendlier, cats or dogs?
So, Guy Raz, you ready for the main event?
I think so, Mindy, but I still think I'm on team dog.
I mean...
What do those researchers from Oregon State University end up finding out once they put those 117 cats through the secure base test?
Well, remember how I was saying that during the experiment, the researchers would get the cats' owners to leave the room for two minutes and then come back.
Yeah.
And then they observed how the cats reacted to them when they returned?
Yeah.
Well, the researchers found that two-thirds of the cats came up to their owners to greet them when they returned to the room.
And they did this before they went back to exploring the room.
And so what does that mean?
Well, the researchers concluded that this means that the majority of these cats were securely bonded to their owners.
Securely bonded?
Yeah, so basically, these cats saw their owners as a safe and secure place, in the same way that a baby might see their mom or dad as a safe and secure place.
Huh.
Oh, and in fact, these cats performed just as well on this experiment as human babies, and they even outperformed dogs.
Wow, so this friendly-off is really anyone's game.
Yeah, and judging by the results of that experiment, I would say that the cat is not the underdog here.
Huh.
All right, all right, are y'all ready for tonight's main event?
Yeah, first coming up to the stage.
He might be derpy, he might be foify, but he's not just a good boy, he's the goodest boy.
Please welcome to the stage, man's best friend, the dog!
Dog!
Dog!
And tonight's contender, a face so adorable.
It inspired one of the most critically acclaimed musicals of all time.
What's new?
It's Pussycat!
Okay, you all know the rules.
One of you goes first does something nice for me, then your opponent will have the opportunity to respond.
Got it?
Okay.
All right, as the reigning champ, dog, you get to go first.
Let's see what you got.
Okay, looks like he's sitting down here.
Oh, such a good boy.
He's angling his head slightly to one side, and is he gonna do it?
He's done it!
It's the classic puppy eyes with one ear dropped out!
A strong start for the reigning champ.
Okay, that was super cute.
Okay, Cat, you're up.
And it looks like, oh, where you going, buddy?
Okay, that's my leg.
Yep, she's making a figure eight through my two legs and very loudly. response from the contender.
Oh, it tickles.
All right, round two.
What you got, good doggy dog?
Oh, wait, hey, where's he going?
Did you see where he went?
Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like the dog has... Oh, wait a minute.
Are those... They couldn't be.
Are those my slippers?
Are you kidding me over here?
It's gonna be tough to top that, but Cat, you got one last shot.
Blow us away!
Okay, looks like the cat has also left the stage.
What's this?
Wait, what is that?
A dead mouse?
I suppose it's the thought that counts.
Whoo!
All right.
Well, with that, it's time to announce winner.
And, as always, the winner is everyone, because when you're nice to those around you, everyone wins, am i right?
Thanks so much for coming out, everybody.
Next week's nice off will be two people going through a door at the same time and they both insist the other go first.
Thanks so much.
See y'all soon.
Wow, that was an Well, Mindy.
These NISOPs are great.
They have such a good vibe to them.
But I still have one more question about that study we were talking about earlier.
Oh, yeah?
What is it?
So those scientists that perform these experiments?
They prove that cats can form secure bonds with their owners.
But what were they hoping to do with this information now?
Well, the researchers are hoping that in their next experiments...
They can see if there are any activities that they can do with the test that might increase how likely it is for the cat to create a secure bond with their owner.
Okay.
And if they're able to find new ways to make cats feel bonded to their owners and more secure around humans in general, it can have a huge impact on cats that are trying to get adopted around the world.
Hey, you two.
You two have a fantastic evening.
Hope you enjoyed yourselves.
You too.
Wait a minute, Mindy.
Are those your sleigh cats?
I thought we left them down the street.
Oh, yeah.
I texted them before to have them bring the sleigh around the front.
Huh?
Hey, maybe I could try some of my own bonding experiments with the sleigh cats.
Uh-huh.
Isn't that right, Deborah?
Who's the cutest cat?
Who's the cutest cat?
Don't forget about the others, Mindy.
You don't want them to get jealous.
Never forget my other sleigh cats.
Yeah, I'm talking to you, Donna.
Pam.
Carol.
Cheryl.
Oh, Janice.
Come here, Janice.
Steve.
Steve.
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.
What?
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. to record.
Hi, my name is Guy Raz.
My name is Noelle.
And my name is Geneva.
And we're from Kirkland, Washington.
Our wow is that blood is always red even though it looks blue under your skin.
Say hi to Reggie for us.
My wow in the world was that jellyfish are 95% water.
And my wow in the world is that sharks were alive before dinosaurs.
Say hi to Reggie, Grandma G-Force, Thomas Fingerling, oh, and Dennis, don't be annoying.
What'd they say?
Don't be LaCroix-ing?
Like LaCroix?
Like the bubbly water?
Well, that's weird.
Maybe they don't like that it makes me burp.
Hi.
My name is Thomas and I live in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
And my wow in the world is that someone set a world record for finishing a Rubik's Cube with their feet.
Say hi to Dennis for me.
Howdy.
Bye.
Hi.
This is me from West Hartford, Connecticut.
The thing that wows me the most is that a dumb beetle can roll that is bigger than it.
Hello, this is Jack.
I live in Boulder, Colorado.
My wow in the world today is that the average dream lasts about 20 minutes.
Wow, isn't that fascinating?
Now say hi to Grandma G-Force, Reggie, and Dennis.
Hi!
Oh, and hi, Thomas Fingerling.
What am I, some sort of afterthought?
Hi, my name is Kian and I live, And my wow in the world is that light can travel around the world in less than one second.
I love your show.
Say hi to Reggie for me.
Hello, Mindy and Guy Ross.
My name is LP.
I live in Houston, Texas.
My wow in the world is that dragonflies live before the dinosaurs.
You should come to Houston, Texas.
It's the best place in the world.
Bye.
I love your show.
Hi, my name is and I live in Tioga Falls, Ohio.
My wow in the world is that whale sharks are slow swimmers, no more than three miles per hour.
And Grandma Geforce, how fast do you think you can swim?
Faster than Dennis, I suppose.
Well, I guess.
Oh, yeah?
Well, I just installed a new pool in my backyard.
After one day of practice, I bet I'll be the fastest swimmer in the whole county. cold and wet.
I gotta get rid of this pool.
End of messages.
Hey everyone, thank you so much for hanging out with us this week on Wow in the World.
And to keep the wow rolling, check out this week's scientific conversation starters at our website wowintheworldcom.
And grown-ups.
There you can find more info on how your kids can become members of the World Organization of Wowzers shop, our wow shop.
Upload photos and videos to us and check dates for our upcoming live events.
That's wowintheworld.com.
Our show is produced by Jed Anderson, who provides the bells, whistles, and silly characters.
Say hello, Jed.
Hello.
Our show is written by me, Guy Raz, and Thomas Van Kalken, who also provides silly characters.
Tom?
Hello there.
Thanks also to Jessica Bode, Anna Zagorski, Rebecca Caban, Kit Ballinger, and Alex Curley.
Meredith Halpern-Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.
Our theme song was composed and performed by The Pop-Ups.
For more on their three-time Grammy-nominated all-ages music, find them at thepopups.com.
And grown-ups, you can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at wowintheworld.
And our email address is hello at wowintheworld.com.
And if you're a kid with a big wow to share with us...
Call us at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of the show.
Also, if you haven't already done so, please subscribe to Wow in the World on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Yeah, leave us a few stars, a review, or just tell a friend about the show.
Thanks again for listening, and until next time, keep on wowing!
And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.
