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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 Bonkerball'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.
Ew.
Slimey squiggly little icky buggies.
Flies and beetles and ants are so yucky.
Nasty critters scurrying and squirming and wriggling and slithering and I'm going to barf.
Creepy crawly week.
Creepy crawly week.
Things with wings and too many legs.
Gross!
Creepy, crawly, weak.
Creepy, crawly, weak.
Crawly, weak.
Crawly, weak.
Hello and welcome to day four of Wee Wow!
Creepy Crawly Week.
I'm your host, Dennis.
And that's my co-host, Reggie.
This week, we're bug-sitting Mindy's gross little pet cockroach, Smokey McDougal.
Say hi, Smokey.
Is that all you can do, Smokey?
Just scuttle around all scuttly?
The problem, Reggie, is that Smokey can't talk.
How are we supposed to interact?
I can't ask him questions about his favorite reality show or get the scoop on the hot cockroach gossip, or figure out his bedtime routine, because Mindy didn't leave me instructions today.
Reggie, you're right.
I could read him a story.
Just because he can't talk doesn't mean he can't listen.
You're so smart, Reggie.
Okay, hold on.
Where is it?
Where is it?
There it is!
Found it!
It's my favorite issue of my favorite comic book about my favorite arachnid superhero, the amazing Spider-Spider.
Reggie, no.
Spiders aren't bugs.
They're arachnids.
Yes, it's different.
Now quit interrupting.
I have to read Smokey a little story.
Are you ready, Smokey?
Okay, here we go.
Ahem.
The Amazing Spider Spider!
A mild-mannered spider who fell into a big vat of radioactive chemicals and gained the abilities of every spider in the world.
Jumping spiders!
Wolf spiders!
Long-legged cellar spiders!
The most amazing spider spider in the world!
On this particular day, Spider Spider was enjoying a relaxing day by the pond, when suddenly...
Gadzooks!
A cry for help!
Spider-Spider sprang into action!
Oh-ho!
What's this?
A baby spider in a pond trapped on a lily pad with a hungry frog closing in!
Help me!
Spider.
Spider wasn't a very good swimmer, but he did have the water walking ability of the fishing spider.
Using tiny hairs on his body to repel water, Spider Spider ran over the surface of the pond.
Just in the nick of time, Spider Spider reached the lily pad and the baby spider.
I'm scared.
Jump on my back, cried Spider Spider.
Oh, okay, cried the baby spider.
Now with the baby spider on his back.
Spider spider ran over the pond back to the shore before the frog could eat them both for lunch.
Whee!
Hooray!
Once again, the day is saved by the amazing spider.
Spider, spider.
Spider, spider.
Spider, spider.
He's got all the spider powers.
Every spider ability.
Super duper spidery.
Look out.
Here comes the spider, spider.
Hang on.
What's that little tiny noise?
Smokey McDougal, are those cockroach cheers for me?
He likes me.
He really likes me.
Or at least he likes stories about spiders, but who doesn't?
Good idea, Reggie.
Let's listen to another spider story.
Here it is.
Wow in the World, Season 5, Episode 3, called Slingshot Spider.
Okay, here we go.
And play.
WeeWow will be right back.
Grownups, this message is for you.
Hey, grownups, what happens when you bring a great white shark and a baby octopus to your house?
A whole lot of wow.
Hey, it's me Mindy from Wow in the World, the number one science podcast for curious kids and their grownups.
And we are so excited to bring the wows of sharks and sea creatures to your home without having to turn your house into an aquarium.
Our jumbo great white shark is 24 inches long and comes with an exclusive wow fact card.
Our baby ocean animals are perfect for the little ones in your life, featuring exclusive audio that will leave the whole family saying aww, wow.
These Wow in the World toys make for fantastic gifts for the kids in your life who love science and even the ones who don't yet.
Grownups, visit Tinkercast.com slash toys to shop the wow now.
That's Tinkercast.com slash toys.
That's it.
Now back to the show.
Come on, Dorothy.
Where are you?
I guess I could give him a call.
Hey, Guy Raz, put a little pimp in your step.
We got roller coasters to ride.
Hi, Mindy.
Oh, hey, Dennis.
What are you two doing?
Just waiting for Guy Raz to come outside and get in the ice cream truck.
We're all supposed to go to that new amusement park that just opened.
Biomimicry World.
I love Biomimicry World, where it's nature's way or the highway.
Yeah, that's the one.
Oh, my gosh Mindy.
This one time, at Biomimicry World, Mother and I were waiting in line at the Gecko Wall Experience and you wouldn't believe it.
Mikey Moose.
Yes, Mikey Moose walked right up to me and sang his famous song It's a Biodiverse World, After All.
It was incredible.
Incredible!
I'm telling you, Mindy, the magic, the wonder, the all-you-can-eat hot dog buffet!
Hey, Roz!
Hey, Mindy, sorry I'm late.
My zoodle set my alarm for 8 a.m.
Berlin time again.
Hey, guys!
Oh, hey, Dennis.
Are you coming with us to Biomimicry World?
Oh, I'd love to, but no.
Actually, I was just telling Mindy about the time I went to Biomimicry World when I was um, Let's see.
Uh, how old was I yesterday?
Okay, Dennis, well, we really should be heading off.
We're already late.
Okay, have fun.
If you see Douglas the dolphin, tell him I said... Ah!
Ah!
Ah!
Ah!
Oh, boy, Mindy, I am so excited for this trip.
It's been so long since I've visited a theme park.
I know, me too, and I love parks.
Dog parks, national parks, neighborhood parks, parallel parks.
Uh... But I think theme parks are my favorite.
Really?
Oh, yeah.
The rides, the games, the crowds, the vomit.
It's what days like today were made for.
Uh-huh.
Oh, Bongo and the Big Toot are just about to come on.
Let me just turn on the radio here.
Hey!
Whoa-ho-ho!
You're tuned in to Bongo and the Big 2!
In the morning on 97WOW.
Love this show.
Hey toot, you hear about this new theme park that's open just outside of town?
Haha, of course i've heard of it.
We play their commercial like 17 times an hour.
Biomimicry world, it's nature's way, or the highway Hey hey, that's where we're going, Mindy.
So, biomimicry, what even is that?
Actually, in your case, it's pronounced B-O-Mimicry.
What?
It is?
Yeah, because your B-O is making me cry.
Aww.
I don't get it.
Oh, they were just joking around, Reg.
That's right, because biomimicry is actually when we humans look to nature to get ideas for inventions that might be able to help us out.
Yeah, like how scientists have studied how termites keep their mounds cool inside, even when it's boiling hot outside.
And that's helped them to figure out how to cool down office buildings.
Yeah, or how scientists have studied ants and how they move in and out and around their giant colonies.
Knowing this has helped to make traffic and roadways more efficient for us humans.
Right, and all the rides at Biomimicry World are inspired by nature in the same way.
I can't wait to see this place for myself.
I'm so excited, Mindy.
Are we almost there?
Yep.
In fact, I see it now.
Look, Guy Raz.
Look, Reggie.
Wow.
Now I just need to find a place to park here.
Oh, here we go.
Right at the front gates.
Perfect.
Mindy, this sign says no stopping.
I'm not stopping.
I'm working.
Come on.
Okay, next.
Ahem.
Hello there.
We would like one full-priced and one child-priced ticket, please.
All right, then.
Whoa, wait, Kara.
Act like you're 12 and under.
Mindy, I'm not 12 years old.
Wow, way to blow our cover.
Okay.
Two full-price tickets, please.
Okey-doke.
That'll be $150.
We accept check, cash, chocolate, second-hand workout equipment, and American doll hairs.
I have an antique button.
Oh, wow.
Big spender.
Okay, here are your passes there.
Have fun and remember, it's nature's way or the highway.
I've seen the ads.
Okay, next please.
All right, Mindy, why don't you grab a map from over there and we'll figure out where we want to go.
Okay.
Here's a map for you.
Thanks.
Let me just see here.
Whoa, this place is huge.
You've got the float like an otter wave pool.
Ooh, the sugar glider zip line.
Bison bunting bumper cars.
Look.
There it is, Guy Raz!
Right there on the map!
What, Mindy?
It's the ride I came here for!
The Slingshot Sheriff?
Yeah, Grandma G-Force and Thomas Fingerling came here last week and they said that this ride was absolutely bonker balls.
Or maybe it was barfy balls?
Anywho, it's based on the slingshot spider from Peru.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
You want to check it out?
I don't know, Mindy.
I'm usually more of a, you know, teacups and cotton candy kind of guy.
Oh, come on, Guy Razzi.
The whole thing is based on new research from a team of scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Really?
Anything for science?
Anything for science.
Yes!
OK, so how do we get there?
It looks like the ride is all the way on the other side of the park.
Oh, man.
It's a long way to walk.
Oh, but look.
There's a monorail stop right next to it.
Yeah, and according to this map, there's a monorail station just up this path.
We can hop on and take it to the Slingshot Sheriff ride on the other side of the park.
Ah, perfect.
I love it when a plan comes together.
Come on, let's go, Mindy.
Right behind ya.
Oh, Reggie, are you coming?
Oh, okay.
What'd he say, Mindy?
Oh, Reggie says he wants to go ride the Sky Voyager.
It's one of those virtual reality rides that lets you experience what it's like to fly like a bird.
But Reggie is a bird.
What can you do?
The bird wants what he wants.
Okay, have fun.
Catch up with you later, Reg.
All right, monorail this way.
So tell me more about this slingshot spider.
OK.
Well, first of all, this spider is tiny.
How tiny?
I'm talking only around a millimeter long.
One millimeter?
That's like five times smaller than a grain of rice.
Yeah, and it's only a teeny tiny bit bigger than a grain of sand.
Wow, I'm surprised those researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology were even able to find any of these little spiders.
Yeah, and it's even more impressive when you find out that these teeny tiny spiders live in the super dense Amazonian rainforests in Peru.
Huh.
And what's so special about these spiders?
Well, let's just say they have a very unique way of hunting.
Huh.
Okay.
Well, I know lions usually chase down their prey.
And falcons dive and swoop in on their prey.
And don't most spiders just catch their prey in their sticky spider webs?
Well, sometimes yes, but this tiny spider does things a little bit, uh, differently.
Differently?
Oh, yeah.
Welcome to the Kingfisher Monorail System, the most aerodynamically efficient monorail system in North America.
Looks like we're here, Mindy.
Hey there, folks.
Hey, aren't you the same ticket taker from the park entrance?
Nope, that was my brother Bjorn.
My name's Anders.
Welcome to the Kingfisher monorail system.
Kingfisher monorail system?
You mean like the Kingfisher bird?
Yep, that's right.
We took the most aerodynamically shaped beak in the animal kingdom here and used it to model the nose of the monorail there.
It cuts through the air like a hot knife through.
I can't believe it's not butter.
Ah, like the Shinkansen.
Oh, bless you.
No, I didn't sneeze.
Oh.
I'm talking about the Shinkansen, the Japanese bullet train.
What are you talking about, Guy Raz?
Well, it's another classic example of biomimicry, Mindy.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, the Japanese completely redesigned their high-speed trains.
They were inspired by the beak of a kingfish and then used it to reshape the nose of the train to make it faster and more efficient.
Oh, and it looks like the monorail in this Biomimicry World theme park has done the same thing?
Yep.
So if I could just take a look there at the park, passes here, I can get you on your way there.
Sure thing.
Here you go.
Okay, thank you.
Good day now.
And here's mine.
Oh, this one here's all sticky there.
Later, tater.
Okay, bye then.
The next monorail will arrive precisely in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Whew, nailed it.
All aboard, Mindy.
All aboard, Guy Razzi.
Okay, let's see here.
Looks like it's only a couple of stops.
I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!
So you were saying this slingshot spider has a different way of hunting its prey?
Oh, yeah.
And it's all in the name.
Slingshot?
You got it.
So it uses a tiny slingshot to hunt its prey?
Well, not exactly.
See, the slingshot spider is the slingshot.
Or at least its web is the slingshot.
Huh?
Okay.
So, using its webbing as a sort of elastic band, the spider creates a cone-shaped web that it winds back.
And then, sometimes hours later, when a fly or a mosquito comes into range, Bam!
It launches itself at its target, and the slingshot spider has captured its prey.
Whoa, it must be pretty quick to catch a fly out of mid-air.
You have no idea, Guy Raz.
This little spider is able to accelerate 100 times faster than a cheetah.
Yikes, those mosquitoes don't stand a chance.
Not a chance.
So those researchers from Georgia Tech are trying to figure out how something so small can travel so fast.
Well, sort of.
I mean, they're dolphinately interested in how the spider is able to accelerate so fast.
But they're also interested in the spider's web that it uses for the sling.
I'm guessing it's pretty special then.
Oh yeah, this web is super strong and able to hold incredible amounts of energy when the slingshot spider pulls it back into place.
Huh.
Next stop, Slideshow Alley.
This is us, Mindy.
All aboard!
All aboard!
Thank you for choosing the Kingfisher monorail system.
Whoa, check out all these rides, Mindy.
Unbelievable.
The gecko walk.
Oh, yeah.
That's the one where they shove you in this suction-cuffy suit and you gotta shimmy up the wall like a gecko.
This is so fun.
Oh, right.
Check out this one.
It's the mantis shrimp punching bag.
The mantis shrimp punching bag?
Oh, yeah.
You know how the mantis shrimp has the fastest punch in the entire animal kingdom?
Yeah, enough to knock out its prey and boil the water around its claw.
Right.
Well, this punching bag here tells you how fast your punch is.
And then it looks like it compares it to how fast the mantis shrimp punches.
You got it.
Check it out.
Okie doke, just let me scan your pass.
Oh, hey, Anders from the train.
Train?
Oh, you mean Anders from the monorail.
Wait, are you...
Nope, I'm Henrik, their brother.
Oh, well, you all sound like the same person.
Oh, yeah, we get that a lot.
Okay, now step up to the punching bag and make sure to wait for the...
Okay, never mind then.
Sheesh.
People these days just hauling off and punching stuff before they even know what's what, I tell ya.
Oh, results already.
Okay, who's next there?
See, Guy Raz?
I was able to punch this bag at a speed of 20 miles per hour. which is about nine meters per second.
That's pretty quick, Mindy.
Well, I have been working out so, And the mantis shrimp punches about two and a half times as fast as that.
Oh, fun!
Oh, well, good try anyway, Mindy.
Hey, let's go find that slingshot sheriff's spider ride.
Oh, already found it.
Look, it's right over there.
Yeah.
Mindy, that thing is massive.
OK, so remember, the slingshot spider is only about a millimeter long.
But its web... Which is what it uses to launch itself at its prey like a rubber band.
Right.
Its web is much, much bigger.
So this ride has been scaled up to human size.
Wow is right.
Come on, I can't wait any longer!
Race ya!
Wendy, wait up!
Howdy partner and welcome to the Slingshot Sheriff, the world's fastest accelerating ride, inspired by the Peruvian slingshot spider.
Oh man, a line of people?
That's not very nature-inspired.
Actually Mindy, many insects like ants and termites form lines and queues when going out to get food and then returning to the nest.
Yeah, but I bet those termites and ants... didn't pay extra for a speedy pass.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
We have a speedy pass.
Yeah, you and everyone else.
This is the speedy pass line.
Bunker balls!
So what were those researchers from Georgia Tech trying to learn from the slingshot spider?
Well, like I was saying, the slingshot spider accelerates really, really fast.
And acceleration and speed are different, right Mindy?
Yes, acceleration is a change in speed.
So from like zero to 100 miles per hour in three seconds?
Yes, and that would be a very fast acceleration.
Whereas 100 miles per hour would be the speed.
Exactoritos.
Okay, I think I got it.
So how fast does this little spider accelerate?
Well, let's see.
So the fastest human on the planet... Usain Bolt.
Yes.
So when he explodes off his starting block at the start of a race, his acceleration is around 300 times slower than this little spider when it flings itself from its web.
And moving that fast, that quickly subjects it to some rather intense g-forces, if you know what I mean.
What does your grandma have to do with all this?
Grandma G-Force, Guy Raz, the actual gravitational force applied to your body.
Oh, right, of course.
I remember.
G-Force is that heavy feeling you get when you're on a roller coaster.
Yeah.
So on a roller coaster you'll typically experience around three four, maybe five G-forces even.
Uh-huh.
And a fighter pilot when doing all of those crazy twists and turns in their jets can actually get up to around 10 G-forces.
Right, and so how many G-forces does this spider experience when it launches itself from its web?
130 G-forces.
130?
Yep.
That's enough to make a fighter pilot black out 10 times over.
Whoa.
But here's the thing.
Unlike other high flyers in the animal kingdom like frogs, crickets or even grasshoppers, the slingshot spider does not rely only on its leg muscles to produce all of the power it needs to launch itself so quickly.
Right, this spider instead uses its web to accelerate at such high speeds.
Exactoritos.
And what's blown these scientists' brains is how this little teeny, tiny spider is able to pull back and then hold this slingshot in place for hours at a time.
Because I imagine it has to wait a while for a fly or a mosquito to come near its web.
You know it, and it takes a crazy amount of energy to pull this slingshot back, and then even more energy to keep it in place for hours on end.
So how do they do it?
Well, they're still studying it, but... But?
They think that this spider might have some sort of locking mechanism in its legs that allow it to pull itself into place, then cock itself ready to fire as soon as its prey comes into view.
Which is exactly how this ride seems to work.
Speaking of which, looks like we're up next, Sky Roz.
Uh, yay.
Okay, who's next there?
Oh!
All right, you two, just take a seat here and we'll get you launched in.
Don't mind if I do.
Woo, comfy.
And, uh, which popular Norwegian name do you have?
Sven?
Oli?
Thor?
Oh, don't you recognize me?
Uh, no.
It's Bjorn from the front gate.
Of course it is.
Okay, strapping you in.
I'm not so sure about this, Mindy.
And that'll do.
Okay, have fun now.
This is so exciting, I'm going to barf.
Please hold all barf until after the ride has come to a complete stop there.
Oh, come on.
Mindy, are you sure these elastic ropes are safe?
Yes, of course I'm not sure they're safe, Guy Raz.
But and this is a big but they are based directly off the slingshot spider silk that it uses for its web, which is another reason why the scientists were interested in researching this spider.
Why?
Well, because the silk that these spiders use is able to hold much, much more energy than anything us humans have ever made.
Really?
Yeah, they're hoping to use the web's energy-storing secrets to create a potential power supply for tiny robots and other little devices.
Well, I guess that makes me feel a little better.
Aw, come on, Guy Razzi.
Anything for science?
Anything for science.
Anything for science.
Anything for science.
Three.
Two.
One.
And here we go.
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.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me, Guy Raz.
Original sound design and music editing is done by our senior producer Jed Anderson and Tyler Thull.
You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis Thomas Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters you hear on our show.
Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker and Meredith Halpern-Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.
Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, The Pop-Ups.
Find them at thepopups.com.
Special thanks to the rest of our team of tinkerers, including Anna Zagorski, Rebecca Caban, Kit Ballinger and Henry Moskal.
To keep the wows rolling, visit us at Tinkercast.com.
There you can learn more about becoming an official member of the World Organization of Wowzers.
Learn more about upcoming events.
Shop our shop and pick up a copy of our new number one New York Times bestselling book, The How and Wow of the Human Body.
Grownups, you can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at wowintheworld.
And our email address is hello at tinkercast.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 our show or an upcoming episode of Two What's and a Wow.
Thanks again for listening.
And until next time, be fun wowing, please.
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
