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Hey grown-ups, Mindy here.
And did you hear that we have a brand new book coming out?
That's right.
Dinosaurs Are Wow.
A roaring thunder.
A prehistoric wonder.
And it's coming to a bookshelf near you on October 28th.
And to celebrate...
I'm throwing a little virtual prehistoric pre-order party for Wowzer fans like you.
Together, we'll read from the new book, play some games, and answer some fan questions live.
So what are you waiting for?
Grownups to get an invite to our prehistoric pre-order party.
Just pre-order your copy of Dinosaurs Are Wow at your favorite book retailer.
Then visit Tinkercast.com slash dinosaur to upload a copy of your receipt and sign up for the event.
We can't wait to see you there.
Once again, visit Tinkercast.com slash dinosaur to learn more.
That's it.
And now let's get back to the show.
Hey grownups, if you're planning on taking a family trip to Orlando this summer to be transported to magical universes well, you should know there's one portal you don't want to miss.
Your portal to the original universe Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where they have flying dragons too.
It's about science, where no spells are required.
Walk beneath a towering Falcon 9 booster, touch a real moon rock and come face to face with Space Shuttle Atlantis.
Plus, take a behind the gates bus tour for an exclusive look at NASA's legendary launch sites and the future of space exploration.
Visitors also have the chance to meet an astronaut.
Talk about a core memory in the making.
And get this.
Our friends at Kennedy Space Center have offered our listeners $7 off admission.
Just use code WOW at checkout.
With missions to Mars, rocket launches and deep space exploration.
No trip to Orlando is complete without landing at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Discover something real.
We wow on the weekend.
We wow on the weekend.
We wow on the weekend.
Cause this is what we do on the weekend.
Oh, wait, no, I said laughing twice.
Uh, whatever.
We wow on the weekend.
Yeah, on the weekend, because this is what we do on the weekend.
Hello and welcome to we wow on the weekend.
I'm your host dennis, And that's my co-host, Reggie the Giant Pigeon.
What?
What do you mean you don't want to be a giant?
You are giant.
Fine.
We can try something else.
And this is my co-host, Reggie the Large Pigeon.
You don't like it?
Okay, how about Reggie, the oversized pigeon?
Reggie, the enormous pigeon.
Reggie, the extremely fussy pigeon who is kind of getting on my nerves right now.
This is the show that we always record from my mother's basement.
What?
Record somewhere else?
Reggie, no!
We can't record upstairs.
Mother has book club today.
Outside?
Next to my prize-winning azaleas?
No, they're very sensitive and can't be disturbed by recording equipment.
Besides, I like the basement.
It's got a squishy old couch and it's where I keep my keyboard.
Keyboard!
Hey, Reggie, you want to answer some questions with a Q&A segment?
Hooray!
Let's do it!
Ahem.
The Q&A segment.
All right, let's just get the old answering machine pulled up here.
Okay, here we go.
Hi, you've reached Dennis from WeWow on the weekend.
That's me.
Do you have a question?
Well, I do too.
Lots of them.
And who's going to answer all my questions?
You?
Probably not.
But I guess I can answer yours.
Leave me a message.
Hey, Dennis.
My question is, why are you the one put in charge of doing all the questions?
But I love this podcast and I love you as a character and I want to know why you were put in charge of all these.
Well, first of all, thank you.
And second of all, I'm not in charge of all the questions.
The Wowsers are in charge of all the questions.
Reggie, no, I don't ask the questions, I give the answers.
Because, Reggie, I have lots of good answers and I'm very generous and I give them away for free.
Next answer, I mean, next question...
Hi, Dennis.
I'm a piece of rice from the rice pot.
What?
My question is, how is rice cooked?
Thank you.
Bye.
Well, piece of rice from the rice pot.
I would think that a piece of rice from the rice pot would be the ultimate authority on how rice is cooked.
Oh good point Reggie.
Maybe this piece of rice only knows how rice is grown and harvested and dried and packaged and put into a pot.
Okay, so if I remember correctly, rice is cooked by reading the instructions on the package, then throwing the package away, then forgetting the instructions and having to dig the package out of the trash again.
Yes, it is, Reggie.
Next question.
Hello, my name is Steven.
I am 12 years old and I live in New York.
Hi, Steve.
My question is for you.
Do you play with toys still?
Do I play with toys?
You bet I do.
My favorite toy is the coffee grinder.
Reggie, the coffee grinder is so a toy.
It's plastic and has buttons and dials and you put coffee beans in it and it goes...
It's the best.
Oh, and the ice cube maker on the fridge.
I love that toy.
And all the sleigh cat toys.
Yeah, there's one with like squeakers in them and little balls with dingleys in them and strings and lasers.
I can chase.
What do you mean these are all terrible toys?
Well, I don't know what the good toys are.
Steve didn't say if he plays with toys still.
Oh, yeah, those are good toys.
Next question.
Hi, Dennis.
Hi, Reggie.
I am Sophia from Texas.
Ooh, Texas.
If you sweat in a sweater, does that make you the sweater?
Oh, good question.
And the answer is...
No.
If you sweat in a sweater, that makes you sweaty.
But also fashionable.
Oh, Reggie, is it possible to dress up as a sweater for Halloween?
Because that would definitely make you the sweater.
Yeah, probably not.
Thanks for your calls, everyone.
If you've got a question for me, call and leave me a message.
The number is 1-888-7-WOW-WOW.
I just might answer your question on WeWOW on the weekend.
That takes care of that.
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 18, called Cuckoo for Cocoa!
Ooh, Reggie, yeah, now I want hot cocoa.
Yeah, with whipped cream.
Yeah, and sprinkles.
Reggie, I know the episode's not about hot cocoa.
I just want some.
Well, this episode is less about chocolate and more about where chocolate comes from.
Hmm.
Exactly.
Ah, Reggie.
No spoilers.
Let's just play the episode.
Okay, here we go.
And play.
Wee Wow will be right back.
Grownups, this message is for you.
Hey, grown-ups, 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 grown-ups.
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.
Just a little bit.
Buzz, what are you doing over here?
It sounds like you're going... Anyway, do you need some help?
Yeah, can you sit on the suitcase so I can zip it shut?
Yeah, here we go.
One, two, three, and...
Okay, so the bad news is I broke it.
The good news is there's no good news.
So what'd you pack a suitcase for anyway?
Nothing, nothing really.
Just a quick scientific trip, that's all.
Yeah, just a quick little scientific trip, huh?
Yes, but... To where?
Oh, nowhere really.
I'm not really sure you'd be interested in it.
It's kind of... Bones?
No, Guy Raz.
The fact that you're not telling me suggests that it might actually be really interesting.
Only you don't want me to know.
Well, it's nothing.
Nothing, Mindy.
Okay, so let me see here.
You're packing a bag.
You say that you're leaving for a scientific trip.
You're wearing dark sunglasses, a white linen suit, a brand new straw fedora.
And you want me to believe it's not interesting?
Well, okay, if you must know, I'm going on a scientific trip to study the theobroma cacao plant.
Oh, well, why didn't you just say so in the first place?
I told you it wasn't that interesting.
Okay, bye.
Bye.
Bring me back a souvenir.
Okay, let's see here.
Theobroma angustifolium.
No, that's not it.
Theobroma bicolor.
Oh, here it is.
Theobroma cacao.
Okay, got it. it.
Theobroma cacao, the taxonomic classification for the plant, also called the cacao tree, which is a small evergreen tree native to the tropical regions of Central and South America, or which produces a fruit whose seeds are used to make cocoa mass, cocoa powder and chocolate.
Wait a minute!
Guy Raz!
You're going to a chocolate forest?
Hold up!
I'm coming with you!
Slow down!
Slow down!
Oh, hey Mindy, why are you panting?
You didn't tell me that you were going to a chocolate forest.
Well, um... I'm coming with you.
Uh, but... No buts!
There is no way that you are going to the Candy Land without me.
But, um... I know, you're trying to pull a fast one on me, but it's not going to work this time.
Mindy, I'm not going to Candyland.
I'm just going to investigate a scientific study.
Well, it sounds like you've got the golden ticket and me and Reggie here want a piece of the action.
Reggie, get your flight goggles on, you batty old pigeon.
You're flying us to South America.
Mindy, I'm not so sure this is a good idea.
I mean, remember the last time you had access to unlimited chocolate?
Remember?
It felt like it was just yesterday.
Let's take one more.
Okay, I got your point.
But that was the old me.
This is the new me.
The new me promises to limit my chocolate consumption to under 25 pounds in a sitting.
Okay, but just so you know, this is a scientific field investigation.
This is serious stuff.
Guy Raz, I understand.
I agree completely.
There is nothing more serious than the science of science.
Stuffing your face full of chocolate ice cream, topped with hot fudge sauce, topped with chocolate sprinkles, topped with cocoa puffs, topped with ice cream.
Oh boy, this is not going to end well.
This is going to be an epic scientific expedition.
Well, uh... Kairos, saddle up.
Reggie, next stop, South America.
Wait a minute, where in South America are we going?
Well, most cacao in the world is grown in the Ivory Coast in West Africa.
But I thought we'd head to the birthplace of the cocoa tree, to Colombia.
Yes, I've always wanted to visit Colombia.
Colombia, Guy Raz, is the country in South America that's right on the equator.
It's the halfway point on Earth.
Yes, exactly.
It's there we should find plenty of examples of the Theobrama cacao tree.
Oh, man.
I am so excited.
Reggie, fire it up.
Guy Raz, hold on for your life and get ready because here we go!
Mindy?
Mindy?
Over here, Guy Raz.
You okay?
Yeah, I just gotta teach Reggie how to land.
Well, at least he still allows free baggage.
I mean, all the other birds are even charging for carry-on now.
Yeah, I heard that one bird even charges money just to let you sit next to your family.
Yeah, well, at least we've landed safely, more or less.
Hey, Mindy, look, look over there.
Over where?
What?
The Chocolate Forest, where we're surrounded by cacao trees.
This is the Chocolate Forest, Guy Raz?
Well, uh... Where's Count Chocula?
Where are the M&M guys?
Where's Willy Wonka?
Where's the Nesquik bunny?
Yoo-hoo!
I don't even see Kathy, and I know she loves chocolate.
I think Kathy was retired in 2010.
Well, my point is that I'm not seeing any chocolate.
Well... I see trees with little orange footballs growing out of them.
These are them, Mindy.
The what?
The cacao fruits.
Fruits?
Man, I'm going home.
But... Reggie?
But these are the chocolate trees.
Those cocoa fruits are where chocolate comes from.
Wait a minute.
The chocolate is hidden inside these fruits?
Well... It's like the best Easter egg hunt of all time!
Hold on to your Swiss chard, Guy Raz.
I'm going in.
No, no, no.
Wait, wait, Mindy.
Got it.
Okay, here goes nothing.
This tastes kind of like a sweet lime.
Kairos, I thought you said this was chocolate.
Mindy, I tried to tell you.
This is definitely not what you were expecting.
You can say that again.
This is not what you were expecting.
Hold on.
Let me just spit out these giant seeds.
Mindy, Mindy, that's what we're here for.
You said we were coming here for chocolate, and all I'm tasting is a slightly sweet and sour lime thing with a bunch of annoying seeds inside of it.
Well, that's just it, Mindy.
Those seeds you're spitting out?
Yeah, yeah.
That's where the chocolate comes from.
Wait, these things?
Hang on a second.
A little bitter, right?
A little?
Well, these seeds are better known as cocoa beans.
Well, I'm not tasting any cocoa.
All I taste is gross.
I know.
Weird, right?
You can say that again.
I know.
Weird.
Nope.
You don't really need to say it again.
Oh, sorry.
Well, as I was about to say, you have to dry these seeds and then roast them and then grind them up into a paste.
And that's what produces cocoa.
Oh, so that's how it works.
Okay, so then what happens?
Well, what you get is a paste that still needs other ingredients to make it taste like the chocolate you and I love to eat.
So ingredients like sugar and milk and cocoa butter, which is a type of fat that you get from roasting and grinding down the cocoa beans.
Well, now that we have the recipe, let's make ourselves some chocolate.
Well... Wait a minute.
You said the purpose of this field trip was for a scientific investigation.
Oh, it is, Mindy, and it has to do with memory.
Wait, I forgot what you just said.
It has to do with memory.
Wait, I just forgot again.
You were saying?
Mindy, as we humans grow older, our memories become less reliable.
We tend to forget things like where we left our keys or the names of the people we meet.
Or that time I forgot to tell you that Mehmet, our neighborhood skunk, was using your toilet and you walked in and freaked out.
Yeah, so you get the picture here, right?
Yeah, we humans, especially as we get older, have a harder time remembering all of the little details in our lives.
But But what I want to know is what any of this has to do with chocolate.
And why did we have to come all the way to Colombia to investigate memory?
Well Mindy, what if I told you that a naturally occurring chemical in chocolate can actually help improve your memory?
What?
I knew it.
I knew it all along.
Boys, bring it!
Uh, Mindy?
All right, move forward a little.
All right, now back it up.
Back it up.
A little further.
Yep, right there, right there.
Stop, stop, stop.
Mindy, where did this chocolate delivery truck come from and who are these guys?
Oh, This is my chocolate posse.
I like to keep them close by, especially for occasions like this.
Well, that type of chocolate won't actually do much good.
And besides, all that...
Yeah, yeah, not good for you.
I know, Guy Raz.
But you said chocolate could actually improve my memory, and I just remembered that I'd traveled with a truckload of chocolate bars.
Well, it is true that some types of chocolate will help with memory, but it has to have high levels of that natural chemical I mentioned.
Well, I'm pretty sure these chocolate bars are chock full of chemicals.
Well... You get it?
Chock full of chemicals?
Well, but not the right chemicals.
The ones I'm talking about are called flavonoids.
And it's a chemical that is found naturally in the cocoa beans.
So generally in things like cocoa nibs, which are crushed and roasted pieces of cocoa beans.
And Also in things like dark chocolate.
Okay, so how does it help your memory?
Well, a team of scientists from the University of L'Aquila in Italy studied the effects of flavonoids on memory.
And they found that if you regularly eat or drink dark chocolate drinks, they can actually help older people, especially grandparents, with their memories.
Wow, so how does that work?
Well, flavonoids that are concentrated in some types of dark chocolate.
So chocolate that isn't mixed with too much stuff like sugar and milk can actually cause more blood in your body to go to your brain.
And more blood to your brain means more oxygen to your brain, too.
Exactly.
And flavonoids are found in several other foods, like blueberries and parsley and black tea and, of course, chocolate.
And so the scientists in Italy found that eating lots of flavonoids can boost the blood to a part of the brain called the dentate gyrus.
It's in the hippocampus, which is hidden deep inside our brains.
What's so important about the dentate gyrus?
Well, it's thought to be the part of the brain that creates memories.
Okay, got it.
But you'd need a lot of flavonoids to get it all to work, right?
Yes, precisely.
That's what I thought you said.
Time for some chocolate indulgence.
Yeah, baby.
But the average chocolate bar won't do the trick.
Here, here, try this.
Huh?
Try some of these cacao nibs.
They're pretty crunchy and good for you, too.
Hand them over here.
This tastes like rocks.
Well, I didn't say they taste like chocolate.
All right, enough of these nibs.
Hey, Reggie, strap your goggles on.
Next stop, Hershey, Pennsylvania.
I'm going to get me some flavonoid.
Oh boy, here we go again.
Oh, no!
What do you mean, why am I yelling?
My dentate gyrus, Reggie!
It's in peril!
Yes, we have to go find some flavonoids right now!
What do you mean there are all kinds of flavonoids?
Oh, this is serious.
Then yeah, we'll make like a flavonoid pie or flavonoid casserole.
Fine, or a flavonoid salad, whatever.
All right, we need to wrap up the show.
I forgot that too.
Okay, real quick before I forget again.
Thanks for listening to Wee Wow on the Weekend.
If you have a question for me, call and leave me a message at 1-888-7WOW-WOW.
That's 1-888-7WOW-WOW.
I just might answer your question on WeWOW on the weekend.
Okay, should we do the goodbye song now?
Oh no, what if I forgot?
Okay, I think I remember.
I think I remember.
That's the end the show.
I need to go protect my dentate gyrus 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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