Hey, Wowzer fams! Mindy here, and we are so excited for you to listen to the recorded performance of Make It Wow in New York City.
You'll hear two teams of tinkerers going head to head coming up with some bonker balls and amazing inventions for how to help animals.
And now you can wow our judges with your inventions that solve a problem for animals, too!
Reggie, drumroll please.
introducing the make it wow engineering challenge wowzers listen up if your grown -up or teacher enters your invention for how to solve a problem for animals by march 21st you could win a virtual classroom visit from me mindy plus a signed copy of our book, Wow in the Wild, a Wow in the World Sea Creatures
Aquarium Toy, and more.
Visit tinkercast .com slash makeitwow to learn more and to get tinkering.
And tell your teacher, this contest is open for classrooms, too.
One more time, that's tinkercast .com slash makeitwow.
Oh, and P .S., if you're in the Denver or Washington, D .C.
area, don't miss your chance to see make it wow live on stage.
Grownups, you can get your tickets and learn how you could get your wowser to be a contestant in the show at Tinkercast .com slash events.
That's Tinkercast .com slash events.
We can't wait to make it wow with you.
That's it. And now let's get back to the show.
We'll see you next time.
Boom! Da -da -da -da -da -da -da -da -da With his sidekick Reggie With a giant pigeon It's Super Wee Wow on the weekend What's that podcast?
Super Wee Wow on the weekend Hello and welcome to Super Wee Wow on the weekend I'm your host, Ultra Dennis And that's my co -host, Ultra Reggie And this is our two -part action -packed show where we do cool superhero stuff and listen to an amazing episode of Wow in the World.
Reggie, yeah -ha! We do cool superhero stuff.
Well, stuff like choosing superhero names and hanging out in our secret hideout.
And also, we recruited new members for our superhero team.
Hey, Feller, can we come down now?
No, I need to do an intro.
Oh, okay. Ahem, bam, bam.
When the world is weird and the world is gross, there's a superhero team that Dennis chose.
They're super strong and ultra cool and they have cool haircuts and they - We're just gonna calm down.
Yeah! Ugh, fine. Careful, Tommy.
I am careful. Okay, devoted listeners, welcome the newest members of our super ultra team, ultra tommy and ultra baby dennis yay oh i thought you said there'd be snacks oh uh here's a box of raisins sweet um big dennis that's ultra big dennis um ultra big dennis what's your superpower great question ultra baby dennis let's
talk about our superpowers ultra tommy you go first Oh, I can crack my knuckles in time with the funky groove.
What? Tommy, that's just your normal thing.
I also know karate.
Oh, really? No. OK, Alter -Reggie?
How about you? What you got?
Oh, your super sense of direction.
Also just your normal thing.
But you do know karate, unlike some superheroes I regret recruiting Eh, you got any more of them raisins?
No, Ultra Baby Dennis, what's your superpower?
Ultra Baby Dennis shoots lasers from his eyes What?
No, you don't And zap!
Okay, we'll put Ultra Baby Dennis down for laser vision Yay!
What's your superpower, fella?
Oh, my superpower? I have lots of them Like what?
Well, I'm super good at singing and I'm super fashionable and I'm a super cool dude Oh, that's just regular Big Dennis stuff Yeah Oh, hush, Mr.
Beatbox Knuckleman Good point, Reggie It's time for our next segment Inside Super Tinkercast Studios Ahem Inside Super Tinkercast Studios This is the part where we revisit an episode Of one of my favorite Tinker Cash shows And today We're listening to the thrilling conclusion Of yesterday's episode Wow
in the world Season 2 episode 17 called All Natural Superheroes Part 2 Ultra Baby Dennis wants popcorn No we're gonna play the episode Popcorn Baby Dennis Fine.
Tommy, you go get some popcorn.
I'm going to start the episode.
Okay, here we go. And wait.
WeeWow will be right back.
Grownups, this message is for you.
That's it. Now back to the show.
Wow in the world. Last week on Wow in the World.
Mindy fell asleep during a movie.
I was just watching it with my eyes closed.
Guy Raz was putting together a team of animals with extraordinary abilities.
I was putting together a team of animals with extraordinary abilities.
Is that a snake? It's a pit viper.
What makes this animal so super?
Something known as heat vision.
Wow, that is a serious superpower.
Mindy asked the snake to join the team of Animal Revengers.
She's in! Then Mindy thought of someone who would be perfect for the team.
I think I know a guy who might be perfect for the team.
Who's that Mindy? Oh you'll see.
Using Reggie they flew to a mysterious location.
I don't like the look of this place Mindy.
Where are we? Stay cool as we open this door And walk down that hall, okay?
And now for the conclusion of Wow in the World Walk, walk Okay, here we go Um, hello?
Yes What do you want?
Uh, yes, hello sir We're here to see one of the, um, prisoners.
Well, which one? Oh, uh, his name is Tyson?
He's a mantis shrimp.
You can't... You can come right on in!
Okay, Guy Raz, the doors are opening, now just stay calm and follow me, okay?
Indy, what are we doing here?
Okay, so we're here to meet one of the fastest and deadliest creatures in the animal kingdom.
In fact, he had to be transferred here after he smashed through his last tank.
Oh man, this guy must have some right hook.
Oh, you have no idea, Guy Raz.
The mantis shrimp has one of the fastest and most powerful punches in all of nature.
Wow, check this out, Mindy.
It says in his record here that he can deliver a punch with the same force as the speed of a cheetah.
Yeah, see what I mean?
This guy's packing a punch that's traveling at more than 50 miles per hour.
In fact, it moves so fast when it's in the ocean that the water in front of it literally boils.
What? Yep. Tyson's fist here moves through the water so quickly that it creates this little bubble which, when it collapses, creates a bright flash of light and can heat the water up to as much as 8 ,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
8 ,000 degrees Fahrenheit?
That's almost as hot as the surface of the sun.
I know it is. So Tyson's superpower seems to be some sort of a furious fire punch.
Well, that's one of his powers.
And look at his mugshot.
Good grief. Yeah, they usually only print out those mugshot pictures of the prisoners' faces in black and white.
But for Tyson, they made an exception.
I can see why. I mean, he's beautiful.
Look at that shell.
There must be every color in the rainbow there.
Yeah, okay, pull yourself together, Guy Raz, because we're here.
This is his jail cell.
Whoa! Hello, Tyson.
Wow. Mr. Tyson, can I just say you're looking fabulous.
I mean, just look at all those colors.
Sorry, I'm totally rambling now.
I've just heard so many things, I just...
Jack Frost! You have a very attractive shell, sir.
Sorry, I mean you...
What he's trying to say, Tyson.
is we need your help.
Are you sure we want his help?
Tyson, we want to invite you to join our team of superhero revengers.
Let me just tell you that your eyes and your fists would be a most welcome and important addition to the squad.
Wait a minute, his eyes?
Oh yeah, I didn't tell you.
So as well as having the fastest fists in the ocean, Mantis Shrimp also have some of the best eyes on the planet.
Wow, this guy really is the whole package, isn't he?
So in terms of vision, what we're able to see depends a lot on how many photoreceptors we have in our eyes.
Photoreceptors? Yeah, so photoreceptors are cells in our eyes that convert the light that enters them into electronic signals that our brain can understand.
Got it. And as humans, we have three types of receptors, each detecting a different wavelength of light.
So red, green, or blue.
And these receptors then make up all of the colors that we see in the world.
Ha! Kind of like when you get up really close to a TV and you can see that it's just made up of these little red and green and blue dots called pixels.
Exactoritos! Okay, so what makes Tyson's eyes so special?
Well, the mantis shrimp does not have three types of photoreceptors like us humans.
Huh. He has 12 types of photoreceptors, which means that he can see all kinds of things like ultraviolet light and polarized light.
Huh, that's right. It says right here in his file that Tyson and his incredible eyes have been the subject of a recent scientific study.
Well, that doesn't surprise me.
He's a very popular shrimp.
Yeah, so this study says that researchers have been using a process called biomimicry.
Oh yeah, we've talked about biomimicry before.
It's when you take something that animals do in the wild and try to reverse engineer it to help out us humans.
Right, and researchers have been using biomimicry to try and take how Tyson sees and then turn it into a type of camera.
Wow, so how would they do that?
Well, marine biologists...
Which are the type of scientists that study ocean life.
Right. Marine biologists at the University of Queensland in Australia worked with a group of engineers at the University of Illinois to remake the mantis shrimp's vision system out of silicon materials.
Silicon materials? You mean like the stuff my computer's made out of?
Yeah, like your computer's chips.
My computer has chips?
How do I get them out of there?
Well, just to be clear, I'm not talking about nacho chips, Mindy.
Right. I knew that.
Anyway, this group of scientists were able to use these same sorts of materials that are found in your computer to copy what the mantis shrimp's eyes do and make a digital camera called a color polarization camera.
A color polarization camera?
It's a type of camera that can detect polarized light.
And polarized light is a type of light that we humans can't see, but mantis shrimp can?
Correctamundo. And the researchers are hoping to use this new camera to, among other things, detect unhealthy cells in our bodies, which give off a different kind of polarized light than healthy cells.
And cells being the building blocks of all human life, right?
Exactly. Okay, so with this new camera, you could just point it at a patient, boot it up, and detect where the unhealthy cells might be growing?
Yes. In fact, the end goal, Mindy, is to put this kind of technology into smartphones.
And that way, people could go home and check themselves, and if they see something suspicious, they could go to the doctor.
That's so wow! I wonder if they'll let us borrow it for when Tyson's off on other missions.
Well, that is, assuming you want to join our team of revengers, Tyson?
Ha, yes! You won't regret it, Tyson.
Okay, buddy, we gotta run, but please make sure you let us know when your time is up here so we can come back and get you, okay?
Yeah, Tyson, we'll be in touch to work out the details.
Okay, Gairoz, now let's see what superpowers we have so far We're looking at, um, heat vision, immortality, and now the sharpest eyes in the seven seas Okay, so who else do we need on this team of revengers?
Well, how about the toughest animal on the planet?
I love it Okay, let me guess, is it an armadillo?
Uh, nope An armadillo with a football helmet.
Nope. An armadillo with a football helmet and abs of steel and a stone -cold heart.
What? No, Mindy. The toughest animal on the planet is actually under our feet right now.
Hey, Ross, there is nothing under my feet except for this tiny droplet of water I'm standing on.
Here, come here. Kneel down.
Look. What? Now, look a little bit more closely, Mindy.
Okay. Living inside this tiny little water droplet is the most hardened creature on this planet You're telling me that there is something living in this tiny water droplet?
I'll believe it when I see it Guy Raz, hand me my shrink wand Oh, no, not the shrink wand Oh, yes, the shrink wand Now, I know it's around here somewhere in my adventure toolbox I was trying to find it in here Ah, so many cats.
Oh, here we are. Okay, you ready, Gyros?
Oh, Mindy, I'm... Shrink wand, activate!
Well, at least I'm glad to see I made it in one piece this time.
Okay, it only happened once, and I was able to glue you back together again.
I just wish we didn't have these annoying, wimey voices every time we shrink down.
Oh, well, I can fix that.
Just open your mouth, stick out your tongue, and say...
Now I'll do it to myself.
Testing, testing, one, two, three.
Hey, Mindy, you unshrunk my vocal cords.
Well, don't get too excited, Guy Raz.
The rest of you is still the size of a tiny pinhead.
Anywho, what are we looking for here?
Well, we're looking for...
Oh, look! There they are, Mindy.
In that water droplet.
That's the water bear.
The water bear? What?
Oh, my googly -eyed cat.
Look at that! There's a bunch of them.
They're so cute. They're like big blubbery little piglets With one, two, three, four, five, six legs They're also known as tardigrades, Mindy Oh, they're so cute and small, I can't stand it I mean, Garaz, I know we've shrunk down a lot But these little guys, man, they still look tiny to me I know, right?
In fact, you could fit about 20 of them on the head of a pin Whoa But despite their pudgy, outward appearance, Mindy And despite their tiny size and adorable name, these guys can actually survive basically anywhere.
Really? Yeah. These little tardigrades have been found in some of the most extreme environments on Earth, from all the way high up in the Himalaya Mountains, to hot springs in Japan, to the bottom of the ocean, even in Antarctica.
Wow, you're tough little guys, aren't you?
And that's not even the half of it, Mindy.
Not only can these animals withstand temperatures as low as minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit, but they're able to go without food or water for decades at a time.
What, did you say decades as in 20, 30, 40 years?
And they're also the only species we know of that can survive the complete vacuum of space.
Uh, pause. So you're saying that on top of all that, these little guys, these little water bears, these little tardigrades are also tiny astronauts?
Well, yeah, I guess you can call them that.
Back in 2007, scientists strapped thousands of these tiny microscopic creatures onto a satellite and then they blasted them off into space.
And, Mindy, when they came back, the scientists found that not only did many of these tardigrades survive, but some of the females also had perfectly healthy babies.
Ah, hold the phone, Guy Raz.
I need a second to process this.
Space baby water bears?
Yeah, and it turns out there's almost nothing on Earth that can destroy these guys.
I mean, they are tough.
Oh, boy. So, do you think we could get them to join our team of superhero revengers?
Well, only one way to find out.
Let me just stick my head in this droplet and have a word with them.
Wait, what? They're in, Mindy.
I mean, tardigrades have been around for 500 million years.
I don't know why I didn't ask them sooner.
Yes! Welcome to the team, little water bears.
All right, come on, guys.
We've got to get out of here.
Oh, but first, Guy Raz, we've got to grow up, if you know what I mean.
Uh... Shrink wand, activate!
Woohoo! Feel so good to be back to my normal size.
Mandy! You unshrink my voice right now!
Aw, but it's so cute this way!
Mandy! Okay, fine. Open your mouth.
There you go, little buddy.
You should be all back to normal.
Ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem.
Ah, okay. Right, so this team, Mindy, is really coming together now.
One more, I think we're going to have our whole team.
Oh, I've got this next one, Guy Raz, but first, we're going to have to hit up Reggie one more time.
Man, we're really clocking up the Sky Miles today.
Yeah, we are. I'm saving up my points for this tiny swimming pool for cats that doubles as a human litter box.
Oh yeah, I think I saw that in the Sky Store catalog.
Okay, now let me just give Reggie a ring here.
Hey, Reg? Yeah, it's us again.
Yeah, I know. Yeah, I promise you, this is the last time.
What? Surcharge? Okay, that's not fair.
Okay, okay, see you soon.
He's on his way. Whoa, hey Reg.
That was quick. All right, come on, Guy Raz, hop on.
All right, hopping on.
Okay, Reg. Last stop, the Andes.
Here we go! Nailed it!
Yes! Nice landing once again, Reg.
You are on fire today.
Okay, here we are. Who are we here to see, by the way?
Oh, they're right over there, Gyroz.
Flamingos? Oh, no, Mindy.
Not again. I am not doing it again.
You are not making me wear a flamingo suit.
Keros, don't be redonkulous.
As dashing as you looked in that flamingo suit, we are here on much more important business.
Right, right. Oh, yes, of course.
So what natural superpowers do flamingos have?
I mean, do they have super strength or can they control the weather?
Can they make a really good omelet?
I think that's my superpower.
All great pitches, Guy Raz, but no.
No to which one? No to all of them.
See, the thing about these flamingos is that they often live in places like this, where the only water even available to them is pretty much near boiling.
Oh, yeah. I can feel the hot steam rising from that water all the way over there.
Walk with me, Guy Raz.
Okay. So not only are these fancy flamingos able to stand around in this scalding hot water all day, but when they do, they're somehow able to stay totally chill.
What? And it gets even crazier because sometimes they'll even dunk their whole entire bodies in it to wash off.
I always keep my baths to exactly 32 .5 degrees Celsius.
It's the optimal temperature for scrubbing.
Oh, so that's why you keep that digital thermometer on the second shelf of your bathroom medicine cabinet.
Wait, wait. Why would you know what I keep in my medicine cabinet?
Why would you know what you keep in your medicine cabinet?
Uh, yeah. Well, anyway, do you think these guys would mind if I used some of their water to make some hot tea?
I mean, all this traveling is making me thirsty.
Yeah, I don't think they mind.
It's just that... Great.
Excuse me, Sahari. Just trying to get by here.
Guy Raz? Oh, no. There we go.
Orange, pico, and hibiscus.
My favorite. Guy Raz, you're making your tea with the flamingo water.
What happened? That's what I was trying to warn you about.
Not only is this flamingo water super hot, but it's also salt water And probably a toilet for the flamingos Yuck!
Why didn't you tell me sooner, Mindy?
Do these flamingos drink this salt water?
I mean, there aren't many animals on the planet that can handle salt water, you know what I mean?
Well, flamingos actually have a special gland in their nose That lets them filter the salt out of the water that they're drinking Wow, that's incredible I mean, I'm not sure how drinking boiling salt water would help when fighting evil But hey, you know, every team needs a wild card, right?
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking Alright, uh, flamingos, are you guys in?
Yeah, flamingos We could use some pinky power on our team of animal revengers Can we get you to join us, or yes?
I'll take that as a yes Yes You know, Mindy, meeting all these incredible animals, it really just rubs in the fact that us humans are, well, we're kind of un -extraordinary.
You know what I mean?
Guy Ross, you wash those words out of your mouth right now because I will not have any of that self -defeating anti -humanist talk here.
But it's kind of true, Mindy.
I mean, we can't see ultraviolet light or survive extreme temperatures or even drink salt water, no matter how much delicious tea you put into it.
Well, I guess when you look at it that way, the average human might look kind of weak.
But don't be fooled, Gairaz.
Human beings are remarkable creatures.
Oh, really? Yeah, really.
In fact, there's one organ in the human body that sets us apart from every other animal on the planet.
And that organ is, drum roll please, our brain.
Our brain, of course.
Keraz, the human brain is one of the most complex organs in the entire animal kingdom.
And it's the reason that we humans are kind of the smartest animals on the planet.
Huh! So you know what this means, right?
What? We can be the last member of the Animal Revengers!
Wait a minute, you're right!
And our superpower is...
Super Intelligence!
Well, Mindy, looks like we have our team!
Yeah, we've got heat vision...
Immortality... Super Punchability...
Indestructibility...
The Wild Card... And, of course...
Super Intelligence!
Well, Guy Raz, it's time to get this team together and get ready to save the world.
Yay! Hazzah! That was so cool, Ultra Big Dennis.
I know! So, what now?
What do you mean? Yeah, what does Ultra Tommy mean?
Well, Mr. Razzie and Mandy formed the Revengers and went out to save the world.
Right. And we formed the Ultra Team.
Uh -huh. So, are we gonna go save the world or what?
Oh, yeah! Let's go do that!
Yay! Ultra Baby Dennis wants to save the world!
Okay, let's wrap up the show, and then we'll go save the world or whatever.
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 We Wow on the weekend.
Okay, let's go. All right, what should we do first?
Let's go fishing. No, Tommy, we need to do something like rescue a cat out of a tree or sweep all the sidewalks in the neighborhood.
Oh, I know! Let's have a bake sale!
Ultra Baby Dennis wants to fight crime with lasers!
Stop! Ultra Baby Dennis, that's too dangerous.
For having a bake sale or some other thing...
ad -free on Amazon Music.
And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at Wondery .com slash survey.
Thanks for joining us for this edition of Wee Wow on the Weeknd!
Our show is written by Ruth Morrison and Jed Anderson.
The role of baby Dennis is played by Jed Anderson.
Ah, well then, who plays the role of Big Dennis?
Never you mind! Original sound design and production is done by Henry Moskal with contributions from Jed Anderson and Tyler Tholl.
Original music for Wee Wow is composed and performed by Tyler Tholl.
Special thanks to Jessica Bode, Rebecca Caban, Dr.
Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Lizzie Freilich, Kristen Yang, Meredith Helpen -Ranzer, Twi Mac, Erica Medina, Henry Moskal, Jodi Nussbaum, Ali Paxima, Guy Raz, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Mindy Thomas, Joanna Weber, Anna Zagorski, and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.
Be sure to visit Tinkercast .com, where you can become an official member of the World Organization of Wowzers.
Learn about upcoming events, shop our Wow Shop, find our best -selling books, and learn about all the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.
Thanks again for hanging out in the basement this weekend.
Be sure to check out episodes of Wow in the World every Monday.
And remember, who woes?
I wow! No, baby Dennis, we wow.
All right, we wow! Wow in the World, wow in the World, wow in the World, wow in the World.
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
