How the Dinosaurs Got So Big: An Investigation in Fossilized Feces (3/31/25)

Summary

Wow in the World: How the Dinosaurs Got So Big – An Investigation in Fossilized Feces

Episode Release Date: March 31, 2025
Hosts: Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz

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Introduction

In this captivating episode of Wow in the World, hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz delve into a fascinating scientific mystery: how dinosaurs evolved from small, cat-sized creatures into the gigantic reptiles that once dominated the Earth. This investigative journey centers around an unconventional yet pivotal source of information—fossilized dinosaur feces, known scientifically as coprolites and bromelites.

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The Big Assignment

The episode kicks off with Mindy Thomas being tasked by her editor, Guy Raz, to write the weekly feature article for the Bonkerball's Bugle newspaper. While initially slated to cover a light-hearted topic—"Why Six is Afraid of Seven"—Mindy uncovers a more significant story that promises to make headlines.

Mindy Thomas [03:13]:
"I have an idea."

She reveals her plan to investigate the mysterious growth patterns of dinosaurs, proposing an in-depth report titled "The Mystery of How the Dinosaurs Came to Rule the World."

---

Unveiling the Mystery at the National Archive

Determined to uncover the truth, Mindy and Guy, accompanied by their intern Dennis, visit the National Archive of Coprolites and Bromelites. Here, they meet Professor Felicity Guano, a leading expert in paleontology.

Mindy Thomas [05:07]:
"I have a better idea for this week's feature article."

The team is introduced to a vast collection of fossilized dinosaur feces, which are crucial for understanding the dietary habits and, consequently, the evolutionary pathways of these ancient creatures.

Professor Felicity Guano [12:06]:
"If you're able to understand what's inside these bromelites, then you can also figure out what sorts of foods these dinosaurs were eating back then."

---

Analyzing the Dino Diets

Using a micro CT scanner, Professor Guano demonstrates how the team can examine the contents of these fossils without damaging them. This technology allows for a non-invasive peek into the ancient diets of dinosaurs.

Professor Felicity Guano [16:15]:
"No, it scans the specimen and shows us images of the inside without needing to break it."

As they analyze various coprolites, the team discovers remnants of specific plants that began to emerge during the period when dinosaurs started to grow significantly in size.

Mindy Thomas [18:13]:
"What if there was a bunch of new plants that popped up around this time that only dinosaurs could eat?"

This revelation suggests that the introduction of these new plants, thriving in volcanic-rich soils, provided essential nutrients that enabled certain dinosaur species to expand rapidly in size and dominate their ecosystems.

Guy Raz [18:46]:
"And volcanic soil is great for growing plants."

---

The Breakthrough

The investigation leads to a groundbreaking conclusion: the availability of new plant species, accessible only to specific dinosaurs, was a key factor in their massive growth. These plants likely offered superior nutrition, supporting the rapid expansion and dominance of these reptiles.

Professor Felicity Guano [19:07]:
"Yes, precisely."

This insight not only solves the mystery of dinosaur gigantism but also highlights the intricate relationship between flora and fauna in prehistoric times.

---

Wrapping Up the Investigation

With their findings in hand, Mindy and Guy rush back to the Bonkerball's Bugle headquarters to draft their monumental story. Although their article doesn't clinch a Pulitzer, the investigation marks a significant achievement in their journalistic careers and contributes valuable knowledge to the field of paleontology.

Mindy Thomas [19:50]:
"It didn't win the Pulitzer that year. That went to some tabloid piece on cubic wombat. But I'll never forget Professor Guano and my first big break as an investigative reporter at the Bonker Balls Bugle."

---

Notable Quotes

• Mindy Thomas [03:13]:
  "I have an idea."

• Professor Felicity Guano [12:06]:
  "If you're able to understand what's inside these bromelites, then you can also figure out what sorts of foods these dinosaurs were eating back then."

• Mindy Thomas [18:13]:
  "What if there was a bunch of new plants that popped up around this time that only dinosaurs could eat?"

• Guy Raz [18:46]:
  "And volcanic soil is great for growing plants."

• Professor Felicity Guano [19:07]:
  "Yes, precisely."

---

Conclusion

This episode of Wow in the World masterfully blends humor, science, and investigative journalism to unravel one of the great mysteries of paleontology. By focusing on fossilized feces, Mindy and Guy demonstrate how even the most unexpected sources can provide profound insights into the natural world. For young listeners and their grown-ups, this story not only educates but also inspires curiosity and a sense of wonder about the history of life on Earth.

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For more exciting episodes and to join the adventure, visit Tinkercast.com and become a member of the World Organization of Wowzers.

Transcript

[Mindy Thomas]

Hey Wowzer fams Mindy and Guy Raz here with some bonkerballs.

[Guy Raz]

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[Mindy Thomas]

As you know, there are so many places on our planet that make us all say wow.

[Guy Raz]

And that's why we're inviting you to go out into the world to find hidden treasures called geocaches. We've stashed in some amazing places.

[Mindy Thomas]

We've partnered with our friends at the Aspen Institute's Planet Media and geocaching.com to create four different trackable trading cards with some wow facts about caring for our planet.

[Guy Raz]

We'll be sending out one of four trading cards to every member of the World Organization of wowzers. Not a member yet, but want a trading card? Sign up by April 11th to get your trading card in the [e-mail] membership.

[Mindy Thomas]

Now here's the fun part. Once you get your trading cards, head out on an adventure to find geocaches near you to stash them and look for the other collectible cards in Planet Wow Geocaches in places that wow across the United States.

[Guy Raz]

Visit tinkercast.com planetwow where you can find out how to get involved and save our planet.

[Mindy Thomas]

You can also upload a video, photo or audio message telling us about the places on our planet that make you say wow. Once again. That's tinkercast.com planetwow.

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[Dennis]

Proceeded 3, 2, 1. The bubbles are an adventure of magnificent proportion. I don't know what you've been told, but we're in a golden age. So many discoveries that are jumping off the page While in the World While in the.

[Mindy Thomas]

It was my first week as a reporter at the Bonkerball's Bugle newspaper, and I'd been assigned to the gossip column. I had a story due that my editor, Guy Raz, would not stop bugging me about.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, do you have that article ready on why six is afraid of seven? It's this week's feature article. I have featured people waiting for it.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, yes. I'll get right on it, Guy Raz. I was not going to get right on it, because what I had was an even bigger story. One that would finally put me on the front page. I just had to find the perfect moment to pitch my idea. I have an idea.

[Guy Raz]

Huh?

[Mindy Thomas]

What I mean to say is, I have a better idea for this week's feature article.

[Guy Raz]

What is it?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, how familiar are you with dinosaurs.

[Guy Raz]

Those big scaly monsters that got wiped out by an asteroid 66 million years ago?

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, well, they weren't all scaly, Guy Ras. I mean, some of them even had feathers, but yeah, those are the ones.

[Guy Raz]

Well, I'm pretty familiar. So what's the article idea?

[Mindy Thomas]

I call it the Mystery of How the Dinosaurs Came to Rule the World.

[Guy Raz]

How the Dinosaurs Came to Rule the world?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, see, when dinosaurs first came onto the scene 230 million years ago, they weren't the big towering monsters that we think of today.

[Guy Raz]

Okay?

[Mindy Thomas]

They were these little teeny tiny cat sized creatures, barely big enough to even make a dent on the food chain.

[Guy Raz]

I see.

[Mindy Thomas]

But 30 million years later, they were sitting at the tippy top of the food chain. And here's the kicker. Nobody really knows how these reptiles went from teeny tiny to crazy creatures the size of buildings.

[Guy Raz]

Huh?

[Mindy Thomas]

Until now. Here, check this out.

[Guy Raz]

Huh?

[Mindy Thomas]

When I arrived at work that morning, the person at the front desk informed me that someone had dropped off a package for me. Which was odd, because I wasn't expecting my order of bubble gum flavored shampoo until the end of the week. But it wasn't my bubble gum shampoo. It was a giant stack of scientific papers sent to me by one Professor Guano. And according to the note she left, it could be one of the biggest stories we ever write.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, what is this?

[Mindy Thomas]

This, Guy Raz is a tip.

[Guy Raz]

A tip?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah. One Professor Guano from the National Archives of Coprolites and Bromelites dropped it off.

[Guy Raz]

The National Archive of Coprolites and Bromelite. Isn't that science speak for dino poop and dino vomit?

[Mindy Thomas]

Uh, fossilized dino poop and vomit, to be precise.

[Guy Raz]

Ugh. Mindy, that's gross. Our readers don't Want to read about Dino Doo Doo?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, they might when they find out that the secret to how the dinos grew to be so big might be buried in their poop. Look, these scientists even wrote about it in the scientific journal Nature.

[Guy Raz]

They did?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah. Look, here's the study right here.

[Guy Raz]

Digestive condoms and food webs record the advent of dinosaur supremacy.

[Mindy Thomas]

Exactly. You see how complicated and technical that title is? That's how you know it's legit.

[Guy Raz]

I still don't know, Mindy. I mean, a story about dino poop? This seems a bit much. I mean, even for the Bonkerball's bugle.

[Mindy Thomas]

Come on, Guy Raz, what's our newspaper slogan?

[Guy Raz]

Anything for the story.

[Mindy Thomas]

Exactly.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, Mindy, you can follow up on this story.

[Mindy Thomas]

What is it that you're proposing, Guy Raz? I am proposing a full investigative report. I say we head down to the National Archive of Coprolites and Bromelites and get to the bottom of this dino mystery once and for all.

[Guy Raz]

All right, well, let's do it. Yes, but I'm definitely coming with you.

[Mindy Thomas]

Great. The more the merrier.

[Guy Raz]

And I'm also assigning our intern to help with the story.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, no, you don't mean.

[Guy Raz]

Dennis, can you come here for a minute?

[Dennis]

Yes, Guy Raz, yes. What do you need? Coffee, tea? Coffee and tea mixed together.

[Guy Raz]

Dennis, I've got your first story for you.

[Dennis]

My first story assignment? Hooray. What is it? The new chocolate factory that opened downtown?

[Guy Raz]

Uh, not exactly.

[Dennis]

Oh, I know. I bet I'm gonna cover the annual puppy parade on Main Street.

[Mindy Thomas]

It's a poop story, Dennis.

[Dennis]

What? Ew.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

But.

[Mindy Thomas]

And this is a big but. It could be the most important vomit and poop story this paper ever prints.

[Guy Raz]

That's true.

[Mindy Thomas]

Once Dennis had stopped crying, we packed up our notebooks and pens, put on our best reporter hats, and headed out to the National Archive of Coprolites and Bromalites to break the biggest story this newspaper had ever seen.

[Dennis]

I think I'm gonna barf.

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, you're at the right place to do that, Dennis. Look, we're here. The National Archive of Coprolites and Bromalites.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Poop and Puke.

[Mindy Thomas]

Thanks for the ride, Reg.

[Guy Raz]

I'm gonna need that traffic report on my desk by the end of the day. Okay?

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, everyone ready to head in?

[Dennis]

Hold on. I just need to add this. There we go. Okay, ready?

[Guy Raz]

Dennis, is that a clothespin on your nose?

[Dennis]

Of course it is. I put a clothespin on my nose to block it up. I call it a nosepin. I'm not walking around a poop and puke museum with open nostrils.

[Mindy Thomas]

Dennis, these poops and pukes happened like hundreds of millions of years ago. They don't even smell anymore.

[Dennis]

Ah.

[Guy Raz]

In fact, if you didn't know it, you'd probably think we were gonna be looking at a big old pile of rocks. I mean, they're all fossilized.

[Dennis]

Okay, good. But I'm keeping my nosepin close by just in case Mindy ate too many beans again. Or too much dairy or too many cruciferous vegetables.

[Mindy Thomas]

Dennis, I would never. Whoopsie.

[Dennis]

I know it.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, Mindy, who's your contact here again?

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, she said her name here somewhere. Oh, here it is. Professor Felicity Guano.

[Guy Raz]

Well, what are you waiting for, Mindy? Let the investigative reporting begin.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, just knocking on the door here.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Oh, dreadfully sorry, but the archives are closed today. The guided tours are on Wednesdays and Fridays.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh. Oh, sorry. Excuse me, Professor Guano?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Yes, what is it?

[Mindy Thomas]

Hi, I'm Mindy, reporter from the Bonkerballs Bugle. And I am here to find out more about your scientific breakthrough.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Of course you are, dear. I've been waiting. And look, you've prop friends.

[Guy Raz]

Hi, I'm Guy Raz, editor in chief of the Bonkerballs Bugle.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Yes, I'm a big fan of your weekly column, A tweed about town.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, thank you.

[Dennis]

And I'm Dennis, investigative reporter. Journalist. Tell me, Ms. Guano, what secrets are you hiding here in your palace of potence?

[Mindy Thomas]

Sorry, this is our intern.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Well, it's very nice to meet you all. Why don't you come on in?

[Mindy Thomas]

Okie doke. Wow. This place is massive.

[Guy Raz]

You can say that again.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wow. This place is massive. So, Ms. Guano, I said as I licked the tip of my pen and flicked to the first page in my notepad, why don't you tell us a little bit about where we are right now?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Right. Well, this is our public wing here. We have some of our most famous bromelites and coprolites.

[Mindy Thomas]

And by that you mean dinosaur poops and dinosaur pukes?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Exactly.

[Guy Raz]

Fascinating.

[Dennis]

Wait a minute. You have famous dino poops?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Oh, yes. We even have a hall of fame. Take a look.

[Guy Raz]

Wow.

[Mindy Thomas]

Look at the size of that thing.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Yes, that's our pride and joy here at the National Archives. It's one of the largest coprolites to ever be discovered.

[Guy Raz]

That thing must be 2ft long.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

67.5 centimeters to be precise. We believe that one belonged to a t. Rex about 70 million years ago.

[Dennis]

Ugh, gross. It's a big old poo.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Oh, well, yes, I suppose it is a bit gross, but these fossils are also vital to understanding the lives these dinosaurs lived all those years ago.

[Guy Raz]

Hmm.

[Mindy Thomas]

And what exactly do you mean by that? I licked the tip of my pen again. I think I was starting to get the hang of this whole investigative journalist thing.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Well, if you're able to understand what's inside these bromelites, then you can also figure out what sorts of foods these dinosaurs were eating back then.

[Guy Raz]

And if you know what the dinosaurs were eating back then and how that changed over time, then you can start.

[Mindy Thomas]

To understand just how these dinosaurs evolved to become so big, correct?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Yes, precisely.

[Mindy Thomas]

That's called a follow up question, and I'm pretty sure I nailed it. But what I really wanted to see was the archives. The place where they keep the vast collection of their fossilized poop. And the place where we might finally get some answers to our questions.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Now, who wants to see the archives?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh. Oh, me. I do. I do.

[Dennis]

I do not pass.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, anything for the story, Dennis, but I don't wanna.

[Mindy Thomas]

The archives were located on the lower level, the building. Professor Guano took us down a metal staircase which was somehow even more echoey than the main hall.

[Dennis]

On the weekend is the very best show, Dennis. The very best show that I ever did hear.

[Mindy Thomas]

And then we were there. The Romalite Archives. This place is huge. Huge.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Yes, we have quite the collection here at the national archives. Almost 230 million years of fossilized poop from all over the world.

[Mindy Thomas]

Absolutely incredible. I had never seen so many fossilized dino poops in my entire life. Well, to be fair, I had never seen a single dinosaur poop before today. But still, they had dino poops of all shapes, sizes. Big poops, little poops, round poops, spiky poops. Even Dennis was starting to enjoy it.

[Dennis]

This dude, he says it's from a Gasosaurus.

[Mindy Thomas]

Dennis, pay attention. We're on a very important journalistic mission. So, Professor Guano, which of these dino poops are we looking at first?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Well, the one I wanted to show you is over here in the Polish section.

[Mindy Thomas]

Guano led us through corridor after corridor of bromelites from all over the world. North America, Asia, Africa. Until we arrived at the section labeled Polish Basin.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Well, here we are.

[Guy Raz]

The Polish Basin.

[Mindy Thomas]

It's a dinosaur fossil hotspot in central Poland and Europe.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

You're right. The Polish Basin is chock full of all kinds of dinofoss, including leaves.

[Guy Raz]

What is that?

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, if I had to guess, Guy Raz, I'd say it's a giant pile of dino doo. Doo.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Yes, indeed. That is 220 pounds, or 100 kilograms of bromelites, all dug up from the Polish basin.

[Mindy Thomas]

Fascinating. And what exactly is it doing down on this table, Professor Guano?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Well, it's all related back to that study I wrote to you about.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, right, the one that was published in the scientific journal Nature.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Yes, that's right. I've tried to replicate or redo some of the original study by analyzing 500 different bromelites from that 30 million year period where dinosaurs went from tiny little cat sized creatures to some of the largest creatures to ever walk the planet.

[Mindy Thomas]

Aha. So you're telling us that what we have on the table here is some sort of a poopy pukey timeline of dinosaur evolution?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Yes, that's one way to put it.

[Mindy Thomas]

Amazing. Our readers are going to love this. We might even win a Pulitzer Prize for this story. Ahem.

[Dennis]

Tell us, Professor Guano, how do you know what's inside the poops? Do you break them open like an ancient poopy pinata?

[Mindy Thomas]

Excuse me, I'm sorry. I think what my colleague here is trying to say is what techniques are you using here, professor, to determine what exactly is inside these fossils?

[Guy Raz]

Well put, Mindy.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Ah, great question. We're about to look inside these fossils without breaking them apart with a little machine I keep down the end of this hole. Come along.

[Mindy Thomas]

We walked further into the archives, where Professor Guano eventually led us into a small room with a computer and a device that looked like some sort of scanner.

[Dennis]

Ooh, Koal, what is that? Some sort of scanner?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Yes, indubitably. It's called a micro CT scanner.

[Mindy Thomas]

Um, could you spell that for me, please?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Oh, sure.

[Mindy Thomas]

C. Uh huh.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

T. Uh huh. Scanner.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, got it.

[Dennis]

And so this CT scanner is used to smash the dino poo poo open?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

No, it scans the specimen and shows us images of the inside without needing to break it.

[Dennis]

Ah, got it.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, I think I've seen one of these before. Micro CT scanners, actually. X ray something over and over and over again on a bunch of different levels, and then it stitches all the images back together again. So you get a 3D scan of what's inside, right?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Bingo.

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, what are we waiting for? Dennis, quick, get your gloves on. We've got some dino poop to scan.

[Dennis]

What?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

No, actually, the scans have already been done. That's why I contacted you.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ow.

[Dennis]

Ow.

[Guy Raz]

So what did you find inside those bromelites?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

A whole world of dino diets. Here, have a look at some of these scans.

[Dennis]

Whoa.

[Mindy Thomas]

Look at that. There's like an entire leaf in that poop.

[Dennis]

Ooh, I see a bug.

[Guy Raz]

And that looks like it might be fish scales.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Oh, that's right. We found a whole array of things in these dino poops. But the most interesting thing we found was this.

[Dennis]

Um, professor, that's just another leaf.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Not just any leaf. This is a leaf that belonged to a plant that only started to emerge during the 30 million years when dinosaurs were on the rise.

[Dennis]

Huh?

[Mindy Thomas]

Then something happened. A light bulb went off in my head. Some might call it republic intuition. I call it a brainwave. Wait a minute, Guy Raz, I just had a brain wave.

[Guy Raz]

What is it, Mindy?

[Mindy Thomas]

What if it was this plant that allowed the dinosaurs to grow so big?

[Guy Raz]

Well, what do you mean?

[Mindy Thomas]

What if there was a bunch of new plants that popped up around this time that only dinosaurs could eat?

[Guy Raz]

That would actually make a lot of sense, Mindy. There was a lot of volcanic activity around that time.

[Mindy Thomas]

And volcanic soil is great for growing plants.

[Guy Raz]

So it seems like these old reptiles that had been around for millions of years couldn't handle these new plants that were popping up.

[Mindy Thomas]

But this new group of dinosaurs didn't have a problem eating these new plants.

[Guy Raz]

And therefore, they were able to grow big and strong.

[Dennis]

Oh, yeah. That was what I was going to say. Big and strong. Wow.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

You got it. You should be journalists.

[Guy Raz]

Indeed.

[Dennis]

Investigative reporter journalists.

[Mindy Thomas]

So that must be how the dinosaurs got to be so huge. They ate their vegetables, eh?

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Kind of. Yes.

[Dennis]

Now that's a headline.

[Guy Raz]

Mystery solved. This is gonna be front page news.

[Dennis]

Yeah, and all it took was years of poking around in some ancient dino poop.

[Mindy Thomas]

Anything for science, Dennis.

[Guy Raz]

And anything for the star. Come on, you two. We've gotta get back to Bugle HQ and get this story to the presses.

[Mindy Thomas]

Thanks again for your time, Professor Guano.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Oh, anytime.

[Dennis]

Uh, before I leave, can I use your bathroom?

[Mindy Thomas]

Once Dennis had left his own specimen at the National Archives, we rushed back to the Bonkerballs Bugle HQ and put our story to print. It didn't win the Pulitzer that year. That went to some tabloid piece on cubic wombat. But I'll never forget Professor Guano and my first big break as an investigative reporter at the Bonker Balls Bugle.

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Wow In the World. We'll be right back, grown ups. This message is for you. That's it. Back to the show.

[Dennis]

Wow in the World.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hi, thanks for calling. Wow in the World. After the beep, get ready to record.

[Tinkercast Ad]

My name is Abby and I'm from Canada. My round of woe is at Fish Can Yawn. I'M Mindy and Guy Ross. My name is Andrew and I live in Dallas, Texas. My wow in the world is that pigeons can tell a painting between Monet or Picasso. Oh, and Dennis.

[Dennis]

What?

[Tinkercast Ad]

I know you're static man.

[Dennis]

No, I'm not static man. We just look alike and sound alike.

[Tinkercast Ad]

Bye. Hi, Mindy and Gray Raz. My name's Alex Katie. I live in Brooklyn, New York, and I'm 8 years old. My wow in the world is that winter lasts for 21 years on Uranus. Say hi to the sleigh cats and grandma can flush for me. Love your show. Bye. Hi, my name is Kurt. I live in Philadelphia. And my wow is that sandwiches are banned from the International Space Station because they could destroy a vital equipment with crumbs. Say hi to Reggie, Thomas Fingerling, Grandma G Force, Dennis, Bucky, Alice, the cat and the sleigh cats.

[Dennis]

Ahoy there.

[Tinkercast Ad]

Bye. Hey, I'm Emily from Basel, Washington. My wow in the world is that the world's largest snowflake was 15 inches wide. Bye. Hi, my name is TJ. I'm 10 years old and I live in Chandler, Arizona. My wow is that queen honeybees sometimes quack. Isn't that totally bonkerballs? Say hi to Grandma G Force, Dennis, Reggie, Thomas Fingerling, and all the Tinkercast producers. I love your show.

[Professor Felicity Guano]

Oh, snipe.

[Tinkercast Ad]

Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz. My name is Olympia and I am from Sacramento, California. And my wow in the world is that porcupine babies are born in jelly, like so they don't poke their moms. Hi, Mindy and Guy Raz. I'm Mila. And I'm Sarah and we're from Columbus, Ohio. Our wow is that a day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus. That's vulnerable. Say hi to Reggie, Dennis, Grandma G4, Thomas Fingerling.

[Dennis]

Howdy.

[Tinkercast Ad]

Oh, yeah, Rudolph and Bum Bum Bum. Static man.

[Dennis]

I am static man. Bye.

[Mindy Thomas]

End of messages. Grown ups. If you like wow in the World, you can listen early and ad free right now on Wondery.

[Guy Raz]

Join Wondery in the Wondery app or on Wondery Kids on Apple Podcasts prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

[Mindy Thomas]

And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey. Thanks for listening to this episode of wow in the World. If you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call our WOW hotline at 1-888-7-WOW WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of the show or an upcoming episode of two. What's in a wow.

[Guy Raz]

And while you're at it, why don't you head over to Apple Podcasts and tell us what wows you about our show by leaving a review. You just might hear your reviewsy read by Dennis on wewow on the weekend.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, and don't forget to Visit [e-mail] and become a member of the World Organization of Wowzers. With that you'll get year round mailings, weekly activities, birthday cards and more.

[Guy Raz]

On Tinkercast.com, you can also shop our wow Shop, get tickets for upcoming live events, find our books, and learn about all the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.

[Mindy Thomas]

Once again, that's Tinkercast.com wow in the.

[Guy Raz]

World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kelken with contributions from Me Guy Raz.

[Mindy Thomas]

Original sound design and music editing is done by Tyler Thole with help from our Senior Production Director, Jed Anderson. 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. This episode also features the voice talents of Lizzie Freylich. Thanks Lizzie.

[Guy Raz]

Jessica Boddy keeps our facts straight as our fact checker and Meredith Halpern Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.

[Mindy Thomas]

Our theme song was composed and performed by three time Grammy nominees the Pop Ups. Find them at thepopups.com Special thanks to.

[Guy Raz]

Our team including Kit Ballinger, Rebecca Caban, Dr. Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Kristin Yang, Thuy Mack, Erica Medina, Henry Moskal, Jodi Nussbaum, Ali Paxsima, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Anna Zagorski, and all of the other Tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ Grown Ups.

[Mindy Thomas]

You can follow wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter Owmed the World and our email address is hello inkercast.com thanks for listening.

[Guy Raz]

Find episodes of wow in the World every Monday. Two what's in a wow? Every Friday and we wow on the weekends with Dennis every Saturday and Sunday right here in the wow in the World podcast feed. Until then, keep on wowing.

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Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.