SnotBot! The Real Whale Snot Drone & How Scientists Study Whales

Summary

Podcast Summary: "SnotBot! The Real Whale Snot Drone & How Scientists Study Whales"

Podcast: Wow in the World (Tinkercast)
Episode Air Date: May 4, 2026
Hosts: Mindy Thomas, Guy Raz, Dennis
Duration: ~29 minutes

Overview

In this lively episode, Mindy, Guy Raz, and Dennis dive deep into the fascinating world of whales—and the snot-filled story of how real-life scientists use high-tech “SnotBots” (drones!) to study these magnificent creatures. With their signature wit and enthusiasm, the hosts blend imaginative play, real science, and memorable storytelling to explain why whale snot holds so many secrets, how scientists collect it, and what that tells us about ocean health.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. From Video Game to Real-World Science (03:31–06:40)

• Set Up: Mindy and Dennis are hooked on a video game called “SnotBot Ocean Detective,” where players maneuver a drone to collect clues from whales via their blowholes.
• Transition to Science: Guy Raz reveals, “What if I told you there are real live scientists playing out this whale snot collecting video game right now? In real life.” (06:49, Guy Raz)
• Key Insight: The seemingly silly video game mirrors real, cutting-edge marine biology.

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2. The Origin of SnotBot & Dr. Kerr’s Discovery (07:13–11:21)

• Background Story: In 2010, after a massive Atlantic oil spill, Dr. Kerr, a determined marine scientist, tries and fails to collect whale health info the old-fashioned way—by boat.
• Lightbulb Moment: Dr. Kerr gets sprayed with whale snot and realizes, “Someone needs to invent a drone or something to fly over and catch the snot right out of the air.” (10:17, Dr. Kerr)
• SnotBot is Born: The idea for a whale snot-collecting drone is hatched. The show dramatizes Dr. Kerr’s thought process and his (humorous) quest for a SnotBot theme song.

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3. Why Whale Snot? Why Drones? (11:21–15:13)

• The Science of Snot:
  • Whale mucus contains DNA, hormones (reproductive status), pregnancy clues, and loads of microbes—offering a health “snapshot.”
  • “It can tell us if it's a boy or a girl, if it might be pregnant with a baby whale, or clues about the tiny microbes living inside its body.” (12:01, Guy Raz)
• Why Drones Over Airplanes or Boats?
  • Drones are less disruptive, safer, and cheaper than airplanes or boats.
  • “The SnotBot provides a way for scientists to get close to whales without the need for a boat that might disturb or disrupt their natural habitat.” (14:14, Guy Raz)
  • Drones are nimble and allow for detailed observations and safer sampling.

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4. How SnotBot Works (13:09–14:14, 16:05–18:22)

• Equipment: SnotBot is a remote-controlled drone with petri dishes to collect airborne whale snot.
• Real-World Challenges Mimic the Game:
  • Whales dive fast; scientists must act quickly.
  • Drone battery life is a real limitation (less than an hour, as in the game).
  • “Yeah, to make the game more challenging, the batteries only last less than an hour.”—(18:56, Mindy Thomas)
• Extra Research Tricks: SnotBot can also place suction cup tags to track whale movement and behavior, which helps researchers collect even more data.

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5. Unique Whale Behaviors Observed with Drones (17:39–18:22)

• Observation: Drones have captured killer whales grooming each other with kelp—a rare and fascinating insight into whale relationships and social behavior.
• Memorable Moment: “It looks like a killer whale grooming another killer whale with a giant piece of seaweed. Or is that kelp?” (17:43, Mindy Thomas)

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6. Science in Action and Real-World Parallels (18:22–19:44)

• Winning the Game & Reality: The hosts cheer as they succeed in their video game’s snot-collecting quest, paralleling the real successes (and challenges) faced by marine biologists.
• Connection: Drones help scientists gather whale "clues" with less stress and risk for both parties.

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7. Takeaway: Science is Wow-worthy & Accessible (19:48–20:26)

• Encouragement: The episode closes with the message that being a scientist can be fun, playful, and full of “wow”—just like flying a drone or playing a game.
• Dennis’s Love for Drones: The fun, relatable talk about Dennis’ own misadventures with drones brings the science home for listeners.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What if I told you there are real live scientists playing out this whale snot collecting video game right now? In real life.” — Guy Raz (06:49)
• “Someone needs to invent a drone or something to fly over and catch the snot right out of the air. If only. Wait a minute. I should invent a drone or something to fly over and catch the snot right out of the air.” — Dr. Kerr (10:17)
• “Whale mucus is full of interesting clues.” — Guy Raz (11:49)
• “The SnotBot provides a way for scientists to get close to whales without the need for a boat that might disturb or disrupt their natural habitat.” — Guy Raz (14:14)
• “It can tell us if it's a boy or a girl, if it might be pregnant with a baby whale, or clues about the tiny microbes living inside its body.” — Guy Raz (12:01)
• “To make the game more challenging, the batteries only last less than an hour.” — Mindy Thomas (18:56)
• “This is bonkerballs. We would never be able to get this close to a pod of killer whales if we were in a boat.” — Mindy Thomas (18:07)
• “You collected all the snot and won Snotbot Ocean Detective.” — Mindy Thomas (19:39)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• SnotBot Video Game & Real Science Parallels: 03:31–06:40
• The Oil Spill & Dr. Kerr's Inspiration: 07:13–11:21
• SnotBot’s Real-World Impact: 11:21–15:13
• Technical Details of SnotBot: 13:09–14:14, 16:05–18:22
• Unique Whale Behaviors: 17:39–18:22
• Final Thoughts & Drone Fun: 19:48–20:26

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Tone & Style

The episode showcases Wow in the World's playful, humorous tone—balancing wacky sound effects, vivid characters, and calls-and-responses with clear, accurate science. The hosts’ enthusiasm is infectious, making learning feel like an adventure.

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Conclusion

"SnotBot! The Real Whale Snot Drone & How Scientists Study Whales" masterfully blends imagination and science, demonstrating how play-based curiosity links to real-world discovery. The episode leaves listeners with awe for whale biology, respect for marine scientists, and a newfound appreciation for the hidden stories carried by even the messiest parts of nature!

Transcript

[Mindy Thomas]

Hey, Wowzer, fams. Mindy here. And before we start the show, guess what? The brand new season of two what's in a People who Wow Edition begins this Friday. Cue the confetti, Reg. In this Getting to Know youw game show, I'll be visited by some of the world's most fascinating people to get the wows and the what's of their lives. From cartoonist and graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier of the Smile series, to everyday extraordinary kids just like you. And that's not all. With this new season of two what's in a wow? There are now two ways to wow. What am I talking about? Well, first, you can listen to episodes right here in our wow. In the World podcast feed. Or. And this is a big or. Yeah, you're right, Reg. That doesn't have the same ring to it. Okay, now where was I? Oh, yeah. As always, you can listen to new episodes in your favorite podcast player, or you can watch these episodes with your eyeballs on YouTube. I know. I should comb my hair or something. We are so excited for you to listen and watch our new season of two once in a while, People who Wow Edition starting this Friday. So make sure you're subscribed to our podcast feed and our WowTube channel on YouTube so you don't miss out. That's two what's in a People who Wow Edition coming this Friday. But in the meantime, let's get back to the show. Hey, Grown Ups. Mindy here. And do I have a wow for you. What if I told you that the best kids math program is actually inspired by comic books and it's about monsters? It's called Beast Academy. And the little monsters, like Grog, do the kind of math that gives kids curious enough to stop and think and figure things out for themselves. For example, Krog asked his Beast Academy math club, if our school has more than 366 kids in it, is it guaranteed that two of them will have exactly the same birthday? He proved that the answer is yes. Through problem solving. Wow. That's Beast Academy. Where kids build problem solving skills through interesting problems and puzzles. It's from the folks at Art of Problem Solving, the same people who train math champions. Grown ups. Head to beastacademy.com and use code BEASTWOW for 10% off the online program. Oh, and tell Grog Mindy says hi.

[Narrator/Commercial Voice]

Who's that walking through the woods?

[Mindy Thomas]

Wyatt Yoshi.

[Narrator/Commercial Voice]

Here to explore a world of curious creatures with you. Discovered a creature you haven't seen before. Why don't you get Yoshi to see what it tastes like.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hmm.

[Narrator/Commercial Voice]

Soapy. No wonder this creature blows giant bubbles so big they can carry you. You can even jump from one bubble to another and reach new areas. There are plenty more surprises to discover, too. Bowser Jr. What are you doing out here? You can jump into adventure with Yoshi and The Mysterious Book. May 21, only on Nintendo Switch 2. Game rated E for everyone proceeded 3, 2, 1.

[Dennis]

The buddy found a mixture of magnific for par. I don't know what you've been told we're in a golden age so many discoveries that are jumping off the page While in the world While in the world While in the world While in the world W in the world W in the world

[Dr. Kerr]

Houston

[Mindy Thomas]

Vice.

[Dennis]

Oh, no. I'll watch out for that. Pull up.

[Game Sound Effects]

Game over.

[Mindy Thomas]

Man, Snapbot Ocean Detective is so tough.

[Dennis]

Yeah, but it's the best game. My turn, my turn, my turn.

[Mindy Thomas]

All right,

[Game Sound Effects]

Snotbot Ocean Detective.

[Dennis]

This is the one. We're gonna get it this time, Mindy. I can feel it.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay. Careful, Dennis. Careful.

[Dennis]

Vende. Vendee.

Look, I found a blue whale.

I found a blue whale.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, just stay calm. Don't make it any sudden moves. You got the Snotbot all lined up.

[Dennis]

I'm so nervous.

[Mindy Thomas]

Steady, Dennis. Steady. Easy does it.

[Dennis]

Okay, I'm hovering. I'm steady.

Aha. Vicky, the whale is dark.

This is.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, oh, here it comes. Here it comes.

[Dennis]

I can't breathe. I feel like a real life ocean detective.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, Dennis, get ready to make your move and.

[Guy Raz]

Hey, Mindy. Hey, Dennis. I thought I'd just let myself in. You know, kind of like how you let yourself into my micro house.

[Dennis]

Guy. Raz.

[Guy Raz]

Just stopping by to see what you're up to.

[Game Sound Effects]

Game over.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, you two okay?

[Dennis]

Do we look okay to you?

[Mindy Thomas]

We've been up for days trying to catch Will Snot.

[Dennis]

He'll never beat Snotbot Ocean Detective.

[Mindy Thomas]

Never.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, I'm sorry, Snotbot.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, yeah. Snotbot Ocean Detective is the that we've been trying to beat, ok?

[Dennis]

It's where you control this super awesome high tech drone called the Snotbot over the ocean searching for whales.

[Mindy Thomas]

And then you wait for the whales to come up for air and blow clues out their blowholes.

[Dennis]

Only the clues are covered in whale snot.

[Mindy Thomas]

But the clues are super good and hold a lot of juicy information. So it's basically worth it.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, and in this game, your drone gets covered in whale snot.

[Dennis]

Yeah, but, like, the whale snot isn't, like, super Slimy, gross stuff. It's more like a fine mist.

[Listener Voices]

Right.

[Mindy Thomas]

And you have to fly your drone through the misty whale snot in order to catch the juicy clues.

[Dennis]

Yeah, but you have to act fast, because the whales are sneaky little rascals that will dive back under the water faster than you can blink.

[Mindy Thomas]

And who knows if we'll ever get a chance to spot another one. We've been at this for, like, three days, Guy Raz. Three days?

[Dennis]

Yeah. Without blinking?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah. Wait, you haven't been blinking, Dennis?

[Dennis]

Well, I thought we weren't supposed to.

[Mindy Thomas]

Uh, anywho, I'm getting tired. I'm not sure if I could even play again if I wanted to.

[Dennis]

What? I want to be an ocean detective.

[Mindy Thomas]

It's okay, Dennis. It's only a video game.

[Guy Raz]

Or is it?

[Mindy Thomas]

What?

[Dennis]

What?

[Guy Raz]

What if I told you there are real live scientists playing out this whale snot collecting video game right now? In real life.

[Mindy Thomas]

In real life. Go on.

[Guy Raz]

Well, as you were explaining how this game works, I was reminded of a story I just read.

[Dennis]

Tell us the story, Guy Raz.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, Guy Raz, come sit down and tell us the story.

[Guy Raz]

Okay.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yay.

[Guy Raz]

The story begins in 2010. The setting, a pocket of the Atlantic Ocean that sits between the United States, Mexico, and Cuba. And it begins like this. Once upon a time, a giant oil rig exploded in the middle of the ocean.

[Dennis]

Oh, no.

[Guy Raz]

Causing one of the biggest ocean oil spills of all time.

[Dennis]

Uh, Guy Raz?

[Guy Raz]

Yes, Dennis?

[Dennis]

Do you know any better stories?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah. Like ones with less deadly oil explosions?

[Dennis]

Yeah. And more superheroes.

[Guy Raz]

No. Now back to the story.

[Dennis]

Okay, okay, fine.

[Guy Raz]

In the aftermath of this oil explosion, a superhero scientist.

[Dennis]

Yay.

Thank you, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

You're welcome. A superhero scientist by the name of Dr. Kerr swept into the area in his super boat to study how this spill had affected the sperm whales living in this part of the ocean.

[Dr. Kerr]

Hey, Whaley. Whaley, Whaley. Whaley. How's everybody doing out there? Oh, wow. There you are. Now, let me get a good look at you. Hold still, whale. Great. Hold on. Don't leave. How am I supposed to get any information on your health if you won't stick around and let me examine you?

[Guy Raz]

All day long, the same thing kept happening. A whale would breach to the surface.

[Dr. Kerr]

Whoa, Hot dog. Come here, whale. Let me get a good look at you.

[Guy Raz]

But before Dr. Kerr could collect any information from the whale. And it's gone, it was back underwater.

[Dr. Kerr]

Ah, rats. How am I supposed to do this?

[Mindy Thomas]

This is exactly what kept happening to us in Snapbot Ocean. Detective.

[Dr. Kerr]

Yeah, good for nothing. That's what I get for trying to help you.

[Guy Raz]

Soon it was nightfall, and just as a tired, frustrated, and almost defeated Dr. Kerr laid down to rest.

[Dr. Kerr]

Okay, here we go.

[Guy Raz]

Something incredible happened.

[Dennis]

What was it, guy?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, what was it?

[Guy Raz]

A giant whale doe in front of of Dr. Kerr and covered him in whale mucus.

[Dr. Kerr]

Goodness gracious. What in the world wide web was that?

[Guy Raz]

Ew.

[Dennis]

Dr. Kerr is dripping in whale snot now.

[Mindy Thomas]

This is getting good.

[Guy Raz]

As Dr. Kerr cleaned the massive amounts of whale mucus off of his body, he had an idea.

[Dr. Kerr]

Big Merritt. I got close enough to get some whale snot on me, but it's all contaminated on account that's on my coat and my pants and my face. Someone needs to invent a drone or something to fly over and catch the snot right out of the air. If only. Wait a minute. I should invent a drone or something to fly over and catch the. Right out of the air.

[Dennis]

A whale snot collecting drone?

[Mindy Thomas]

That's literally what the Snotbot is.

[Dennis]

Dr. Kerr is an ocean detective.

[Dr. Kerr]

Riley. The snotbot. Wait till I tell my scientist friends back on dry land about this one. I gotta come up with a theme song. Snotbot, Billy. Neeny neeny neen. Snap, bat snapback, snap. Yeah.

[Guy Raz]

Wow.

[Mindy Thomas]

Did Dr. Kerr really write the theme song for the snotbot?

[Guy Raz]

Okay, that last part might have been a little exaggerated, but you get the point. Dr. Kerr had come up with an idea that if that whale mucus could be collected by flying over the whale,

[Dennis]

then an ocean detective could study the snot mucus sample in a dry laboratory and extract all sorts of whaley secrets.

[Guy Raz]

Well, more like studying the mucus for useful information.

[Mindy Thomas]

So what kinds of juicy information could be hidden in whale snot, Guy?

[Guy Raz]

Oh, all sorts of things. Whale mucus is full of interesting clues.

[Dennis]

Ooh, like the whale's favorite color.

[Mindy Thomas]

Or whether or not the whale has

[Dennis]

a pet fish or what other whales it has a crush on.

[Guy Raz]

No, more like clues about the whale's DNA, whether it's a boy or a girl, if it might be pregnant with a baby whale. Or clues about the tiny microbes living inside its body.

[Dennis]

Yeah, I guess that's pretty cool.

[Mindy Thomas]

But wait, guy, Raz, didn't Dr. Kerr say in the story that he wanted to get a look at the whale's health?

[Guy Raz]

Well, if you remember from the beginning of the story, there was an explosion.

[Dennis]

Oh, yeah.

What was that about?

[Guy Raz]

It was an oil drilling rig that had a huge oil spill.

[Dennis]

Oh.

[Guy Raz]

Scientists like Dr. Kerr went to the area surrounding the spill to check on the health of the whales, to explore the ways they might be affected.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wait, are you telling a story again?

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, there's more.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yay.

[Dennis]

More story, more story, more story.

[Guy Raz]

So back in his lab, Dr. Kerr was doing a lot of studying and experimenting.

[Dr. Kerr]

Experimenting, experimenting, experimenting. Aha. There it is. The Snotbot.

[Dennis]

That's the name of our video game.

[Guy Raz]

That's right, the Snotbot. A drone with six small snot collecting containers, known as petri dishes, attached to the bottom.

[Dr. Kerr]

Are you a scientist sick and tired of being covered in whale snot? Well, so am I. Introducing the Snoutbot. A high powered remote control, really cool drone that can fly over whales and stuff and snatch a spray of snot right out of the air. Sperm whales, blue whales, even dolphins. The snot bite can catch em all. The Snotbot changed my life. And believe me when I say, it can change yours too, Warner. Today.

[Dennis]

Good story, guys.

[Mindy Thomas]

So wait, Snotbot is real? It's not just a video game?

[Guy Raz]

That's right. It's real world technology. Cool. The Snotbot provides a way for scientists to get close to whales without the need for a boat that might disturb or disrupt their natural habitat.

[Dennis]

That is so nice.

[Mindy Thomas]

And I bet it's also safer for the scientists since being on a little boat near giant whales can probably be pretty dangerous.

[Guy Raz]

I imagine so.

[Dennis]

Guy Raz, I have a question.

[Guy Raz]

Yes, Dennis?

[Dennis]

Why drones?

[Guy Raz]

Well, what do you mean?

[Dennis]

Like, couldn't the scientists just use airplanes? Those have been around for a long time now.

[Guy Raz]

Well, actually, up until the Snotbot, airplanes were used to collect a lot of information about whales. But airplanes are much noisier and disruptive.

[Mindy Thomas]

And airplanes are probably also really expensive. You know, like with their airplane and runways to take care of and land and pilots and crews that need to be on board.

[Dennis]

Oh, right. Not to mention all the peanuts and pretzels.

[Guy Raz]

Plus, the drones are much more nimble. It's easier to get close to the whales.

[Dennis]

Easier? I will have you know that Snotbot Ocean Detective is not an easy game. Guy Raz, you know what?

[Guy Raz]

Why don't we get back into your game? I want to see for myself how these drones might help scientists learn more about whales.

[Mindy Thomas]

Ugh, I don't know, Guy Raz. My eyeballs are fried. I might need to go outside and.

[Dennis]

Hey, more video games.

[Game Sound Effects]

Snapbot Ocean Detective powering up.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, guess we're going again. Here, Guy Raz, your turn. You take the controller for this one.

[Dennis]

Me?

[Guy Raz]

Why me? I don't even know how to play this game.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay.

[Dennis]

All you have to do is watch for whales and don't get discouraged. Sometimes it can take hours and hours for a whale to show up. Like, seriously, like, hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, a whale.

[Dennis]

What? Where?

[Guy Raz]

Right there, underneath the surface of the water. I can see the outline of its body.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, oh, oh.

[Guy Raz]

And there's another one. And is that a dolphin?

[Dennis]

Aw, that's not fair. Give me the controller, Guy.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wait, no, Dennis, let him play. Okay, Guy Raz, so remember, the bigger the whale, the more points you get. So press that button there to measure them.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, this is just like what the scientists can do with the real Snotbot.

[Dr. Kerr]

Really?

[Guy Raz]

Look at that. 60ft.

[Mindy Thomas]

Whoa. That's 20 meters.

[Dennis]

That's 200 points.

[Game Sound Effects]

Movement and behavior tag.

[Guy Raz]

Unlocked movement and behavior tag. I don't know what that is. What do I do?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, Guy Raz, you just unlocked a suction cup tag attached to a long pole at the end of your Snotbot.

[Guy Raz]

Huh?

[Mindy Thomas]

So you're just gonna fly over the whale.

[Guy Raz]

You want flying? Flying.

[Mindy Thomas]

And right when you're directly overhead, you're gonna press this button to drop it down.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, I'm directly over the whale.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, now quick, pop it right onto the whale.

[Guy Raz]

Right. Which button again?

[Dennis]

That one. That one.

That one.

That one.

Ah.

Guy Raz, you were so close.

[Guy Raz]

What happened?

[Mindy Thomas]

It's okay, Guy Raz.

[Dennis]

Yeah. Who needs a movement and behavior tag anyway?

I do.

[Guy Raz]

I want to gather information that'll help protect the whales. That tag could have helped me to gather more whale clues, like the condition its body was in or any unique features that make it different from the other whales. You know, like strange behaviors.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wait, what's that?

[Dennis]

What's that whale doing?

[Guy Raz]

Huh?

[Mindy Thomas]

It looks like a killer whale grooming another killer whale with a giant piece of seaweed. Or is that kelp?

[Guy Raz]

Wow. Incredible. You know, I've heard about these drones capturing your unique behavior like this in the real world.

[Dennis]

Huh?

Looks like they're best friends.

[Dr. Kerr]

Oh.

[Dennis]

Oh.

[Mindy Thomas]

And here comes another one.

[Dennis]

That's three and 1,000 points for finding podmates.

[Mindy Thomas]

Amazing. This is bonkerballs. We would never be able to get this close to a pod of killer whales if we were in a boat.

[Guy Raz]

This Snotbot is incredible. We've already gathered so many clues, and we haven't even gotten to the snot part yet.

[Listener Voices]

Ooh.

[Mindy Thomas]

Well, Pineapple, I think that moment has arrived.

[Dennis]

Oh, look.

One of the killer whales is coming to the surface of the water.

[Guy Raz]

What do I do? What do I do?

[Dennis]

Everybody freak out.

[Mindy Thomas]

No, no, no, no. Just remain calm, Guy Raz. Slow and steady. Slow and steady.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, I'm ready. As soon as that whale breaches, I'm gonna dive down and. What's that sound?

[Dennis]

The battery on, and your Snotbot is dangerously low. We're never gonna make it.

[Guy Raz]

I'm out of battery power. Already?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, to make the game more challenging, the batteries only last less than an hour.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, no. That's also just like the real life Snotbot.

[Game Sound Effects]

Battery level critical.

[Dennis]

Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry.

[Mindy Thomas]

Guy Raz, look. The killer whale is coming to the surface.

[Dennis]

What do I do?

Give me the controller. I can do it.

[Mindy Thomas]

Dennis, stop.

[Dennis]

Guy Raz. Go, go, go, go, go, go.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, right through that cloud of juicy clue filled whale snot. You got this, Guy Raz.

[Game Sound Effects]

Whale clues collected.

[Dennis]

Hurrah. Look at that.

[Mindy Thomas]

You did it, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

Ha. I did it.

[Dennis]

We did it, Guy. We all did it, Guy Raz.

[Mindy Thomas]

You collected all the snot and won Snotbot Ocean Detective.

[Dennis]

Yeah, Congratulations to all of us.

[Guy Raz]

I think I've had enough for today.

[Mindy Thomas]

Me too. Let's go outside.

[Dennis]

Oh, good idea. Let's go outside and fly my drone.

[Mindy Thomas]

Dennis, that's not what I meant.

[Guy Raz]

Do you have a drone?

[Dennis]

Yeah, it's a cute little quadcopter I named Dronie.

[Mindy Thomas]

Come on, Guy Raz. Let's go for a walk.

[Guy Raz]

Right behind you, Mindy.

[Dennis]

I was gonna name him Tyrone the drone, but then I bought two more quadcopters, and so instead I named them the Dronus brothers. One of the Dronus brothers I crashed into a tree. Another one I flew into mother's laundry hanging on the line and she confiscated it. So now all that's left is Lil Droni. He can be a handful, but I love him to pieces.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wow in the world. We'll be right back, Grown ups. This message is for you, Yellow Grown ups.

[Judd Anderson]

Judd Anderson here from Tinkercast. I got a question for you. How does your household manage to keep track of everything? I mean, really? I want to know because after a day of producing another episode of wow in the World and keeping track of all the crazy characters, the voices, the I then have to keep track of all the crazy characters at home. That is why I can't wait to get a Skylight Calendar. It's an all in one digital smart calendar that syncs with Google Calendar, Outlook and more. And it gives you and your kids the perfect customized view of everyone's events, chores, and to dos so that nothing slips through the cracks. Families are better when they're working together. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch calendars by going to myskylight.com wowintheworld Go myskylight.com wowintheWorld for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. That's my S K-Y-L-I G H T.com wowintheworld that's it.

[Mindy Thomas]

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.

[Listener Voices]

Hi, my name is Ella and I'm from Virginia. My wow in the world is if the moon wasn't there, the earth would have spinned faster. Hi, Ninja and Ira. I'm Kim from Seattle, Washington. And my wow is that worms can breathe through their skin. My name is Maggie and I'm from Calgary, Alberta. My round of the world is that the lowest note ever recorded was a B flat. And it was 57 octaves below middle C. And we form a black hole. Say hi to Dennis, Reggie and Grandma before.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hi.

[Listener Voices]

Hi. Mindy and Guy Raz. My name is Harbor, I'm five years old and I live in Fairplay, Colorado. My wow in the world is that the Ring of Fire is a group of volcanoes that stretches all around the Pacific Ocean. And most of the world's earthquakes happen there. Say hi to Reggie, Grandma G Force.

[Mindy Thomas]

Booyah.

[Listener Voices]

Thomas Fingerling.

[Dr. Kerr]

Hoo de la.

[Listener Voices]

And Dennis.

[Dennis]

Ahoy there.

[Listener Voices]

Bye. Love your show. Hi, my name is Scotty and I'm from Chicago, Illinois. And my wow in the world is that the Great Wall of China is made partially of rice. They used rice paste to hold together the bricks. Isn't that so cool? Say hi to Reggie, Grandma G Force. Thomas Fingerling and Dennis for me.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, yeah, cool dude.

[Listener Voices]

And Dennis, we know you're static man.

[Dennis]

What?

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

[Listener Voices]

I'm Willa. I live in Spain. Did you know that there's more chickens in England than there's humans? Hey, my name. My name's Pamela and I live in Peary, Michigan. My well is. Did you know that pine trees, their pine cones can be brown, purple and green? Hi, my name is Alice and I live in Lakewood, Illinois. And my fact is that I'm going to tell you about the blue whale. The blue whale grows up to 110ft long and it's the biggest mammal in the world. Say hi there. Ready, Dennis?

[Dr. Kerr]

Hi there.

[Listener Voices]

And the sleigh cats.

[Mindy Thomas]

Bye End of Messages.

[Guy Raz]

Before we get into the credits for today's episode, we want to give some special shout outs and say a huge thank you to some of the wowzers whose families are powering the WOW this year.

[Mindy Thomas]

We broke the names up into two batches and here is our first batch of names. We are so grateful for your support.

[Guy Raz]

Owen and Aubrey from California Saman and Ryan from California Oralene and Esther from New York Ella from Singapore Lacey elementary from North Carolina Teddy, Silas and Emmett

[Mindy Thomas]

from Arizona Jason from Texas Eli and Nolan from Texas Luke and Noel from

[Guy Raz]

North Carolina Elan from California Emmett and Adler from Kansas John, Katie, Ethan and Amelia from Pennsylvania Nejla and Yaqub from Kuwait Evelyn, Ramona and Tabitha from Nevada

[Mindy Thomas]

John R From Wisconsin Emory and Isla from California Caroline from Massachusetts Ian and Declan from Washington Elena and Lucia from

[Guy Raz]

Maryland Parker from Texas Albert and Lulu from Brighton, England Hayden, Hazel and Allie from Pennsylvania Magnus from the District of Columbia William and Allie from Virginia Brendan,

[Mindy Thomas]

Jessica, David and Michael from Ohio Bailey, Macy and Hank from South Carolina James from Washington Peter, Teddy and Leo from Minnesota Paul from Rhode Island Nuri from

[Guy Raz]

Washington Violet and Will from California Audrey and Ethan from Virginia Alex H From Tennessee James and Madison from Utah and

[Mindy Thomas]

Happy birthday to Otis from Minnesota.

[Guy Raz]

From the bottom of our hearts and

[Mindy Thomas]

the top of our brains, thank you. 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.

[Guy Raz]

And while you're at it, head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Leave us five stars and tell us what wows you about our show by leaving a review or send us a comment on Spotify. You just might hear your reviewsy read by Dennis on WeWOW.

[Mindy Thomas]

On the weekend, visit [e-mail] and become a member of the World Organization of Wowzers. With that you'll get year round mailings in your mailbox, weekly activities, birthday cards

[Guy Raz]

and more on Tinkercast.com you can also shop our WOW. Shop, get tickets for upcoming live events, find our books, toys and science kits, and learn all about 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 Kalken 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 and Audio Producer Henry Moskal. 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.

[Guy Raz]

Jessica Boddy keeps our facts straight as our fact checker, Steph Sosa keeps our heads on straight as our Executive producer 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 Kristin Yang, Thuy Mac, Ollie Paksima, Linda Rothenberg and Anna Zagorski and all of the other Tinkerers at Tinkercast hq.

[Mindy Thomas]

Grown Ups. You can follow wow in the World on Facebook, instagram and twitter owintheworld and our email address is hellotinkercast.com thanks for listening.

[Guy Raz]

Find episodes of wow in the World every Monday to what's in the wow? Every Friday right here and on YouTube.

[Mindy Thomas]

And don't forget, we WOW on the weekends with Dennis every Saturday and Sunday right here in the wow in the World podcast feed.

[Guy Raz]

Until then, keep on wowing.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast.