The Very Hungry Black Hole (5/5/25)

Summary

Wow in the World - Episode Summary: "The Very Hungry Black Hole" (05/05/25)

Host: Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz
Release Date: May 5, 2025

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Introduction

In this thrilling episode of Wow in the World, hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz embark on an exhilarating adventure to explore the mysterious and awe-inspiring phenomenon of black holes. Blending scientific exploration with imaginative storytelling, the episode takes listeners on a journey through space and time, uncovering the secrets of these cosmic giants.

---

Setting the Stage: The Time Machine Adventure

The episode kicks off with Mindy and Guy preparing for an unconventional mission: visiting a black hole using their state-of-the-art time machine, affectionately dubbed the "wow Machine".

Mindy: "Cause these bad boys, they eat up entire stars for breakfast, man." ([05:54])

Their playful banter sets the tone for an engaging exploration, seamlessly blending humor with educational content.

---

Understanding Black Holes

As Mindy and Guy travel towards the black hole, they delve into the science behind these enigmatic objects, breaking down complex concepts into kid-friendly explanations.

Types of Black Holes

1. Primordial Black Holes

   • Description: The smallest known black holes, potentially as small as a single atom.
   • Mass: Despite their size, they can weigh as much as a mountain.

   Guy Raz: "These kinds of black holes are basically as small as it gets. But remember, Mindy, black holes are really, really heavy." ([09:31])

2. Stellar Black Holes

   • Description: Formed by the collapse of massive stars, typically about 10 miles (18 kilometers) wide.
   • Mass: Up to 20 times the mass of our Sun.

   Mindy: "That's like 176 football fields wide." ([10:06])

3. Supermassive Black Holes

   • Description: Enormous black holes found at the centers of most galaxies.
   • Mass: Approximately 4 million times the mass of our Sun.

   Guy Raz: "These supermassive black holes are usually found at the center of most galaxies, and due to their entire enormous gravity." ([11:12])

   Mindy: "Called Sagittarius A. Hmm, that's interesting, because I'm a Sagittarius." ([11:59])

---

Journey to Sagittarius A*

Determined to witness a black hole firsthand, Mindy and Guy set coordinates for Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Mindy: "Because black holes don't reflect any light back into space, it's almost impossible for us to see them back on Earth." ([17:11])

Upon arrival, they observe the dramatic interaction between the black hole and nearby stars, providing vivid descriptions of the phenomena.

Key Observations:

• Accretion Disks:
  Guy Raz: "All of this gas and other material from the star spins around the black hole. It keeps getting faster and faster and really, really hot because of friction." ([15:53])

• Event Horizon:
  Mindy: "It's like when you drain your bathtub and then all of that dirt and water finally just disappears down the drain." ([15:32])

• Quasars:
  Mindy: "They call it a quasar for short. And quasars are the brightest objects in the entire universe." ([16:46])

---

The Black Hole's "Burp"

A surprising twist occurs when the black hole exhibits an unusual behavior, described metaphorically as a "burp."

Mindy: "Guy Raz, you know that can take hundreds of millions of years, right?" ([18:36])

Guy Raz: "Only once every hundred million years or so." ([20:01])

This rare event is explained through recent scientific discoveries, highlighting how galactic collisions can influence black hole activity.

Guy Raz: "They think it's because sometime in J1354's it collided with another galaxy. Which means that there was a lot more material floating around in space." ([22:03])

---

Scientific Insights and Discoveries

The hosts further explore how scientists detect and study black holes, emphasizing the role of powerful telescopes.

Guy Raz: "They call it J1354 for short." ([20:32])

Mindy: "They did it using two very special telescopes. The Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X Ray Observatory." ([20:41])

Key points include:

• Detection Methods: Observing the movement of stars around invisible points.
• Energy Emissions: Understanding how accretion disks emit X-rays and light energy detectable from Earth.

Guy Raz: "These researchers were able to calculate, based on how far each of these gas bubbles had traveled, that these two burps had happened about 100,000 years apart." ([21:37])

---

Listener Messages: Kids Share Their "Wows"

The episode features enthusiastic messages from young listeners, each sharing their own fascinating facts about black holes and related scientific wonders.

Ellis from the U.S. Virgin Islands:
"Last September we had two Category 5 hurricanes in 12 days." ([25:27])

Gulliver from Homer, Alaska:
"Robots are a real thing right now." ([25:27])

Sophia from Edmonds, Washington:
"A wood tree frog from Alaska can freeze, stop its heart and thaw and hop away in the spring." ([25:27])

These interactions underscore the show's mission to inspire curiosity and a love for science among young audiences.

---

Conclusion: Reflecting on the Adventure

As Mindy and Guy wrap up their cosmic journey, they reflect on the vastness and complexity of the universe, leaving listeners with a sense of wonder and amazement.

Mindy: "Wow in the World." ([25:03])

Guy Raz: "Let me just plug in the dates and here we go." ([23:26])

Their adventure serves as a reminder of the endless possibilities for discovery and the importance of nurturing curiosity in the next generation of scientists and explorers.

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Key Quotes with Timestamps

• Mindy: "A hole as heavy as a mountain. Wow." ([09:25])
• Guy Raz: "These kinds of black holes are basically as small as it gets. But remember, Mindy, black holes are really, really heavy." ([09:31])
• Mindy: "That's like 176 football fields wide." ([10:06])
• Guy Raz: "Because black holes don't reflect any light back into space, it's almost impossible for us to see them back on Earth." ([17:11])

---

Final Thoughts

"The Very Hungry Black Hole" masterfully combines storytelling with scientific education, making complex astronomical concepts accessible and engaging for young listeners and their families. Mindy and Guy Raz's dynamic presentation not only imparts knowledge but also ignites the innate curiosity that drives scientific discovery.

For more exciting episodes and to join the World Organization of Wowzers, visit wowintheworld.com.

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Produced by Jed Anderson with contributions from Thomas Van Kalken, Chelsea Erson, Jessica Boddy, and Meredith Halpern Ranzer. Theme song by The Pop Ups.

Transcript

[Guy Raz]

Hey, Wowzer fams. It's Guy Raz and Mindy here. And Mindy. Can you believe we have our very own wow in the World stem toys?

[Mindy]

I know. And look. They even have our faces on them. Look at little us. Guy Razzie.

[Guy Raz]

It's so bonkerballs.

[Mindy]

Aw, you're using my catchphrase.

[Guy Raz]

Grown ups, we are so excited to share our wow in the World Stem Toys with the future scientists in your life.

[Mindy]

And now you can find our toys at select Walmart Loc near you and [e-mail] from the ultimate high flying air.

[Guy Raz]

Rocket to the light up terrarium, there's something for every Wowzer in your world to play and tinker with.

[Mindy]

Wow in the World Stem Toys now available at Walmart. That's it. And now let's get back to the wow.

[Unknown]

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[Mindy]

In the world.

[Unknown]

Listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com wow Visit ixl.com wow to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.

[Mindy]

Proceeded.

[Guy Raz]

3, 2, 1.

[Unknown]

The bubble for an adventure of magnificent proportion.

[Mindy]

I don't know what you've been told. We're in a golden age.

[Unknown]

So many discoveries that are jumping off the page.

[Mindy]

Okay, Reg, I'm ready. You ready? Timer set. Okay, buddy. Count me down. How am I feeling, Rosie? Okay, I need one more. Okay. How'd I do? Only six.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, man.

[Mindy]

You sure that was the whole 30 seconds? We're never gonna win the annual NPR Hot Dog Eating competition if we keep going at this rate. Alright, you know what? Let's do it again. Ready? 3, 2, 1. Go. Run him. Coming. Good morning, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, hey, Mindy. I was just. What's going on in here?

[Mindy]

What do you mean?

[Guy Raz]

What do I. And Mindy, your entire gingerbread kitchen is filled with hot dogs.

[Mindy]

Well, not just hot dogs, Guy Raz. I Mean, we've got veggie dogs, turkey dogs, tofurkey dogs, tofu dogs, wiener dogs. I've even got a hound dog back there.

[Ira Glass]

What?

[Guy Raz]

But why, Mindy? Why do you have so many hot dogs?

[Mindy]

Well, Reggie and I are training for the annual NPR hot dog eating competition in.

[Guy Raz]

Hot Dog eating. Eating competition?

[Mindy]

Yeah. Grandma G Force has held the title for the last 12 years, but she can't make it this year because she's got her improv class that night.

[Guy Raz]

I see.

[Mindy]

So Reggie's trying to get me up to speed on the ancient art of speed eating.

[Guy Raz]

So how's it going?

[Mindy]

Well, to be honest, not great. I mean, no matter how soggy I make these buns, hoping the dogs will slip down faster, my body just wants to barf everything back up.

[Guy Raz]

Well, maybe you just need a good coach.

[Mindy]

Or maybe should just listen to everyone's advice and leave it for the professional competitive eaters. Wait, did you just say coach? Well, Guy Raz, are you a former competitive eater turned coach?

[Guy Raz]

No, no, not. Not me, Mindy.

[Mindy]

Then who?

[Guy Raz]

Well, I'm talking about the biggest, the hungriest, the most ferocious eater in the universe.

[Mindy]

Is it a hippo?

[Guy Raz]

You mean a hungry, hungry hippo?

[Mindy]

Yeah.

[Guy Raz]

No. Although, Mindy, hippos do eat around 40 kilograms, or 88 pounds of food every day.

[Mindy]

88 pounds? That's like 200 cheeseburgers a day, Mindy.

[Guy Raz]

The champion eater I'm thinking of is even bigger. Much, much bigger.

[Mindy]

Like. Like an elephant. No, wait. A polar bear. Nope. A blue whale. Those things are massive.

[Guy Raz]

I'm talking about something even, even bigger, Mindy.

[Mindy]

Well, what's bigger than a blue whale, Mindy?

[Guy Raz]

I'm talking about a ginormous galactic Guzzler.

[Mindy]

Galactic? I know what you're talking about, Guy Raz. You're talking about a black hole.

[Guy Raz]

That's right. And you can forget about cheeseburgers. Cause these bad boys, they eat up entire stars for breakfast, man.

[Mindy]

You're right, Guy Raz. I mean, who better to learn about the ancient art of competitive eating than galactic giant who's been doing it for billions of years?

[Guy Raz]

Exactly.

[Mindy]

What are we doing standing around here for? Come on, get your buns and gear. We gotta get going.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, get going where?

[Mindy]

To the black hole.

[Guy Raz]

Wait, we're actually gonna visit a black hole?

[Mindy]

Yeah.

[Guy Raz]

Well, I was thinking we might just go to your gingerbread library and read about black holes in a safe place.

[Mindy]

Oh, yeah, safe. So about that. It's not a library at the moment.

[Guy Raz]

Huh?

[Mindy]

I temporarily turned it into a ball pit room only the balls are actually made out of water balloons. It's a mess.

[Guy Raz]

What?

[Mindy]

Besides, why would we want to read about black holes when we have a fully almost functional time machine that could literally take us anywhere in time and space?

[Guy Raz]

Well, you know, Mindy, books can also transport you to far off places and to distant time.

[Mindy]

Yeah, books kind of are the best, but they're not nearly as much fun to drive.

[Guy Raz]

Well, you don't drive books.

[Mindy]

Not with that attitude, you don't.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, fine. Let's go visit a black hole.

[Ira Glass]

Yes.

[Mindy]

To the time machine. Or as I like to call it, the wow Machine. Okay, now let me just open this door here.

[Guy Raz]

Okay.

[Mindy]

After you. Oh, and be careful, Guy Raz. There might still be mayonnaise on the ground. Here, let me help you out.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, why is there mayonnaise all over the floor?

[Mindy]

Well, I only just gave the time machine a fresh coat this morning. I don't.

[Guy Raz]

You were smothering the time machine in mayonnaise?

[Mindy]

Uh, yeah.

[Guy Raz]

Why?

[Mindy]

Well, for one, I didn't want to get it all over my sandwich. Plus, it helps us slip the time machine through the space time continuum more easily. Less friction that way.

[Guy Raz]

Right.

[Mindy]

Okay, now just follow my lead, Guy Raz, and just slide through the mayonnaise from foot to foot like you're ice skating, just like me. Okay, here we go. Okay, and swish. And swish. And swish. And swish.

[Guy Raz]

And.

[Mindy]

Come on. We're almost there, Guy Raz. And swish. And swish. And.

[Guy Raz]

Whoa.

[Mindy]

There we go.

[Guy Raz]

Whoa.

[Mindy]

Nice finish, Guy Raz. Hop in, buddy.

[Guy Raz]

Alrighty.

[Mindy]

Wait. Wipe your feet on the mat. We're not savages.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, it's fine. I've got my time traveling slippers on already.

[Mindy]

Wait, your time traveling slippers?

[Guy Raz]

All right, let me just get these shoes off.

[Mindy]

Okay, Let me just plug in the coordinates.

[Guy Raz]

By the way, which black hole are we going to, Mindy?

[Mindy]

Huh? You know what? I have no idea.

[Guy Raz]

Well, there are a lot we could choose from.

[Mindy]

Yeah, I didn't even think about that.

[Guy Raz]

Well, yeah, because black holes come in all shapes and sizes, and how heavy they are determines what kind of black hole it is.

[Mindy]

Wait, so there are small, medium, and large black holes?

[Guy Raz]

That's right. And they all have special names.

[Mindy]

Like what?

[Guy Raz]

Well, the smallest black holes we know of are called primordial black holes. And scientists believe that these black holes are as small as a single atom. Oh.

[Mindy]

And atoms are those teeny, tiny black building blocks that make up everything, including us.

[Guy Raz]

Everything. And these kinds of black holes are basically as small as it gets. But remember, Mindy, black holes are really, really heavy. And these primordial black holes, despite being the size of a single atom, can weigh as much as a mountain.

[Mindy]

A hole as heavy as a mountain. Wow. Okay, so what's next?

[Guy Raz]

Well, next up are medium sized black holes, and they're called stellar black holes. And they're the most common type of black hole in the universe.

[Mindy]

So how big are they?

[Guy Raz]

Well, Mindy, these black holes are about 10 miles or 18 kilometers wide.

[Mindy]

Wow, that's like 176 football fields wide.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah. So pretty big, but still much smaller than, say, a city.

[Mindy]

Yeah, it might be smaller than a city, but if a city, single atom, can be as heavy as a mountain, then how heavy are these black holes?

[Guy Raz]

Well, these black holes can weigh up to 20 times as much as our own sun. But that's not even as big as it gets. Mindy, we still haven't talked about supermassive black holes.

[Mindy]

Supermassive black holes?

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, and I guess the name kind of gives it away, but these black holes are super massive. They're about as big as our entire solar system, and typically, they weigh about 4 million times as much as our sun. Mindy, I mean, isn't that mind blowing? Wha.

[Mindy]

Oh, sorry, that was the sound of my mind blowing. Anywho, you were saying?

[Guy Raz]

These supermassive black holes are usually found at the center of most galaxies, and due to their entire enormous gravity.

[Mindy]

Because the heavier something is, the more gravity it has.

[Guy Raz]

Exactly. Because of their gravity, they cause all the other stars in that galaxy to orbit or circle around it.

[Mindy]

Oh, so like how the Earth's gravity causes the moon to orbit around us?

[Guy Raz]

That's exactly right, but just on a much, much bigger scale.

[Mindy]

So does that mean that the galaxy that. That we're in also has a supermassive black hole at the center?

[Guy Raz]

Correctamundo. Mindy. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, has a supermassive black hole right at the center.

[Mindy]

Called Sagittarius A. Hmm, that's interesting, because I'm a Sagittarius.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, Mindy.

[Mindy]

But I wouldn't describe myself as having a type A personality.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, this has nothing to do with your horoscope.

[Mindy]

Really? You sure about that?

[Guy Raz]

Uh, no.

[Mindy]

Anywho, so Sagittarius A, which coincidentally has.

[Guy Raz]

Nothing to do with your star sign, Ahem.

[Mindy]

Is just a hop Skip and a 25,640 light year jump away.

[Guy Raz]

Well, it sounds like the place to be. I guess you should lock those coordinates into the machine.

[Mindy]

Aye, aye, Captain.

[Guy Raz]

Is that an eye patch?

[Mindy]

No, all right, buckle your seatbelt. Here we go.

[Guy Raz]

Wow. I hate to admit it, Mindy, but you were right. This interstellar trip was smooth as butter.

[Mindy]

Um, I think you mean smooth as mayonnaise.

[Guy Raz]

I can't believe it's not butter.

[Mindy]

Believe it, Guy Raz. All right, let me just open up the blinds here so we can see the black hole with our own eyeballs. These things always get jammed. The strings are all messed up. Ugh. I can't get these things to open evenly. I'm all tangled up in aer. Man, I knew we shouldn't have put mini blinds in this thing.

[Guy Raz]

Whoa. What? Uh, Mindy, what was that?

[Mindy]

Um, I think the time machine is somehow still moving.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, I think the gravity from the black hole is dragging us in.

[Mindy]

Okay, okay, don't panic.

[Guy Raz]

Quickly, Mindy, before we get stretched out like a piece of spaghetti.

[Mindy]

Um, let me think. Wait, I know. Hang on one second. I need to go grab something from downstairs.

[Guy Raz]

Downstairs? Wait.

[Mindy]

Be right back.

[Guy Raz]

This time machine has two floors. Hurry, Mindy, hurry.

[Mindy]

Coming. Step, step, step, step.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, what is that?

[Mindy]

Oh, so this. It's a cosmic anchor. I got it years ago at that garage sale that Reggie had, and I never thought I'd have a use for it up until now.

[Guy Raz]

What?

[Mindy]

Can you open up that?

[Guy Raz]

Hush. Sure.

[Mindy]

Just gonna throw it up in there. Alright, now close the hatch. That should do it.

[Guy Raz]

Are you sure that thing's gonna hold us, Mindy?

[Mindy]

Yes, of course. I'm not sure, Guy Raz, but this should keep us in one place long enough for us to see this black hole in action.

[Guy Raz]

Great.

[Mindy]

Whoa. Look at that circle of swirling light. Guy Raz, I thought black holes were meant to be, well, black.

[Guy Raz]

Well, they are, Mindy. That circle of light you're seeing is the left gas and dust from a star that it's just eaten.

[Mindy]

Whoa. That's so.

[Ira Glass]

Wow.

[Guy Raz]

As a black hole consumes a star, it rips it apart, and all the material spins and spins around the outside before it finally plunges into the black hole's event horizon.

[Mindy]

Event horizon?

[Guy Raz]

That's right. The event horizon is the center of the black hole and the point at which the star disappears.

[Mindy]

Oh, I got it. It's like when you drain your bathtub and then all of that dirt and water finally just disappears down the drain.

[Guy Raz]

Exactly. And that leftover stardust that circles around the outside of the event horizon is called an accretion disk.

[Mindy]

Accretion disk? Yeah, I'm just gonna call it BOB for simplicity's sake.

[Guy Raz]

So as all of this as gas and other material from the star spins around the black hole. It keeps getting faster and faster and really, really hot because of friction.

[Mindy]

And friction is the heat that gets made when you rub two things together really, really fast.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, like how you rub your hands together when it's cold outside to heat your hands up.

[Mindy]

Okay, but how does this heat get all bright?

[Guy Raz]

Well, some of that heat energy gets converted or changed into other types of energy, like X ray energy and light energy. And this energy can travel for trillions and trillions of miles across the universe, where it can then be picked up by our satellites and radio telescopes back on Earth.

[Mindy]

Oh, yes, And Guy Raz, scientists actually have a special name for this.

[Guy Raz]

They do?

[Mindy]

Yep. They call it a. A quasi stellar object, or a quasar for short. And quasars are the brightest objects in the entire universe.

[Guy Raz]

That makes total sense, Mindy, because from Earth, these super bright objects, even though they're millions of miles away, well, they often look like stars in the night sky.

[Mindy]

Wow. And so that's what we're looking at right now.

[Guy Raz]

That's right.

[Mindy]

I can't believe we're the first people to ever see a black hole.

[Guy Raz]

What do you mean?

[Mindy]

Well, because black holes don't refle any light back into space, it's almost impossible for us to see them back on Earth. They just get lost in the background.

[Guy Raz]

Kind of like when you had that black cat parade in the middle of the night.

[Mindy]

Yes, exactly like that. You could hear them, but you couldn't see them against the black night sky.

[Guy Raz]

So if scientists have never actually seen a black hole before, how do they even know there was one at the center of our own galaxy?

[Mindy]

Well, the same way they find any black hole, they just watch how the stars around it move.

[Guy Raz]

Huh.

[Mindy]

Remember how you said that black holes, especially supermassive black holes, are really, really heavy?

[Guy Raz]

Yeah.

[Mindy]

Well, because of that, they have a.

[Guy Raz]

Lot of gravity, meaning that other objects orbit or circle it. Kind of like how Earth and the other planets orbit the sun because of the sun's gravity.

[Mindy]

Yeah. So what scientists look for are stars that seem to be orbiting a dark spot in space.

[Guy Raz]

Huh. So they're not seeing the black hole itself. They're just seeing how that black hole's gravity is affecting the stars around it.

[Mindy]

You got it. Now you want to see this bad boy suck up a star.

[Guy Raz]

Suck up a star. Mindy, you know that can take hundreds of millions of years, right? I mean, I have to be in.

[Mindy]

Bed by 8pm I know, I know. You need your beauty rest. But lucky for You. We are in a time machine. All I have to do is push a couple of buttons here, hum, pull a few levers, crank a few knobs.

[Guy Raz]

Okay.

[Mindy]

And we can just fast forward this whole world.

[Guy Raz]

Wow, look at that, Mindy. That star is approaching the black hole.

[Mindy]

And it's about to get slurped up like a piece of. Of spaghetti. Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. What was that, Jed? Can we, can we back it up a notch?

[Guy Raz]

Sure.

[Mindy]

Guy. Raz, did that black hole just burp?

[Guy Raz]

Well, well, kind of. I think what we just saw was the black hole ejecting some of that stardust back into the universe.

[Mindy]

And it didn't even say excuse me.

[Guy Raz]

Well, it doesn't happen that often, Mindy. Only once every hundred million years or so.

[Mindy]

Well, that's still no excuse for bad manners.

[Guy Raz]

Well, in the grand scheme of things, Mindy, these little cosmic burps are happening all the time, all around us. In fact, earlier this year, scientists from the University of Colorado, well, they saw a supermassive black hole in a nearby galaxy burp not once, but twice.

[Mindy]

Really? Where?

[Guy Raz]

In a galaxy about 800 million light years away called SDSSJ1354 1327.

[Mindy]

Man, they couldn't have come up with a catchier name for it.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, they have one. They call it J1354 for short.

[Mindy]

Right. So how did these scientists to see the black hole burp?

[Guy Raz]

Well, they did it using two very special telescopes. The Hubble Space Telescope.

[Mindy]

Oh, I know Hubble. It floats in orbit around the Earth and is used to take pictures of distant galaxies.

[Guy Raz]

That's right. They also used another telescope called the Chandra X Ray Observatory. And that telescope can detect some of the energy given off by those quasars we talked about before.

[Mindy]

Oh, yeah, the light and X ray energy that these supermassive black holes give off when they're sucking up stars.

[Guy Raz]

Right. And when these researchers pointed their telescopes toward this quasar, they saw two bubbles of gas coming from the black hole. One had traveled about 3,000 light years away from the center of the black hole, and the other had moved out about 30,000 light years from the black hole.

[Mindy]

So what does that mean?

[Guy Raz]

Well, from all this information, the researchers were able to calculate, based on how far each of these gas bubbles had traveled, that these two burps had happened about 100,000 years apart.

[Mindy]

Wait, 100,000 years apart? Guy Raz, you just said that these burps happen every 100 million years or so. So how come these two happened so close together?

[Guy Raz]

Well, the scientists think it's because sometime in J1354's it collided with another galaxy. Which means that there was a lot more material floating around in space.

[Mindy]

And a lot more for the black hole to chew through.

[Guy Raz]

Exactly.

[Mindy]

Well, maybe that's the secret, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

The secret to what, Mindy?

[Mindy]

The secret to winning the NPR hot dog eating contest. Uh, maybe, just maybe, if I burp my way through it, I'll be able to keep old Grandma G Force's unbeaten streak going.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, I'm not sure that's how it works, Mindy.

[Mindy]

Well, there's only one way to find out.

[Guy Raz]

Not in the time machine, Mindy. We can't even open a window in here.

[Mindy]

Sorry, Guy Raz. Just warming up my belch bone.

[Guy Raz]

Belch bone.

[Mindy]

Ah, yeah, I'd give that one a ten.

[Guy Raz]

Let's get out of here. Burp, burp, burp, burp, burp. What?

[Mindy]

I can do that at the same time, Mindy. Excuse me, Guy Raz. I'm ready for takeoff.

[Guy Raz]

Let me just plug in the dates and here we go.

[Mindy]

Landed. All right, now let me look out the window here. Looks like we made it just in time, Guy Raz. Look at all those buns. Mindy's hot dog buns, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

Come on.

[Unknown]

Oh, my, my, my, my. Welcome, welcome, welcome, everyone, to the annual NPR Hot dog eating contest. At this time, we're going to ask that all participants, all contestants please report to the stage as we are up about to begin.

[Mindy]

Jeez Louise, Guy Raz, we have a time machine. You couldn't have plugged in a couple of extra minutes for me to warm up?

[Guy Raz]

Sorry, Mindy, but you better hurry up before you get disqualified. Quick. Ira Glass already has all his hot sauces ready.

[Unknown]

Act one, it's a dog eat dog world. One dog is a hot dog, and the other dog is me. Ira.

[Guy Raz]

Get up on stage, Mindy.

[Mindy]

Okay, okay, I think I got this. Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run. Hi, my name is Mindy and I'm here for the competition. And my grandma is G Force. Okay, thank you. Just pulling out the chair here, sitting down, taking a deep breath.

[Unknown]

Okay, ladies and gentlemen, please start your metabolic engines.

[Mindy]

Okay, this one's for you, Grandma G Force.

[Unknown]

3, 2, 1.

[Mindy]

Be careful. Come on, Wendy, you can do it.

[Ira Glass]

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

[Mindy]

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

[Ira Glass]

I'm Dean. Guy Raz. I'm sylvie and I'm nine. And I'm Issa and I'm 11 and we're from Flagstaff, Arizona. Our wow in the world is that black holes are actually invisible because if they were black, that would mean that light would be bouncing off them. But light can't escape black holes. We love your show. Hi, Mindy. Hi, Guy Raz. My name is Nora and I'm from San Jose, California. My wow in the world is when people were traveling west because they wanted a better life and covered wagons there was still the tracks today and we call it the Oregon Trail. That's my wow in the world and I really, really love your show. Hi, my name is Ellis and I live in the U.S. virgin Islands. I am 10 years old. My wow is that last September we had two Category 5 hurricanes in 12 days. Bye, Mindy and Guy Raz. I love your show. Hi, my name is Elsie. I'm seven years old. I live in Santa Barbara, California. My wow is that pigeon moms produce milk for their young. Except they're not mammals there. But hi, my name is Gulliver and my hometown is Homer, Alaska, usa. And my wow in the world is that robots are a real thing right now. Hi, Mindy and Guy Ross. My name is Jess and I live in Santa Clara, California. My wow in the world is that tomatoes were considered poisonous until the 1870s. Bye. I love your show. Hi Mindy. Hi Guy Raz. My name is Sophia from Edmonds, Washington and I am five and a half years old. My bond in the world is that a wood tree frog from Alaska can freeze, stop its heart and thaw and hop away in the spring. Bye, Mindy. Bye Guy Raz. I love your show.

[Mindy]

We love your show. You're very funny. 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 plus on Apple Podcasts prime. Members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.

[Mindy]

And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey hey everyone, thank you so much for joining us this week on wow in the World.

[Guy Raz]

And if you want to keep the conversation going, check out some of the questions we've posted on this episode at our website, wowintheworld.com and grown ups.

[Mindy]

There you can find more details on how your kids can become part of the world organization of Wowzers. Lots of cool perks, exclusive T shirts, autographed pictures of us and a bunch of other cool stuff.

[Guy Raz]

Wowintheworld.com Our show is produced by Jed Anderson.

[Mindy]

Say hello Jed.

[Guy Raz]

Hello. With help from Thomas Van Kalken, Chelsea Erson and Jessica Boddy. Meredith Halpern Ranzer is the Big Boss.

[Mindy]

Our theme song was composed and performed by the Pop Ups. You can find more of their awesome all ages [e-mail] and parents and teachers.

[Guy Raz]

If you want to send us an email, Our address is hellointheworld.com grown ups.

[Mindy]

You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram wowintheworld.

[Guy Raz]

And if you want to be featured at the end of the show, call us up and tell us your wow in the world.

[Mindy]

Our phone number is is 1-888-7-NWOW. Wow. That's 1-888-7-NWOM wow and parents, if you.

[Guy Raz]

Want to upload any photos or videos or messages to us, please visit wowintheworld.com and find a link where you can do just that.

[Mindy]

And if you haven't already done so, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or however you get your podcasts. Leave us a few stars and a review and be sure to tell other a friend about the show. Until next time, keep on wowing.

[Ira Glass]

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