WeWow on the Weekend (11/8/25)

Summary

Podcast Summary: "WeWow on the Weekend" – Wow in the World (Nov 8, 2025)

Overview

This lively episode of WeWow on the Weekend from the acclaimed science podcast for kids and families, Wow in the World, brings laughter, listener questions, and a fascinating science deep-dive. Hosted by Dennis (with sidekick Reggie the pigeon), the show starts with a fun Q&A segment based on listener voicemails, followed by a relisten to a classic "Wow in the World" story, this time about the mighty backbones of dinosaur giants.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. Listener Q&A with Dennis and Reggie (03:00–08:45)

- Dennis introduces the Q&A:

• Dennis takes over the show with enthusiasm and his signature humor:

  "Welcome to the show where we chit chat and answer questions from listeners and listen to episodes of Wow in the World." (03:54)

Notable Listener Questions:

• Colin (Richmond): "What question do you like to ask the most?"

  • Dennis humorously lists questions he likes, focusing on rhetorical ones:

    "How. No, that's it. Just how. Oh, I also really like asking what? ...and I also like asking 'how dare you?' and 'who do you think you are?'" (04:00)

  • He jokes about changing the Q&A segment to a compliment segment but quickly moves on.

• Azy: "How much is a peck?"

  • Dennis breaks down the classic tongue-twister and explores its math:

    "There's four pecks in a bushel. So that would mean that a peck is maybe like the size of two or three gallons of milk..." (05:17)

  • He humorously points out the logical flaw:

    "How is Peter Piper picking peppers that are already pickled? ...They don't grow already pickled. That's preposterous." (05:36)

• Izzy: Riddle: "I go around the world while staying in a corner. What am I?"

  • After some wild guesses (houseplant, grandfather clock, lamp), the answer is revealed: a stamp.
    • Dennis: "A stamp! I get it. Cause it's in the corner of the envelope. I was so close." (06:44)

• Izzy: "How do people get hiccups?"

  • Dennis playfully dodges the science and instead gives a wild (and clearly made-up) home remedy:

    "Cut a lemon in half, sprinkle it with vinegar and sugar, and then sit on a chair... pull on your tongue and squeeze your nose." (07:10)

  • He insists his silly technique even prevents hiccups:

    "I know I didn’t have hiccups before. This method also prevents hiccups." (07:23)

Memorable Moment:

Dennis laments, "Maybe I should just change my request from 'call and ask me a question' to 'call and give me a bunch of compliments.'" (04:44)

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2. "Inside Tinkercast Studios": Classic Episode Relisten – Dinosaur Backbones (10:03–19:07)

Back Pain, Sauropods, and Spine Mysteries

• Mindy and Guy discuss human back pain:

  • Mindy jokes:

    "So I had the horse ride on my back..." (10:13)

• Guy introduces sauropods' gigantic size:

  • Fun fact: Apatosaurus and other sauropods could weigh up to 170,000 pounds! (11:32)

    "Imagine being a giant sauropod. ...those dinosaurs could weigh as much as £170,000, Mindy." (11:32)

• Why didn’t giant dinosaurs collapse?

  • Mindy dreams of dino roller-skates, to which Guy responds:

    "You would have to build the world's most powerful roller skates to keep a sauropod moving." (12:32)

• How did sauropods carry all that weight?

  • Their legs acted like pillars:

    "They had very thick legs, kind of like giant tree trunks, and those legs helped to support their weight." (14:39)

  • Comparison to pillars in the US Capitol and ancient temples is made (14:57–15:01).

• Focus on puzzle-piece backbones:

  • Guy explains discoveries by paleontologists John Fronimos and Jeffrey Wilson.

    "The vertebrae for these sauropods had these deep zigzaggy lines... almost like a jigsaw puzzle." (17:20)

  • This allowed pressure to be distributed evenly, like a team moving a heavy fridge:

    "When the entire backbone was working... each vertebra pitched in to keep the dinosaur up and moving." (18:18)

Memorable Quotes:

• Mindy:

  "They would never survive in my house. We're always losing the puzzle pieces." (18:01)

• Guy Raz:

  "Think about when a bunch of grownups moves a heavy thing like a refrigerator. ...That's kind of how these individual bones in the dinosaur's back worked." (18:49)

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3. Dennis Wraps Up: Dinosaur Realizations (19:07–20:49)

• Dennis is "wowed" by the idea that birds are living dinosaurs, realizing that Reggie is a dino descendant:

  "So wait, birds are dinosaurs? You’re telling me that you, Reggie... are a descendant of the Tyrannosaurus Rex?" (19:44)

• He closes with gratitude and a recap for listeners to call in, and a humorous existential crisis:

  "I need to go and re-evaluate everything I know about dinosaurs and birds." (20:39)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|--------------|-------| | 04:00 | Dennis | "How. No, that's it. Just how. Oh, I also really like asking what?" | | 05:36 | Dennis | "How is Peter Piper picking peppers that are already pickled? ...That's preposterous." | | 06:44 | Dennis | "A stamp! I get it. Cause it's in the corner of the envelope. I was so close." | | 07:23 | Dennis | "This method also prevents hiccups." | | 11:32 | Guy Raz | "Those dinosaurs could weigh as much as £170,000, Mindy." | | 17:20 | Guy Raz | "These vertebrae ... had these deep zigzaggy lines... almost like a jigsaw puzzle." | | 18:01 | Mindy Thomas | "They would never survive in my house. We're always losing the puzzle pieces." | | 19:44 | Dennis | "So wait, birds are dinosaurs? You’re telling me that you, Reggie... are a descendant of the Tyrannosaurus Rex?" | | 20:39 | Dennis | "I need to go and re-evaluate everything I know about dinosaurs and birds." |

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• 00:00–03:15 – Pre-show banter, weekend intro song, Dennis begins hosting
• 03:15–08:45 – Listener Q&A (Colin, Azy, Izzy)
• 10:03–19:07 – Classic "Wow in the World" relisten: "Dinosaurs: Puzzling Backbones"
• 19:07–20:49 – Dennis reflects, realizes birds equal dinosaurs, show closes

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Tone & Style

The tone is playful, curious, and full of jokes and silly asides—perfect for kids and families. Science is made fun and relatable through imaginative storytelling (e.g., dinosaurs on roller skates!) and hands-on comparisons.

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For New Listeners

This episode exemplifies Wow in the World’s signature blend of humor, science, and audience interaction. Whether answering whimsical listener questions or breaking down dino-backbone science, the show sparks curiosity in both kids and grownups, delivering big learning with big laughs.

Transcript

[Guy Raz]

Grown Ups Wondery subscribers can listen to wow in the World early and ad free right now. Join Wondery in the Wondery app or Wondery Kids plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Mindy Thomas]

Hey, Grown Ups. Mindy and Guy Raz here. And before we start the show, Happy National STEM Day. Watch out, Guy Raz. Mindy, we think that every day should be National STEM Day. So we are bringing the wows of STEM home to you.

[Guy Raz]

That's right. Mindy and I have some brand new wow in the World toys out in the world. Just in time for the holidays.

[Mindy Thomas]

Made for the kids who love science and for the ones who don't yet.

[Guy Raz]

From our 100 experiments that wowkit to the telescope and astronomy kit, our wow in the World toys help your Wowzer learn about their world through play.

[Mindy Thomas]

Plus, you can hear exclusive audio content from me and Guy Raz to help your Wowzer discover even more Wows.

[Guy Raz]

Grown Ups help make every day feel like STEM day at your home. With our wow in the World toys designed with your Wowzer in mind, you.

[Mindy Thomas]

Can shop our wow in the world [e-mail] toys. That's tinkercast.com toys. Oh, hey, guy Raz, can you hand me some toys?

[Guy Raz]

Oh, sure. Here you go.

[Mindy Thomas]

Thank you. I'm gonna throw them in the confetti cannon and see what happens.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, no.

[Dennis]

Ahem. Ahem. Wee wow on the weekend. Wee wow on the weekend. Wee wow on the week. Cause this is what we do on the weekend. Talking, laughing. Me and Reggie singing, laughing.

[Guy Raz]

And then we.

[Dennis]

Oh, wait, no, I said laughing twice. Whatever. We wow on the weekend. Yeah. We wow on the weekend.

[Guy Raz]

Laugh, clap.

[Dennis]

We wow on the weekend. Cause this is what we do on the weekend. Hello and welcome to Wee Wow on the Weekend. I'm your host, Dennis. And Reggie's here too. Welcome to the show where we chit chat and answer questions from listeners and listen to episodes of wow in the World. Yeah, Reggie, why do I sound all weird? Well, change it back right this minute. Put it back, put it back, put it back. Put it back, put it back. Okay. Is it normal again? Don't do that, Reggie. What if my voice accidentally stayed that way? Well, I'm going to learn how to work the microphones one day and make you sound like a ghost. Alright, let's get into the show and answer some questions with a Q and A segment. Ahem. The Q and A segment. Alright, let's just get the old answering machine pulled up here. Okay, here we go. Hi, you've reached Dennis from WEW on the Weeknd.

[Guy Raz]

That's me.

[Dennis]

Do you have a question? Well, I do, too. Lots of them. And who's gonna answer all my questions?

[Guy Raz]

You?

[Dennis]

Probably not, but I guess I can answer yours. Leave me a message.

[Caller (Colin or Izzy/Azy)]

What. What question are you? I'm Colin, by the way, from Richmond.

[Dennis]

Hi, Colin. I'm Dennis, by the way.

[Caller (Colin or Izzy/Azy)]

And what question do you like? Do you want to ask the most?

[Mindy Thomas]

Bye.

[Dennis]

What question do I want to ask the most? Good question. I think one of my favorite questions is how. No, that's it. Just how. Oh, I also really like asking what? You know, like whaat. You know, like that. And I also like asking how dare you? And who do you think you are? And, oh, a common question from me is, how could you? Oh, yeah, no, these are all rhetorical questions. Isn't that what Colin is wondering? Oh, actual real questions, like what questions do I want to answer on the show? Huh. I never thought about it before. Maybe something like, dennis, where did you get your cool clothes? They're so fashionable. Oh, you're right. That's more of a compliment. Okay, how about, dennis, how do you make your hair look so good? Ah, no, that's another compliment. Yeah, maybe I should change my request from call and ask me a question to call and give me a bunch of compliments now. You're right, that would get boring. Give me a bunch of compliments, please. What? I didn't say anything. Next compliment. I mean, next question.

[Caller (Colin or Izzy/Azy)]

Hi, Dennis, my name is Azy, and my question for you is if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick? I guess what I'm saying is it says he picked a peck of pickled peppers, but how much is a peck?

[Dennis]

How much is a peck? Okay, there's four pecks in a bushel. So that would mean that a peck is maybe like the size of two or three gallons of milk or a small basket or a small grocery bag maybe. And then the amount of pickled peppers that can fit in a peck would depend upon what kind of pickled pepper we're talking about. Because, Reggie, peppers are different sizes. Are we talking about jalapeno? Are we talking about bell peppers? Are we talking about pepperoncini? And another thing. How is Peter Piper picking peppers that are already pickled? No, Reggie, first you pick the peppers, then you pickle them. They don't grow in already pickled. That's preposterous. So the amount of pickled peppers in a peck depends upon the proportion of the pepper. And if the peppers Peter Piper is Picking are already pickled. He should probably not pick them. I'll eat them. Next question.

[Caller (Colin or Izzy/Azy)]

Hi, Dennis. This is Izzy.

[Dennis]

Hi, Izzy.

[Caller (Colin or Izzy/Azy)]

Do you want to hear a riddle?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, boy, do I. I go around.

[Caller (Colin or Izzy/Azy)]

The world while staying in a corner. What am I?

[Dennis]

Oh. Oh. What's in the corner? What's in the corner? A houseplant. No. A grandfather clock. No, no, no, no. Mother got rid of that. Oh, a lamp. No, wait. A naughty little Dennis. Who broke the lamp?

[Caller (Colin or Izzy/Azy)]

A stamp.

[Dennis]

Oh, a stamp. I get it. Cause it's in the corner of the envelope. I was so close. Yes, I was, Reggie. Lamp rhymes with stamp. Thanks for the riddle, Izzy. And thank you, everyone, for. Oh, Izzy wasn't done. Sorry, Izzy.

[Caller (Colin or Izzy/Azy)]

How do people get hiccups? Bye.

[Dennis]

How do people get hiccups? Well, I don't know how people get hiccups, but I do know how to get rid of them. Yes, I do, Reggie. First, you cut a lemon in half, sprinkle it with vinegar and sugar, and then sit on a chair. And then pull your legs up to your chest and lean forward a little. And then you pull on your tongue and squeeze your nose. Yeah, that's it. That's all you have to do. Just don't fall off the chair. Bucket. Listen. Oh. See? No hiccups. I know I didn't have hiccups before. This method also prevents hiccups. Thanks for your calls, everyone. If you've got a question for me, call and leave me a message. The number is 1-887-wow. Wow. I just might answer your question on wewow on the Weeknd. Okay, that takes care of that. All right, next up is a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios. Inside Tinkercast Studios. This is the part where we revisit an episode of one of my favorite Tinkercast shows. And today we're listening to wow in the World, Season 1, Episode 6 called Dinosaurs. Puzzling Backbones. Huh? That's kind of a weird title. What's it about? Dinosaurs. Sure. And backbones. Right. I guess I could have figured that out. Okay, okay, let's just get to the episode. Here we go. And play wow in the World.

[Mindy Thomas]

We'll be right back. Grown Ups, this message is for you. Hey, grown Ups. Mindy here from wow in the World, the number one podcast for curious kids and their grownups. That's you. And we are so excited to bring the wows of the world to your home with our brand new wow in the World stem toys from Wondery Kids and Themes and Cosmos Channel. Your inner Astronomer with our wow in the World telescope kit. Or zoom in on the tiny wows of nature with our wow in the World Microscopic and biology kit. You can even tinker like real scientists with our 100 experiments that wow Kit. And with every wow in the World stem toy, you unlock access to exclusive audio content from me and my buddy, Guy Raz. There are so many ways to wow. So whether you're shopping for a kid who loves science or one who doesn't just yet, our wow in the World stem toys are the best. Perfect gift for your curious kids. Grown ups. Visit tinkercast.comtoys to shop the wow. Now, that's it. Back to the show.

[Dennis]

Wow in the World.

[Guy Raz]

Hey, Mindy, I have a question for you. Sure.

[Mindy Thomas]

What's up?

[Guy Raz]

Have you ever had a backache?

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, yeah. Let me tell you. So this one time, I was going horseback riding, and I was just gonna do it the normal way, but then I decided, you know what? Let's spice things up a bit. So I had the horse ride on my back and.

[Guy Raz]

You did what?

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, I know I should have put a saddle on first, but sometimes you just gotta learn things the hard way.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, I don't recommend that activity, but, you know, Mindy, as we humans get older, it's not unusual for us to get back pain because the bones that support our back, our spine and backbones, are constantly carrying our bodies around, and that's a lot of weight and a lot of work.

[Mindy Thomas]

I know. You should hear my backbone and spine. They're always complaining and fighting with each other over who's pulling the most weight. Okay, backbone. I have literally been carrying her around since she could walk upright. Oh, well, Lanny, gone. Where were you when I was dragging her around until she decided to wolf down 14 chimichangas all in one day. Huh? Well, I literally. Okay, spine, backbone, stop fighting. There's enough of me to carry around you guys.

[Guy Raz]

Hmm. Interesting. Well, anyway, Mindy, the average American man weighs about 191 pounds, and the average American woman weighs about 159 pounds. Now, imagine being a giant sauropod. You know, one of those giant dinosaurs with a long neck and body like an Apatosaurus or a Brachiosaurus. Those dinosaurs could weigh as much as £170,000, Mindy. I mean, imagine the back pain those dinosaurs had to deal with.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wow, that's a lot of Tylenol.

[Guy Raz]

Well, of course, animals don't use medicine like Tylenol to help with their pain. And besides, there was no Tylenol back when dinosaurs roamed The Earth. But you have to wonder, Mindy, how did those dinosaurs carry their massive bodies around without just collapsing?

[Mindy Thomas]

Or maybe they did just collapse and that was the real end of the dinosaurs. Or maybe they got around on wheels somehow. Yeah, maybe they wore giant roller skates to roll around. That's what I would have done.

[Guy Raz]

Well, you would have to build the world's most powerful roller skates to help keep a sauropod moving. But even then, it wouldn't answer the question, because those giant plant eaters had to carry all of that body weight around, even if they did have giant roller skates.

[Mindy Thomas]

So how were these gargantuan dinosaurs able to even grow that big in the first place?

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, that's a great question. Now, imagine for a moment that you lived in the United States in the late Jurassic period. So about 160 million million years ago.

[Mindy Thomas]

Okay, I'm imagining it now. I'm running, screaming my brains out. Now I'm wondering where I can find some ice cream, maybe some friends to hang out with to help me run from these dinosaurs.

[Guy Raz]

And just to be clear, there were absolutely no humans on the planet at that time. In fact, our earliest hominid ancestors, they only appeared on planet Earth about 145 million years after the sauropods were long gone and extinct.

[Dennis]

What?

[Mindy Thomas]

No humans at all? So no friends? Okay, all right. So I'm imagining that I'm here on Earth in the late Jurassic period, Dinosaurs roaming all around, but no friends. And I'm getting a little lonely and a lot scared.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, you're doing just fine. Nothing to worry about. Now, imagine seeing an Apatosaurus. These creatures were 14 times bigger than the biggest elephant on Earth today. So take one elephant, invite 13 more elephants to join that elephant, and ask those elephants to pile on top of each other, and you get the picture.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wow, that's a big wad of elephants.

[Guy Raz]

Or roughly the equivalent size of an Apatosaurus. And for a long time, scientists who study dinosaurs, paleontologists have been trying to figure out how they got to be so big.

[Mindy Thomas]

So what do they think?

[Guy Raz]

Well, one theory or guess based on scientific evidence is that these Sauropods had very thick legs, kind of like giant tree trunks, and those legs helped to support their weight. So maybe, you know, you've seen a building with pillars.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, like the U.S. capitol building that has a lot of pillars.

[Guy Raz]

That's exactly right. Or ancient. Ancient Greek and Roman temples also had pillars, those strong, tall poles that were often made from stone that support the weight of a roof, for example. And Sauropod's legs acted as sort of pillars for the dinosaur's body.

[Mindy Thomas]

Yeah, but these dinosaurs were so heavy. I can't imagine that their big tree trunk pillar legs would be enough to keep them from collapsing to the ground. Guy Raz, I know, right?

[Guy Raz]

I mean, imagine how long their backs were. I mean, they could grow as long as 55 meters. So if you've ever been to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, that's about as tall as Cinderella's castle. That is how long some of these sauropods could grow. And for the longest time, paleontologists were wondering how these dinosaurs, backbones could hold all of that weight. But, Mindy, they may be getting closer to the answer.

[Mindy Thomas]

Oh, you're about to spill some beans, Mindy.

[Guy Raz]

2 pa Paleontologists named John Fronimos and Jeffrey Wilson actually study this very thing. They are vertebrae paleontologists, and that means they specifically study the backbones of dinosaurs.

[Mindy Thomas]

So basically, their whole job is to uncover the hidden mysteries of dinosaur spines.

[Guy Raz]

That's exactly right, Mindy. And spines are also called vertebral columns. And a vertebra is one bone in the column. So if you think about a backbone or spine, think of it as sort of like a series of circular bones stacked one on top of the other, and together they form a long column or backbone. And dinosaurs basically had the same kind of bone in their backs. Except, Mindy, in dinosaurs, these vertebral columns were massive.

[Mindy Thomas]

Wait a minute. So if these giant sauropods had backbones just like ours, how were they able to carry around their giant dinosaur bodies?

[Guy Raz]

Well, that's a good question, Mindy, because our backbones wouldn't be able to handle that much weight. But, Mindy, those two paleontologists I mentioned were trying to figure out the same question, and they noticed that the vertebrae, the bones that make up the backbone, the vertebrae for these sauropods, had these deep zigzaggy lines along the top. And what they realized, Mindy, is that these zigzaggy lines actually connected to another bone with zigzaggy lines, almost like a jigsaw puzzle. What?

[Mindy Thomas]

So are you telling us that these dinosaurs basically had puzzle pieces for bones?

[Guy Raz]

Well, yeah, sort of bones that fit together exactly like puzzle pieces. And what that meant, Mindy, is that these bones, by being adjusted attached in exactly the right way, were able to handle the pressure of all of that dinosaur weight.

[Mindy Thomas]

They would never survive in my house. We're always losing the puzzle pieces. Anyway, so how did this back puzzle deal help them to handle all of that dinosaur weight?

[Guy Raz]

Well, the way the bones connected one next to the other probably meant that the pressure on the bones was distributed or spread across the sauropod's entire spine instead of just one part. And when the entire backbone was working to handle all of that weight, each vertebra pitched in to keep the dinosaur up and moving. Think about when a bunch of grownups moves a heavy thing like a refrigerator. It probably takes three to four adults to do that, right?

[Mindy Thomas]

Right.

[Guy Raz]

And each grown up makes sure that they're doing their part, keeping the fridge from falling to the ground. And that's kind of how these individual bones in the dinosaur's back worked.

[Mindy Thomas]

Guy Raz, let's try this out. Let's go pick up your car with our bare hands and walk it around the neighborhood. We could tell everyone we're playing dinosaur spine.

[Guy Raz]

I don't think that would be a good idea.

[Dennis]

Wow, that was so cool. I wish I could have lived in dinosaur times. Yeah, and right on the back of a dinosaur, like a little prehistoric prince. Wait, what do you mean? I already ride on the back of a dinosaur. Yeah, I've ridden on your back before. So wait, birds are dinosaurs? You're telling me that you, Reggie, a bird who likes buttered noodles and bubble baths is a descendant of the Tyrannosaurus Rex? Oh, not the T. Rex. A smaller dinosaur probably, but still a dinosaur. I think I need to go lie down. Alright, let's wrap up the show and then I can go lie down and question everything I know about you.

[Guy Raz]

Ahem.

[Dennis]

Thanks to all you listeners out there for tuning in to Wee Wow on the weekend. If you have a question for me, call and leave me a message at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW. That's 1-8887-WOW-WOW. I just might answer your question on Wee Wow on the weekend. All right, should we do the goodbye song? Okay, that's the end of the show. I need to go and re evaluate everything I know about dinosaurs and birds. But I'll do another show tomorrow. But for now, that's the end of the show. Bye.

[Mindy Thomas]

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 Thomas]

And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com survey.