WeWow on the Weekend (3/16/25)

Summary

Wow in the World: Episode Summary – "WeWow on the Weekend" (March 16, 2025)

Hosted by Tinkercast | Wondery

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Introduction and Event Announcement

The episode kicks off with Mindy Thomas sharing exciting news about an upcoming live event: Make It Wow in Bethesda, Maryland. Scheduled for Saturday, March 29th, this event is described as a live Bonkerballs competition game show where kids showcase their wild and unique ideas by transforming them into jaw-dropping inventions on stage. Mindy's enthusiasm sets a positive and engaging tone for the episode.

Mindy [00:00]: "We can't wait to make it wow with you this spring."

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Hosts Introduce "WeWow on the Weekend"

Dennis and Reggie the Giant Pigeon take the stage as the co-hosts of WeWow on the Weekend, a playful spin-off segment of the main podcast. The dynamic duo engages in humorous banter, including a quick game of I Spy, showcasing their lighthearted chemistry.

Dennis [01:07]: "We wow on the weekend. Cause this is what we do on the weekend."

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Q&A Segment: Listener Questions and Humorous Responses

The hosts transition into a Q&A segment, where they address questions submitted by listeners. This segment blends educational content with humor, making complex topics accessible and entertaining for both kids and adults.

1. Why Are Strawberries Red?

   Mindy poses a whimsical question about the color of strawberries, leading Dennis to offer a humorous yet insightful answer.

   Mindy [03:38]: "Why are strawberries red?"

   Dennis [03:47]: "They're red because they're embarrassed. Strawberries are kind of blushing about it, which is actually pretty cute."

2. Understanding Reggie the Pigeon

   A young listener, Elijah, asks Dennis how he understands Reggie. Dennis highlights the importance of social cognition in understanding non-verbal communication.

   Elijah [04:33]: "How do you understand Reggie?"

   Dennis [04:42]: "It's quite simple. I just listen to him and understand what he says. You know what? Reggie's much better at explaining it than I am."

3. Why Are Butterflies Called Butterflies?

   This question explores the etymology of the word "butterfly," leading to a playful speculation about the origin of the name.

   Mindy [05:23]: "Do you know why butterflies are called butterflies even though they are not made out of butter?"

   Dennis [05:31]: "Maybe butterflies smell like butter... Or maybe they were supposed to be called flutterbys, but it was a happy little accident."

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Inside Tinkercast Studios: The Science of Smell

In a special segment titled Inside Tinkercast Studios, Dennis and Mindy delve into the fascinating science of smell. They play an episode from Wow in the World titled "Getting Nosy about the Science of Smell," setting the stage for an interactive exploration.

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The Olfactory Experiment: Building a Backyard Smell Factory

Mindy takes a creative leap by constructing a mock "olfactory factory" in her backyard to demonstrate the complexities of the human sense of smell. This segment blends scientific explanation with imaginative storytelling, making the content both informative and entertaining.

1. Understanding the Olfactory System

   Mindy explains that humans have approximately 400 odor-detecting receptors in their noses, which work together to identify and interpret various smells.

   Mindy [15:02]: "Inside your nose, through your nostrils, are about 400 different odor detecting receptors."

2. Genetic Influence on Smell Perception

   The discussion shifts to how genetics influence individual differences in smell perception. Referencing the work of geneticist Casey Trimmer, Mindy and Guy Raz explore why some people perceive certain smells differently.

   Mindy [13:08]: "She and her team set out to find out why different people smell different things differently."

   Guy Raz [28:39]: "They discovered that even the tiniest change in one of the 400 olfactory receptors could completely change the way one person experiences a certain smell compared to another."

3. Interactive Smell Experiment

   To illustrate these concepts, Mindy organizes a hands-on experiment where participants rate the intensity and pleasantness of various bottled odors. The selection includes a mix of pleasant and unpleasant scents, such as cilantro, asparagus-induced pee odor, sweaty racquetball player, and even a humorous inclusion of "human toot."

   Mindy [25:48]: "This is a certified and licensed, grade A, gluten free, USDA approved organic Mindy Toot."

4. Humorous Anecdotes and Scientific Insights

   Throughout the experiment, the hosts inject humor into the scientific discussion, making the learning process enjoyable. For example, Mindy's attempt to bottle her own toots leads to laughter while still conveying the science behind odor molecules and genetic variation.

   Dennis [29:05]: "Thanks to your DNA, it does. But I can assure you that this is parmesan cheese smell."

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Key Insights and Conclusions

The episode culminates with significant takeaways about the science of smell:

• Genetic Variability: Small genetic differences in olfactory receptors can lead to vastly different perceptions of the same odor among individuals.

• Impact on Daily Life: Understanding these genetic differences can enhance our knowledge of how smells influence our food preferences, memories, and overall health.

• Scientific Exploration: The blending of humor with scientific facts encourages listeners to stay curious and engaged with the natural world.

Mindy [30:17]: "Just knowing this is going to help us to better understand how smell might affect our overall health."

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Conclusion and Farewell

As the episode draws to a close, Dennis and Mindy wrap up the show with playful interactions and reminders for listeners to engage with upcoming content. They reinforce the educational yet entertaining nature of Wow in the World and its related segments.

Dennis [33:03]: "Thanks for joining us for this edition of WeWow. Our show is written by Ruth Morrison and Jed Anderson."

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Final Thoughts

"WeWow on the Weekend" successfully combines humor, scientific exploration, and interactive segments to create an engaging experience for listeners of all ages. By addressing real scientific questions through entertaining dialogues and imaginative experiments, the episode embodies the spirit of Wow in the World—fostering curiosity, learning, and a sense of wonder.

Transcript

[Mindy]

Hey, Wowzer fams. Mindy here. And before we start the show, I've got a question for you. Are you ready to make It Wow? Okay, here's the deal. My buddy Carlie Q and I are hitting the road to make it wow with you in the DC area. That's right, we'll be making it wow in Bethesda, Maryland on Saturday, March 29th. Make it wow is a live Bonkerballs competition game show where real little kids are the star of the show. Two teams of Wowzers will turn their wildest and weirdest ideas into jaw dropping inventions live on stage. Tickets are on sale now. Grown ups. Visit Tinkercast.com events to get your ticket today. That's Tinkercast.com events. We can't wait to make it wow with you this spring. But until then, let's get on with the show.

[Dennis]

Ah ah, ah, ah, ah. We wow on the weekend. We wow on the weekend. We wow on the weekend. Cause this is what we do on the weekend. Talking, laughing. Me and Reggie singing, laughing. And then we. Oh, wait, no, I said laughing twice. Ah, whatever. We wow on the weekend. Yeah, we wow on the weekend. Laugh. We. Cause this is what we do on the weekend. Hello and welcome to Wee Wow on the Weeknd. I'm your host, Dennis, and that's my co host, Reggie the giant pigeon. This is the show where we hang out and chit chat and listen to episodes of Ticker cast podcasts. Hey, Reggie, wanna play a game real quick? Oh, come on, just real quick. I wanna play I Spy. What? I do not cheat at I Spy. That's a lie. I'll play fair. Promise? Promise. Yes. Okay, here we go. I spy with my little eye something blue. No, it's not your feathers. Guess again. No, it's not the rug. Nope. Not my jar of blue raspberry jellybeans. Give up. It was this tiny piece of blue lint in my pocket. See? I win. Okay, your turn. You spy with your little eye someone who's cheating and I spy. Well, I have no idea to whom or what you could be referring. Just move on to the Q and A segment. The Q and A segment. All right, let's just get the old answering machine pulled up here. Okay, here we go. Hi, you've reached Dennis from WEW on the Weekend. That's me. Do you have a question? Well, I do too. Lots of them. And who's going to answer all my questions? You? Probably not. But I guess I can answer yours. Leave me a message.

[Guy Raz]

Hello, my name is Domino.

[Dennis]

I live in Ushuaia, Argentina hi, Domino. Dennis.

[Mindy]

Why are strawberries red?

[Dennis]

Why are strawberries red? Oh, I know this one. Yeah, it's because they're embarrassed. Well, strawberries don't have the riz of a raspberry or the cool, mysterious vibes of a blueberry. So they're kind of blushing about it, which is actually pretty cute. But embarrassed strawberries is not the important question here. I think the more important question is, what's the deal with gooseberries? Because, Reggie, they don't look anything like a goose. Oh, wait, do gooseberries turn you into a goose when you eat them? They don't. See, I think this just proves my point. Gooseberries. I'm on to you. Next question.

[Mindy]

Hi, I'm Elijah and I'm from Maplewood, New Jersey.

[Dennis]

Hi, Elijah.

[Mindy]

My question is, how do you understand Reggie?

[Dennis]

How do I understand Reggie? Good question, Elijah. It's actually quite simple. I just listen to him and understand what he says. You know what? Reggie's much better at explaining it than I am. Uh, Reggie, you want to take this one? Uh huh. Uh huh. Social cognition, right? Wow. I couldn't have put it better myself. Thanks, Reggie. Next question.

[Mindy]

Hi, Dennis. Do you know why butterflies are called butterflies even though they are not made out of butter?

[Dennis]

Wow, Great question. Do I know why butterflies are called butterflies even though they are not made out of butter? Maybe butterflies smell like butter. Reggie, do butterflies smell like butter? No. Okay, well, maybe they make butter then. Reggie, do butterflies churn butter and that's where butter comes from? No. Right. Well, maybe butterflies eat butter. Reggie, do butterflies. Okay, they don't eat butter. They eat nectar. Well, maybe it was a typo. Like, maybe butterflies were supposed to be named flutterbys because they flutter on by you, but someone wasn't paying attention and wrote down butterfly instead. Yeah, like a happy little accident. It was a happy accident. A happy accident. Someone messed up, but that's okay. Well, that's enough voicemails for now, listeners. If you've got a question for me, call and leave me a message. The number is 1-88-8,7, wow. Wow. That's 1-888-7, wow. Wow. I just might answer your question on Wee Wow on the Weeknd. That takes care of that. Okay, up next is a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios. Ahem. Inside Tinkercast Studios. This is the part where we listen to an episode of one of my favorite Tinkercast podcasts. And today we're listening to season three, episode 21 of wow in the World called Getting Nosy about the science of smell. Hey, I'm in this one. Yeah, I yell a bunch of helpful information over the fence. I know. Guy Raz and Mindy are so lucky to have me listening in on their every word. Okay, here we go. And play.

[Mindy]

Wee Wow will be right back. Grown ups, this message is for you. That's it. Now back to the show.

[Dennis]

Well in the world spells.

[Mindy]

Get your free spells, buy one skip and get a whip free. I'm talking deals here, people who want to mind me. What are you doing?

[Guy Raz]

The sun's not even up. You're gonna wake up the whole neighborhood.

[Dennis]

And it's about time. Wake up, sheeple.

[Mindy]

Good morning, Guy Raz. Can I interest you in a jar of freshly ground coffee?

[Guy Raz]

Well, as long as I'm up, I might as well take you up on that offer. Just stay right there. I've got to grab my robe and I'll be down in a minute.

[Mindy]

Who wants some fresh odors? I've got bacon frying, freshly cut grass, blown out, birthday candles, cool mountain air.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, Mindy, I'm up and at em. How about that jar of freshly ground coffee?

[Mindy]

Oh, sure, Reggie. One jar of freshly ground coffee coming right up. Here you go, Guy Raz. That will be free. 99 plus tax.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, Mindy?

[Mindy]

Yeah?

[Guy Raz]

This is just an empty jar. Where's the coffee?

[Mindy]

Uh, it's in the jar.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, I know what coffee looks like, and I can assure you that there is nothing in this jar.

[Mindy]

Well, that's because smells are invisible, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

Smells?

[Mindy]

Yeah, if you want your freshly ground coffee smell, you're going to have to open that jar.

[Guy Raz]

You woke me up and got me out of bed for nothing.

[Mindy]

Open the jar, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, invisible coffee, what's next? Mindy, this jar won't open.

[Mindy]

That's because I put a childproof lid on it. Here, let me take a crack at it.

[Guy Raz]

There.

[Mindy]

Your freshly ground coffee smell.

[Guy Raz]

You weren't kidding, Mindy. This coffee smell is almost as good as the real thing. Now, where is the real thing?

[Mindy]

Oh, I don't know. Maybe Dennis House or something.

[Dennis]

Dennis. What?

[Mindy]

You have coffee?

[Dennis]

Oh, boy, do I ever. I have fresh single origin beans imported from Peru's Cajamarca region, hand picked and sorted, fully washed and sun dried, roasted to perfection. And here we have a. Oh, my carafe. Never mind. I don't have coffee.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, are all of these empty jars filled with odors?

[Mindy]

Well, yeah. I mean, look here we've got the smell of wet clothes left in the washing machine for three days. And this one is that super specific convenience store smell. And this one over here is rotten eggs.

[Dennis]

Ooh, that one smells like Uranus.

[Guy Raz]

What?

[Mindy]

What?

[Dennis]

Uranus, the planet. It's made up of gas called hydrogen sulfide. Bears an uncanny resemblance to rotten eggs. Surprised you didn't know that.

[Mindy]

Okay, well, scientifically speaking, he's not wrong. Thanks, Dennis.

[Dennis]

You're welcome.

[Guy Raz]

So, Mindy, do you have any good odors in these jars?

[Mindy]

Yeah, let me see here. Oh, try this one.

[Dennis]

Ah.

[Guy Raz]

What is that? The smell of a pile of dirt?

[Mindy]

Dirt? No, you're smelling beets. You know, that purple root vegetable that you roast in the O and eat on salads turns your poop pink.

[Guy Raz]

Well, you know, for some reason, beets have always smelled like dirt to me. What else you got?

[Mindy]

Huh? Let me. Hmm. Ooh, I know. Here, try this one. What do you think, Huh?

[Guy Raz]

I think that one might be completely empty, Mindy.

[Dennis]

Actually, Guy, I can smell it from here. It's Lily of the Valley.

[Mindy]

Yeah, you're right, Dennis. This one is lily of the Valley.

[Guy Raz]

Lily of the Valley? As in that highly poisonous woodland flowering plant?

[Dennis]

Exactly. My mother would wear the scent every fall as I left home for boarding school. She said it signified the return of happiness. How my mother loved boarding school.

[Guy Raz]

What is he talking about, Mindy?

[Mindy]

Okay, so the scent of Lily of the Valley is one of those smells that skincare and beauty product companies are always trying to recreate.

[Guy Raz]

You mean for like, perfumes and soaps and lotions?

[Mindy]

Yeah. It contains this chemical called Borginol. And for a lot of people like Dennis, even a tiny droplet of this stuff can smell super intense.

[Guy Raz]

But what about for people like me who can't smell it at all?

[Mindy]

Well, you're not alone, Guy Raz. You see, this geneticist named Casey Trimmer, she got together with a team of researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses center in Philadelphia and Rockefeller University in New York City. And she and her team set out to find out why different people smell different things differently.

[Guy Raz]

And just to be clear, a geneticist is the type of scientist who studies how certain features are passed down from different generations of people.

[Dennis]

Right, right. Like how I inherited my mother's sense of smell and my great grandfather's sense of entitlement.

[Guy Raz]

So I'm wondering, did Dr. Trimmer and her team suspect that genes, or what makes you, you and me, me have some kind of role to play in the way different people experience different smells?

[Mindy]

You know it. So she and her fellow researchers decided to conduct a little smell scientific experiment.

[Guy Raz]

Ooh. I Love a little scientific experiment. What do they do?

[Mindy]

Well, I could tell you. Yeah, but I'd rather show you. Come on, help me lug all these smells to the olfactory in my backyard.

[Guy Raz]

Olfactory? Mindy, isn't the olfactory system literally your sense of smell?

[Mindy]

Yeah, but while you were sleeping, I built a literal old factory in my backyard. I wanted to have a place where I could bottle up and reproduce all my smells.

[Guy Raz]

How long was I sleeping?

[Dennis]

Oh, boy. Finally, something I can help with. Let me consult my eavesdropper almanac.

[Mindy]

Huh?

[Dennis]

Okay, let's see. Says here 10pm Guy begins snoring loudly. Then 2:05am Guy mumbles incoherently in his sleep. 3:31am Guy wakes up and reads a text. This message I sent him, Dennis. 3:34, guy texts back, new phone. Who dis. 3:35, I text.

[Guy Raz]

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Just a minute. Before we dive into any stinky experiments, can we just talk about our olfactory scents or how we humans are able to smell in the first place?

[Mindy]

Sure. Let me see your nose here, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

What?

[Mindy]

Oh, okay, so inside your nose, way up there, through your nostrils, are about 400 different odor detecting receptors. Now let's count them. 1, 2, 3, 4.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, get your fingers out of my nose.

[Mindy]

You know the old saying, you can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, and you can pick your best friend's nose in a pinch.

[Guy Raz]

That is not how that saying goes.

[Mindy]

Well, as I was saying, our noses are full of these little teeny, tiny smell receptors, just waiting to catch the tiny molecules that come in through the air that we breathe.

[Guy Raz]

And then what happens?

[Mindy]

Okay, so when we breathe in those molecules through our noses, depending on the molecule, different receptors will activate or wake up and then work together to send that odor message to our brain. Our brains then process that smell and let us know whether it's good or bad.

[Guy Raz]

Like freshly baked cookies or a sweaty sock.

[Mindy]

Yeah. These receptors can also tell you whether the smell is recognizable or unrecognizable.

[Guy Raz]

Like the smell of your own house or a food you've never tried before.

[Mindy]

And of course, they can also tell you whether what you're smelling is safe or unsafe.

[Guy Raz]

Safe like newborn babies or unsafe like the smell of harmful chemicals?

[Mindy]

You got it. Our ability to smell is how our noses help us to make sense of the world around us.

[Guy Raz]

And how many smells or scents or odors can our body's olfactory system actually detect?

[Mindy]

Guy Raz. The human nose. Just like this one hanging off your face here.

[Guy Raz]

Stop Grabbing my nose. Mindy Guy.

[Mindy]

Raz, Your nose has the power to tell the difference between at least 1 trillion different smells. And I'm working on getting one of each of them bottled up in my new backyard Ol factory.

[Guy Raz]

Whoa, Mindy, you made a life size model of a human nose? Wait, is that supposed to be my nose?

[Dennis]

Surprise.

[Guy Raz]

I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about this.

[Mindy]

Come on, let's go inside.

[Guy Raz]

Is there a door?

[Mindy]

A door and a nose. That's what the nostrils are for. We're going to climb in like the giant odor molecules that we are.

[Guy Raz]

What?

[Mindy]

I'll climb in first and then I'll pull you up. Okay. Here, grab onto my hand.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, why is it so sticky in here?

[Mindy]

Sorry, Heckus, I forgot to tell you that we would be welcomed by a thick layer of mucus. But it will all be worth it when we get to the factory part. Just.

[Guy Raz]

Gross. Gross.

[Mindy]

Made it. Stepping through the smell receptor laser gate. Analyzing odor. Beef dog.

[Guy Raz]

Huh? Beef dog?

[Mindy]

Yeah. I installed a bunch of smell receptor sensors in the ol factory, and for some reason, every time I enter it, it recognizes me as the smell of a beef Do. Do I smell like a beef dog?

[Guy Raz]

Ok, Mindy, this is surprisingly high tech.

[Mindy]

Thank you very much.

[Guy Raz]

Well, what is it gonna think that I smell like?

[Mindy]

Well, why don't you pass through the smell receptor and see for yourself?

[Guy Raz]

Okay. Passing through.

[Mindy]

Analyzing odor. Italian white ruffles and fresh uni.

[Guy Raz]

What? I think I need a do over.

[Mindy]

No time for do overs, Mr. Truffle Pants. Ooni face. Don't you want to see the rest of the ol factory? Now this is where the magic happens.

[Guy Raz]

Whoa.

[Mindy]

All of the machines you see here are bottling up millions of different smells, from dirty hot dog water to newborn puppy smell.

[Guy Raz]

And you built all of this while I was sleeping last night?

[Mindy]

Well, yeah, with a little help from Reggie. Okay, a lot of help from Reggie. Okay, fine. Reggie basically built the whole thing while I ate corn chips and watched tv.

[Guy Raz]

So, Mindy, you were saying earlier that those researchers at Rockefeller University conducted a little scientific experiment to see why some people might experience smell.

[Mindy]

Oh, yeah, that's right. And I wanted to recreate that experiment here in the olfactory.

[Guy Raz]

Great. So do we have everything we need?

[Mindy]

Let's see here. We've got 150 jars of different smells ready to go.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, so assorted odors.

[Mindy]

And that's pretty much all we need. Oh, right. How could I forget? Thanks. Regardless, we're also going to need 300 people.

[Guy Raz]

300 people? How are we gonna get 300 people in your backyard nose factory?

[Mindy]

Easy. We're gonna get them to participate by giving them something for free. People love free stuff.

[Guy Raz]

Free smells. Of course.

[Mindy]

You're whiffing up what I'm putting down. Guy Raz. Be right back. Attention, neighbors. Today only, we're giving away free smells, so get them while they last. Rin, Rin, Rin, Rin, Rin, rin. Okay, I'm back.

[Guy Raz]

No luck getting 300 people to take you up on your offer of free smells, huh?

[Mindy]

Well, you know. Everyone, please come in one at a time. Be civilized. Okay? Have a seat. Yep, just have a seat right there.

[Dennis]

Free smells. Can you believe it? I hope my free smell is sea breeze. I want lemon tarts.

[Mindy]

I need everyone to just be patient. The free smells are coming.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, what is happening?

[Mindy]

I told you, Guy Raz. I'm just recreating the experiment that was conducted by the researchers in this study.

[Dennis]

Excuse me, Will these free smells be good smells, like cool mountain air and freshly baked bread? Or will they be bad smells like toots, farts, and flatulence?

[Guy Raz]

They seem pretty restless. For the free smells you promised Mindy. I think we better get started.

[Mindy]

Ugh. Okay. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Mindy's Olfactory and Odor Emporium. Now, before I give each of you the free smells that I promised, I am going to need you to participate in a little scientific experiment.

[Dennis]

I knew it. There's a catch. There's always a catch.

[Mindy]

I'd like to introduce you to my lab assistants, Guy Raz and Reggie. Say hi.

[Guy Raz]

Hi.

[Mindy]

Now, throughout the course of this experiment, Reggie and Guy Raz here will be bringing out 150 jars of different odors, or as I like to call them, smells. I will instruct you on what smells to try, and then on a sheet of paper, you will rate the intensity of each odor on a scale of 1 to 7. One being that you find the odor extremely weak, and seven being that you find the odor extremely strong.

[Guy Raz]

And I'm assuming three or four if it's somewhere in the middle.

[Mindy]

You got it, Guy Razi. Next, on a scale of 1 to 7, you will rate how pleasant you found the odor to be, 1 if you found it to be extremely unpleasant, and 7 if you found it to be extremely pleasant.

[Dennis]

Let's do this.

[Mindy]

Reggie, bring on the smells.

[Dennis]

Wow.

[Guy Raz]

Wow, that's a lot of odor.

[Mindy]

Mindy, friends and neighbors, what you're looking at here are 150 different odors collected, bottled, and in some cases, produced by yours truly. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. And now, let the experiment begin. Reggie.

[Guy Raz]

Reggie, is this really happening right now?

[Mindy]

First odor of business is cilantro. Guy Raz, please open the jar and release the odor. Okay, and now I need everyone to take a thorough sniff and rate its intensity and pleasantness on. On a scale of one to seven.

[Guy Raz]

Ooh. Are you sure that's cilantro, Mindy? It smells like soap.

[Mindy]

I think Reggie begs to disagree. Guy Raz, next up, opening the jar of pee odor from a person who's been eating asparagus.

[Guy Raz]

Indeed.

[Mindy]

Everybody sniff.

[Dennis]

Gross. Smells like normal pee to me.

[Mindy]

Now, please rate your findings and feel free to include any notes you'd like to add. Reggie, please pass the next odor to Guy Raz. Guy Raz, go ahead and open the odor.

[Guy Raz]

Okay. Please be something pleasant. Please be something pleasant.

[Mindy]

The next odor of business is dad sweating after losing a game of racquetballs.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, wait, there's actually a scientific name for this odor. I think it's called androstenone. And while some people find it pungent and gross, other people think it smells like vanilla. Or they can't smell it at all.

[Mindy]

And last but not least. Drumroll, please. Guy Raz, please open the jar of human toot.

[Guy Raz]

The toot?

[Mindy]

Not just any old toot, Guy Raz. This is a certified and licensed, grade A, gluten free, USDA approved organic Mindy Toot.

[Guy Raz]

You bottled your own toot?

[Mindy]

Sure did. And there's more where that came from.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, no, don't tell me you, Guy Raz.

[Mindy]

Like most humans, I average about 15 toots a day. And for the last 30 days, I have bottled every single one of them.

[Guy Raz]

Which means.

[Mindy]

Which means that every single person in this old factory is going to take home their own jar of certified organic Mindy tooths.

[Guy Raz]

Wow. Humans really will take anything that's free.

[Mindy]

But there's a catch. Before any of you leave here today and before I give each one of you your free jar of toots, I'm going to need a small jar of your blood.

[Guy Raz]

What? No.

[Mindy]

Anything for science, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

There are limits to that, Mindy.

[Mindy]

What are limits, Mindy?

[Guy Raz]

You can't invite people to your giant backyard nose factory and take their blood.

[Mindy]

Well, if I don't take everyone's blood, then how am I supposed to reenact and show you the rest of the experiment?

[Guy Raz]

You know what? Why don't you just give these people their free smells and let them go, and then you can just tell me what happened after the researchers took the Blood samples.

[Mindy]

Fine. Everyone please line up single file and get your free smells. One for you, one for you. Thank you very much for participating in our study. One for you, one for you. Reggie, you wanna come over here and take over? My arm is getting tired from lifting all these jars of toots.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, so once these trained and professional scientists, working in an actual laboratory, took the blood samples from the people who participated in the study, what did they do with them?

[Mindy]

Oh, so Dr. Trimmer and her team took the blood samples back to another lab, and then they studied the DNA of each person.

[Guy Raz]

And by DNA you mean the instruction manual for our bodies.

[Mindy]

Right. And those DNA instructions are what make you you and me me. And in this experiment, the scientists wanted to get a good look into each person's blood so that they could study that instruction manual.

[Guy Raz]

And what were they looking for?

[Mindy]

Well, they were looking for and comparing different genes in each person's olfactory system.

[Guy Raz]

The system of the body that helps us to smell.

[Mindy]

Right. And what they found was pretty. Wow.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, yeah. What did they discover?

[Mindy]

They discovered that even the tiniest change in even one of the 400 olfactory receptors.

[Guy Raz]

Meaning those little smell sensors that send messages to our brains after catching odor molecules. Yeah.

[Mindy]

They found that even the teeniest, tiniest change could completely change the way one person experienced a certain smell compared to another person.

[Guy Raz]

So that would explain why Dennis could smell that Lily of the valley plant and I could smell nothing at all.

[Mindy]

Or why I might be smelling beets. And you think you're sniffing dirt.

[Guy Raz]

Or why some people might smell sweat while other people think they're smelling vanilla.

[Mindy]

Or why I might smell parmesan cheese. And you might smell. Hang on. Gotta get the jar open. You gotta smell this guy, Raz. Okay, here we go. Smell this.

[Dennis]

Ugh.

[Guy Raz]

That smells like vomit.

[Mindy]

Thanks to your DNA, it does. But I can assure you that this is parmesan cheese smell. I wonder if it works the other way around.

[Guy Raz]

So, Mindy, now that we know that even the tiniest changes to our smell sensing olfactory receptors can change the way a person experiences smell, what can we do with this discovery?

[Mindy]

Well, according to Dr. Trimmer, just knowing this is going to help us to better understand how smell might affect our overall health.

[Dennis]

Yeah.

[Guy Raz]

I imagine our sense of smell actually plays a pretty big role in why we choose the foods that we do.

[Mindy]

Yeah, but don't go around thinking you can just blame your DNA on why you like or don't like. Everybody smell. Believe me, I tried it.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, there can be lots of different things that can affect the way we perceive or experience smell.

[Mindy]

Yeah. For example, the way we interpret smell is related to the same part of our brain that holds memories, and that plays a big role in how we're able to taste or smell different foods.

[Guy Raz]

Speaking of which, are you catching a whiff of that smell coming from outside?

[Mindy]

Yeah, but who would be grilling it at this hour of the morning?

[Guy Raz]

Probably someone who has woken up before the sun and whose body clock now thinks it's lunchtime.

[Mindy]

Well, there's only one way to find out. Through the snotty nasal cavity to what? Come on. Follow me. Guy Raz made it out of the old factory alive.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, we're covered in slime. What did you use to make this stuff?

[Mindy]

Oh, I've been bottling up my runny noses for years. Finally found a good use for them.

[Dennis]

Morning, Mindy. Morning, Guy. Hey, you two boogers want to come over for some burgers? Get it? Boogers? Burgers? Ah, you don't get it. Wow. That was so good. Oh, all. And now I want burgers. Oh, yeah. And lily of the valley. I love reliving my fond memories of boarding school, the perfume mother used to wear as she drove me 12 hours to count Montague's school for nosy little children. Anyway, let's wrap up the show and go fire up the grill for burgers Reggie. Thanks to all you listeners out there for tuning in to Wee Wow on the weekend. If you have a question for me, call and leave me a message at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW. That's 1-888-7-WWOW Wow. I just might answer your question on Wewow on the weekend. Okay, let's go. So what do you want on your burger, Reggie? Barbecued earthworms? Reggie. Ew. Well, I just thought you were more of a honey mustard earthworm kind of pigeon. What about ranch ketchup? Tzeky. Wait, is it pronounced Tzeky or Za Tseeki?

[Mindy]

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].

[Dennis]

Thanks for joining us for this edition of Wewow. Our show is written by Ruth Morrison and Jed Anderson. The role of Baby Dennis is played by Jed Anderson, but who plays the role of Big Dennis. Never your mind.

[Mindy]

Tee hee.

[Dennis]

Original sound design and production is done by Henry Moskal with contributions from Jett Anderson and and Tyler Thole. Original music for wewow is composed and performed by Tyler Thole. Special thanks to Jessica Bode, Rebecca Caban, Dr. Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Kristin Yang, Meredith Halpern, Ranzer Thuy Mac, Jody Nussbaum, Ali Paxima, Guy Raz, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Mindy Thomas, Anna Zagorski and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ. Be sure to visit tinkercast.com where you can become an official member of the World Organization of wowzers. Learn about upcoming events, shop our wow Shop, find our best selling books and learn about all the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast. Thanks again for thinking, tinkering, experimenting and exploring with me this week. Be sure to check out episodes of wow in the World on Mondays, two once in a while on Fridays and We wow on the weekend with Dennis on the weekends. And remember who Wows. We Wow. Oh baby. Dennis We Wow. All right. We wow. Wow.

[Mindy]

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