WeWow on the Weekend

Summary

Wow in the World: WeWow on the Weekend

Hosts: Mindy Thomas, Guy Raz, Reggie
Date: February 21, 2026
Episode: WeWow on the Weekend

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Overview:

This energetic, laughter-filled episode of WeWow on the Weekend brings science front and center, blending listener Q&A, playful banter, and an exploration of one of the most mind-blowing topics in genetics: gene editing! After fielding kid listeners’ questions, hosts Mindy and Reggie cue up a relisten of the classic “Homegrown Genome” episode, where Mindy and Guy Raz use fun analogies and storytelling to make complex science about genomes and gene editing both accessible and wildly entertaining for kids and families.

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Episode Sections & Key Insights

I. WeWow Q&A Segment

(01:37 - 05:45)

Questions from Curious Kids:

• Why do butterflies start as caterpillars?

  • Mindy explains the metamorphosis process with flair, calling the transformation a "glow up" and likening caterpillars pre-chrysalis to "little wormy things...not too special" before becoming butterflies:

    “Everybody loves a transformation. It’s like magic. And then everyone’s like, wow, did you see that butterfly who used to look like a green bean with legs?” (03:05, Mindy)

• Who chooses the rainbow’s colors?

  • Playful discussion transitions to science:

    “The colors in a real rainbow come from refracted light and reflection and dispersion and physics and science.” (04:47, Reggie)

  • Mindy admits, “If you're drawing a rainbow, you can choose whatever colors you want!” (05:06, Mindy)

• Can you play the guitar?

  • Mindy attempts “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” but is upstaged by Reggie’s unexpected guitar prowess.

    “Reggie, what? It sounds horrible. Fine, then you do better...Wow, Reggie, you really are good.” (05:18, Mindy)

  • Humorous rivalry and teamwork shine.

II. Inside Tinkercast Studios: Homegrown Genome (Season 2, Episode 9)

(09:04 – 26:45)

A. What Is a Genome? Setting Straight the “Genes” Confusion

• Mindy’s “Party Pants Pocket Pizzazzer” invention humorously confuses “genes” (DNA) with “jeans” (pants) (10:07).
• Guy Raz clarifies:

  “Genes, as in genomes, as in the DNA, as in the code of life, as in the stuff that makes you you and me, me.” (10:58, Guy Raz)

• DNA basics explained:

  “If genes are the instruction manual for the body, then DNA are the letters and words on the page of that instruction manual.” (11:50, Guy Raz)

B. DNA: Building Blocks of Life

• Four chemical “letters” (A, G, C, T) make the code; 3.2 billion base pairs in the human genome:

  “If you printed out every single letter that makes up one human being's genetic code, it would be 3.2 billion letters of DNA...like 800 dictionaries worth of letters.” (12:37–12:48, Guy Raz & Mindy)

C. All About Gene Editing and CRISPR

• Mindy and Guy introduce CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) in a fun, accessible way:

  “CRISPR makes it easy to move genes around in any living thing. So living things like bacteria and, of course, humans.” (16:31, Mindy) “With CRISPR technology, you could go into the human body, find the chain of letters that causes a disease or a genetic disorder, and then just cut out those letters or replace them with the right letters.” (16:44, Guy Raz)

• Emphasize hope for genetic medicinal breakthroughs:

  “Scientists have already shown that it can be done in the lab working on human cells.” (18:17, Mindy)

D. Saving and Changing the World With Genetics

• Gene editing could address genetic diseases (e.g., cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease) and potentially eradicate them before birth:

  “If CRISPR technology works, scientists could fix these genetic disorders even before the baby was born.” (18:04, Guy Raz)

• Mindy and Guy soar into sci-fi territory with the possibility of de-extincting woolly mammoths by combining their DNA with elephants:

  “There are scientists who believe that we could take some of the DNA from these woolly mammoths and combine it with DNA from modern elephants and possibly bring these gentle giants back to life.” (20:44, Guy Raz)

• “Woolly elephants” could help prevent permafrost melt and climate change:

  “These big woolly mammoths could, in theory, help slow down the permafrost melting by using their huge legs to push down on the snow and compact it and keep it frozen.” (23:51, Guy Raz)

• Real-world gene editing could engineer mosquitoes that can’t carry malaria—potentially ending the disease:

  “The mosquitoes that were born with the ability to fight off or resist the malaria virus also pass that genetic trait or characteristic to their babies.” (24:49, Guy Raz)
  “We could see the end of malaria, one of the deadliest diseases on our planet, and it could happen within our lifetime.” (25:16, Mindy)

III. Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Reggie gets existential about pockets:

  “I want so many pockets that my pockets have pockets. Or maybe one big pocket.” (26:18, Reggie)

• Mindy’s classic “Mevi’s” joke about gene-edited jeans:

  “I could just edit my Levi’s into Mevi’s.” (14:25, Mindy)

• Landing the time machine softly:

  “I’m glad I glued all my old stuffed animals to the walls...made for a softer landing.” (19:46, Mindy)

IV. Episode Wrap-Up

(26:45 - end)

• Reggie encourages more listener questions—reminder of the show’s interactive, participatory approach:

  “If you have a question for me, call and leave me a message...I just might answer your question on Wee Wow on the weekend.” (26:45, Reggie)

• Show closes with an original, silly goodbye song celebrating pockets and the fun spirit of the podcast.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 01:37 | Listener Q&A (butterflies, rainbows, guitar) | | 06:54 | Transition to "Homegrown Genome" relisten (ads skipped) | | 09:04 | Start of Homegrown Genome episode | | 10:07 | Genes vs. jeans joke; introduction to DNA/genomes | | 12:37 | DNA code magnitude (3.2 billion letters) | | 15:08 | Introduction to CRISPR | | 16:31 | How CRISPR works (gene editing analogy) | | 18:04 | Gene therapy for diseases (cystic fibrosis, etc.) | | 19:20 | Time machine, woolly mammoths, de-extinction | | 23:51 | Woolly mammoths fighting climate change | | 24:49 | Gene-edited mosquitoes and eradicating malaria | | 26:45 | Back to Reggie, wrap up/invitation for listener questions | | 26:53 | Goodbye song and episode close |

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Takeaways

• Science is amazing, and so much fun—complex topics like DNA and CRISPR become accessible and hilarious in the hands of Mindy, Guy Raz, and Reggie.
• Gene editing holds exciting potential: from treating diseases to reviving extinct animals, future Wowzers could live in a drastically different—and healthier—world.
• Listener participation and curiosity are celebrated, making kids feel smart, valued, and inspired.

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Notable Quotes

• “Everybody loves a transformation. It’s like magic.” (03:05, Mindy)
• “Genes, as in genomes, as in the DNA, as in the code of life, as in the stuff that makes you you and me, me.” (10:58, Guy Raz)
• “If you printed out every single letter that makes up one human being's genetic code, it would be 3.2 billion letters...like 800 dictionaries worth of letters.” (12:48, Mindy)
• “CRISPR makes it easy to move genes around in any living thing.” (16:31, Mindy)
• “We could see the end of malaria, one of the deadliest diseases on our planet, and it could happen within our lifetime.” (25:16, Mindy)
• “I want so many pockets, that my pockets have pockets.” (26:18, Reggie)

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In short:
This episode blends science, humor, and heart—making mind-bending genetics both understandable and exciting for curious kids and grownups alike!

Transcript

[Mindy]

Hey, Wowzer fams. Mindy and Guy Raz here. And before we start the show, we've got a little surprise for you. Reggie, cue the fanfare.

[Guy Raz]

Starting this week, we've got brand new episodes of wow in the World.

[Mindy]

Yep, that's right. Starting right here on our wow in the World podcast feed. And also our YouTube channel, WowTube. You can watch [e-mail].

[Guy Raz]

well, what are we waiting for? Let's get back to the show.

[Reggie]

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. Whatever. We wow on the weekend. Yeah, we wow on the weekend. We wow on the weekend. Cuz this is what we do on the weekend. Reggie, what are you doing? You're starting the podcast. Reggie. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't start without me. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. I'm here, I'm here. Reggie. I told you I was going to the bathroom and I'd be right back.

[Guy Raz]

What?

[Reggie]

I haven't been upstairs for two hours. What time is it? Oh, whatever. An hour and 45 minutes is not two hours. Besides, I'm ready now. We can start. Ahem. Hello and welcome to Wee Wow. I'm the Wee what? You already did the intro. Well, did you tell the listeners that I'm the host and you're the co host, and you told everyone that we chit chat and answer questions from devoted listeners and listen to our favorite episodes of Tinkercast podcasts. Okay, great. I'll take it from there. And we listen to our favorite episodes of Tinkercast podcasts. And today we're gonna. Today we're gonna. Psst, Reggie, what are we gonna do on the show today? Questions. Great. Yes, we are going to answer questions today. Okay, time for the first segment that I totally planned on having. The Q and A segment. Ahem. The Q and A segment. This is the part where we print out a bunch of questions that people left us on Apple podcasts and Spotify or whatever and read them aloud. Right? These aren't reviewsies. These are questions. Our first question comes from Helen. Helen asks, why don't butterflies just be butterflies? Why do they have to be caterpillars first? Wow, this is a great question, Helen. Because, Reggie, caterpillars turning into butterflies is what we call a glow up, right? So when caterpillars are born. Hatched. Whatever. When caterpillars are hatched. And they're just those little wormy things. They're not too special. Right, right. But then after they take a nap in their little sleeping bags. Chrysalises, whatever. After they take a nap, they transform into beautiful butterflies. Exactly. Everybody loves a transformation. It's like magic. And then everyone's like, wow, did you see that butterfly who used to look like a green bean with legs. What a glow up. Hope that helps. Next question. This next question is from Landon R. Landon asks, how do they choose the colors in the rainbow and why those colors? Good question, Landon. Okay, so just to review, the colors of the rainbow are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, Umm, indigo. Right, I always forget about that one. And purple, violet, whatever. And I think they choose those colors because they're pretty. Although they probably chose indigo just to confuse people. Because I don't know anyone who ever says the word indigo. And. Wait, Reggie, what do you mean nobody chose the colors? The colors in a real rainbow come from refracted light and reflection and dispersion and physics and science. Well, I don't know what any of that means, but Landon, if you're drawing a rainbow, you can choose whatever colors you want. Kay, next question. This last question comes from Joe, who asks, can you play the guitar? And if so, can you give us a sample? Well, of course I can, Jo. Just let me pull the old kid fiddle out. Gotta tune this baby up real quick. That sounds good. And here we go. Row, row, row you boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily. Reggie. What? It sounds horrible. Fine, then you do better. Oh wow. Keep going, keep going. Ah. Wow, Reggie, you really are good. Well, there you have it, Joe. Me and Reggie can both play guitar pretty well. Okay, fine. Reggie's really good and I need to practice more. Whatever. Okay, I think that's enough for today. Thanks for your questions everyone. Keep em coming. If you write me a question on Apple podcasts or Spotify, I just might read it on Wee Wow on the weekend. Okay, next up is a little segment I like to call Inside Tinkercast Studios. Ahem. 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 2, Episode 9 called Homegrown Genome. Wait, what's a genome? Is it like genes? Like pants for gnomes? Okay, okay, let's just listen to the episode. Here we go. And play

[Mindy]

Wee Wow will be right back. Grown ups, this message is for you.

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[Mindy]

Hello, it's me, Karlie Q from who When Wow. Mystery Edition and I have big news to share. I've learned a lot on my time traveling adventures over the years, like what to pack when you're traveling to Victorian England or the Must try foods when you're visiting the Viking age. Spoiler alert. The food is pretty good, but they don't have pie yet, which is a bummer. I can't wait to share my time travel tips and tricks with you all. You can listen to my new bite sized episodes in the who When Wow. Podcast feed now. Looks like lunch break is over. That's it. Now back to the show wow in the World. Okay, Reggie, wrench me. All right, just twist that up there. I'm gonna need the hammer, staple gun and some hot glue.

[Guy Raz]

Ouch.

[Mindy]

Good morning, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, I came over as soon as I heard about your new invention. I am so excited to see it.

[Mindy]

Thanks for your enthusiasm. Guy Raz. Put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this baby, but it's gonna be worth it.

[Guy Raz]

I know I talk about it a lot, but I really think gene editing technology is one of the most exciting and fascinating things happening in science right now.

[Mindy]

Well, I hope you brought your brain pump, Guy Raz, because this invention is going to blow your mind. Now sit back and relax as I present to you the latest and greatest in gene editing technology. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the party Pants Pocket pizzazzer. Huh?

[Guy Raz]

Wait, what is that? Mindy, it looks like a cross between a stapler and a sewing machine.

[Mindy]

Let me ask you a question, Guy Raz. How many times have you looked, looked at yourself in the mirror and thought, hmm, if only there was A way for me to spice up his old wool trousers. Like, maybe you wanted to attach some little bells to the bottoms but couldn't find the time.

[Guy Raz]

Well, I don't.

[Mindy]

Well, those problems are a thing of the past with the party pants pocket pizzazzer. Just gonna rev this baby up.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, when you invited me over to share your latest invention in gene editing technology, I thought you were talking about gen genes. Oh, clearly we're not on the same page here.

[Mindy]

Ah, yeah, you're talking about genes in our bodies, and I'm talking about the genes that you wear on your body.

[Guy Raz]

Ugh.

[Mindy]

Well, this is embarrassing.

[Guy Raz]

Yes. Genes, as in genomes, as in the DNA, as in the code of life, as in the stuff that makes you you and me, me.

[Mindy]

I know what genes, as in genomes, are, Guy Raz. They're like the instruction manuals for our bodies.

[Guy Raz]

Genes decide what color our eyes are,

[Mindy]

how tall we are, or whether or not we have to wear glasses. Like you.

[Guy Raz]

Exactly. Your genes decide whether you have allergies or red hair, or, in some cases, if you're born with a certain type of condition called a genetic disorder.

[Mindy]

So, like when a person has something like celiac disease, for example, and their bodies don't like gluten, and then they get really sick. Sick if they eat it, that kind of thing.

[Guy Raz]

Yep.

[Mindy]

And every time I hear people talk about the genes in your body, they always seem to talk about DNA as well.

[Guy Raz]

Exactly. So if genes are kind of like the instruction manual for the body, then DNA are the letters and words on the page of that instruction manual.

[Mindy]

And if I remember correctly, Guy Raz, the letters that make up the DNA code or are A, G, C and T, right?

[Guy Raz]

Well, that's right. Every single species on Earth is made up of these four letters. A, G, C and T. And each letter represents a different chemical that is a little like a building block that makes us. Well, us.

[Mindy]

So kind of like if we humans were buildings, then each letter would be a different brick.

[Guy Raz]

And, Mindy, if you printed out every single letter that makes up one human being's genetic code, it would be 3.2 billion letters of DNA.

[Mindy]

Wait a minute. 3.2 billion letters? Guy Raz, that's like 800 dictionaries worth of letters.

[Guy Raz]

Yes, and those 800 dictionaries, well, together, it's like the recipe book for one human being.

[Mindy]

Whoa.

[Guy Raz]

And, Mindy, the cool thing is that depending on the order you put those four letters in, well, that determines so much about our physical characteristics.

[Mindy]

Okay, I think I got it. So let's say, for example, I was born with a unicorn horn. That might mean that my DNA letters were all scrambled up, right?

[Guy Raz]

Well, yeah, even though that would be very, very rare and possibly unlikely.

[Mindy]

So then why were you so excited when you heard that I was inventing a gene editing machine?

[Guy Raz]

Well, because it would mean that we could reorder or change or edit those DNA letters and possibly help to heal people who are sick.

[Mindy]

So it's kind of like editing a book or a newspaper or even an email to your grandma. On the computer, you could just swap out an A and a C and replace it with a T. Or if

[Guy Raz]

there was DNA code that actually makes you sick. Well, in theory, with a gene editing machine, we could just edit those out. Or cut out those pesky DNA letters that are causing trouble in our bodies.

[Mindy]

Well, guess that means it's adios to the party pants Pocket Pizzazzar.

[Guy Raz]

No, don't. Don't throw it away, Mindy. I mean, you could still use it on, you know, on the jeans you're wearing.

[Mindy]

Yeah, that's a good point. I guess I could just edit my Levi's into Mevi's.

[Guy Raz]

Mevi's? Yeah, Me Vivi. Oh, now I get it. Levi's into Mevi's. Uh, Mindy, where'd you go?

[Mindy]

Hang on a second, Guy Raz. I just had to grab a book from my library.

[Guy Raz]

Wait,

[Mindy]

okay, I'm back. All right, let's see here. I got my trusty genetic dictionary. Now, let's see. Chromosomes, no CO dominance, no copy number variation. Nope, that's not. Oh, here it is. Crisper.

[Guy Raz]

Look, Mindy, we've had fried chicken for lunch every day, and I'm getting sick.

[Mindy]

I'm not talking about crispy fried chicken, Guy Raz. I'm talking about gene editing.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, of course, right. Crispr. You're talking about the groundbreaking path making gene editing technology that could revolutionize medical science.

[Mindy]

When you were talking about gene editing, I remembered that I read something about this new, new way to heal humans who are sick. And it's with this technology called crispr,

[Guy Raz]

also known as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic repeats, or crispr.

[Mindy]

And this amazing scientific technology was developed by biologists working for Professor Jennifer Doudna at UC Berkeley in California.

[Guy Raz]

And biologists are scientists who study life. Life like humans and animals and plants, and even microscopic or teeny tiny organisms. Like the bacteria on your hand.

[Mindy]

I have bacteria on my hands. I just washed them, like, two weeks ago. Why do I have hand bacteria?

[Guy Raz]

Well, we all do. Lots and lots of it.

[Mindy]

I gotta go wash them again. Be right back. Okay, I'm back. Where were we?

[Guy Raz]

We were talking about CRISPR technology.

[Mindy]

Oh, yeah. The easiest way to explain it is that CRISPR makes it easy to move genes around in any living thing. So living things like bacteria and, of course, humans.

[Guy Raz]

And with CRISPR technology, you could go into the human body, find the chain of letters that causes a disease or a genetic disorder, and then just cut out those letters or replace them with the right letters.

[Mindy]

Well, it hasn't been done in an actual living, breathing human just yet. But scientists have successfully used this technology in human embryos in a laboratory, so they know that it could eventually work in us.

[Guy Raz]

Wow. A human embryo. That's the stage when we grow inside our mom's bellies before we are born.

[Mindy]

Yep. And there's a lot of excitement around the possibility of being able to change some genes inside the human embryo. Genes that, if they weren't changed, could cause the embryo to become a human with a disease.

[Guy Raz]

Wow. What kinds of diseases or genetic disorders?

[Mindy]

Well, for starters, things like cystic fibrosis or muscular dystrophy or Huntington's disease.

[Guy Raz]

That's amazing, Mindy. I know that you kids and grown ups with cystic fibrosis have a really hard time breathing, and they can get sick a lot.

[Mindy]

Yep. And muscular dystrophy is also a condition that some people are born with. And over time, their muscles break down, which means they have a difficult time walking.

[Guy Raz]

So in theory, if CRISPR technology works, scientists could fix these genetic disorders even before the baby was born, while it was still growing inside her mommy's belly.

[Mindy]

Guy Raz, scientists have already shown that it can be done in the lab working on human cells.

[Guy Raz]

So it's just a matter of time before this technology is going to be used on real, live human beings.

[Mindy]

Yeah, and in fact, there are already some clinical trials happening right now.

[Guy Raz]

And clinical trials are when doctors ask people who are sick to volunteer to take certain medicine or try out a new medical operation.

[Mindy]

You got it.

[Guy Raz]

Well, that all sounds really cool, but you know what I'm super excited about?

[Mindy]

Oh, no. Guy Raz, please don't tell me you're genetically engineering Slurpees to taste like kale salad.

[Guy Raz]

What? No, no, Mindy, I'm talking about bringing the past right here to the present.

[Mindy]

Wait a minute. Say that again.

[Guy Raz]

Bringing the past right here to the present.

[Mindy]

You mean yesterday to today?

[Guy Raz]

Well, sort of, yeah.

[Mindy]

What does that have to do with gene editing?

[Guy Raz]

Well, actually, Mindy, I'll show you Here.

[Mindy]

Did that just fall through my gingerbread ceiling?

[Guy Raz]

Hop into the time machine.

[Mindy]

Well, okay, but I'm driving this time.

[Guy Raz]

Wait.

[Mindy]

Saddle up and hold on to your hot tamales. Guy Raz, wait.

[Guy Raz]

No, no, Mindy, you drive. Mindy.

[Mindy]

Well, I'm glad I glued all my old stuffed animals to the walls of this thing. Really made for a softer landing.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, yeah, I thought they were for insulation. Oh, well. Hey, let's open this hatch up.

[Mindy]

Let's do it.

[Guy Raz]

Whoa.

[Mindy]

Guy Raz, are we back in the Pleistocene era? Because it's breezing.

[Guy Raz]

I know. We're just here for of a bunch brief moment, because I want you to see those over there.

[Mindy]

Woolly mammoths. Oh, they're so cute.

[Guy Raz]

Mindy, what do those mammoths remind you of?

[Mindy]

Snuffleupagus.

[Guy Raz]

No, no, no. I mean a real animal.

[Mindy]

Oh. Oh, yeah. Well, I guess an elephant.

[Guy Raz]

Exactly right. Elephants are distant relatives of the woolly mammoth.

[Mindy]

Kind of like how we humans are distant cousins of chimpanzees.

[Guy Raz]

Yes, exactly.

[Mindy]

Okay, so why are we looking at woolly mammoths again?

[Guy Raz]

Because, believe it or not, Mindy, there are scientists who believe that we could take some of the DNA from these woolly mammoths and combine it with DNA from modern elephants and possibly bring these gentle giants back to life.

[Mindy]

Gentle Guy Raz, isn't that a stampede of woolly mammoths heading our way right now?

[Guy Raz]

We better get out of here. Mindy, run.

[Mindy]

Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run. Okay, hop inside, Guy Raz. All right, let me punch in the coordinates.

[Guy Raz]

Hurry up, Mindy.

[Reggie]

They're.

[Guy Raz]

They're getting closer.

[Mindy]

I'm going as fast as I can.

[Guy Raz]

Quick. I. I don't think our time machine is gonna survive this mammoth stampede.

[Mindy]

Almost there.

[Reggie]

Hurry.

[Guy Raz]

I must admit, Mindy, those stuffed animals really do make the landing a lot more comfortable.

[Mindy]

See, I told you we needed them all.

[Guy Raz]

Fair point.

[Mindy]

So you started to tell me about these scientists who want to bring back the woolly mammoth using gene editing technology.

[Guy Raz]

Yes, it's amazing. There are scientists at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who say that we might be able to crack this nut within two years.

[Mindy]

Two years? Woolly mammoths in two years?

[Guy Raz]

Well, maybe not real live woolly mammoths, but we might be on the path to truly discovering how we could do this.

[Mindy]

So how will they do this?

[Guy Raz]

Well, the cool thing about DNA is that it stays around even after humans and animals die. In fact, it can stay around for thousands of years in our bones.

[Mindy]

So we can actually get woolly mammoth DNA even though they're extinct. Yup, that's bunker balls.

[Guy Raz]

And even more amazing, Mindy, is that scientists believe that by using gene editing technology, they could, in theory, cut out the letters of an elephant's DNA code and then replace those letters with DNA from a big, hairy woolly mammoth.

[Mindy]

That's amazing. But let me just get one thing straight. So if that happened, it wouldn't become a real woolly mammoth because it would be part elephant. So it might be more like a woolly elephant, actually.

[Guy Raz]

That's right. It's sort of like when you cross two different types of dogs, the baby dog that's born looks a little like both.

[Mindy]

So how could these mammofins help us?

[Guy Raz]

Well, the researchers at Harvard have suggested that these woolly heroes could help us fight climate change. You know, the temperature of the Earth getting hotter by reducing the amount of permafrost melting in frozen areas of Earth.

[Mindy]

Oh yeah, permafrost. So permafrost is that land up around the Arctic Circle, closer to the North Pole, that's permanently frozen. And when it melts, it releases huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, right?

[Guy Raz]

That's right. And these big woolly mammoths could, in theory, help slow down the permafrost melting by using their huge legs to push down on the snow and compact it and keep it frozen.

[Mindy]

That's so cool.

[Guy Raz]

And even cooler than that, Mindy, is researchers at Imperial College in London because they've experimented with gene editing technology that could make mosquitoes that don't have a virus called malaria.

[Mindy]

Wait a minute. Isn't malaria like a super dangerous virus that can make us really sick?

[Guy Raz]

Yes, yes. And while it can be cured, it. It can still make you really sick. And it's usually only found in mosquitoes in very, very warm places, so countries that are around the equator or the center of our planet.

[Mindy]

And just to be clear, you can protect yourself by being really, really careful to use a lot of mosquito repellent, right?

[Guy Raz]

That's right. But the best part of this new mosquito gene editing is that the mosquitoes that were born with the ability to fight off or resist the malaria virus also pass that genetic trait or characteristic to their babies.

[Mindy]

So you're saying that the mosquitoes babies were also malaria resist even though they never had their genomes edited?

[Guy Raz]

Yes, exactly.

[Mindy]

Guy Raz, do you know what this means?

[Guy Raz]

What?

[Mindy]

We could see the end of malaria, one of the deadliest diseases on our planet, and it could happen within our lifetime.

[Guy Raz]

Indeed we could.

[Mindy]

Well, I know my original gene editing machine was a little bit different, but I could still edit your wooly trousers together with these skinny hipster jeans I just picked up at the store.

[Guy Raz]

No thanks, Mindy. I think I'll stick with my wool trousers.

[Mindy]

But I could edit on some bells and some sequins.

[Guy Raz]

I'm not sure.

[Mindy]

Rhinestones, some glitter, a few patches. Ooh, beads, pearls, ribbon, some flowers.

[Reggie]

Wow, gene editing sounds so cool. Sure, sure, sure. All that stuff about woolly mammoths and making mosquitoes resistant to malaria and helping cure genetic disorders and diseases. That stuff's cool, too. But I'm talking about pants. Yes, Reggie, I want my blue jeans edited. I need more pockets. Yes. I want so many pockets that my pockets have pockets. Or maybe one big pocket. Okay, let's wrap up the show and then go to Mindy's house so she can make us pocket pants. 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- wow Wow. I just might answer your question on Wee Wow on the weekend. Okay. Should we do the goodbye song?

[Guy Raz]

Good.

[Reggie]

That's the end of the show. I need to go and pick some pockets. But I don't mean stealing. I mean selecting a bunch of new pockets for my pants. But I'll do another show tomorrow. But for now, that's the end of the show. Eh, Eh. Bye.