WeWow on the Weekend (9/6/25)

Summary

Wow in the World: WeWow on the Weekend (9/6/25)

Podcast: Wow in the World
Hosts: Mindy Thomas, Guy Raz, and Dennis (with Reggie the pigeon)
Date: September 6, 2025
Episode Theme:
This special "WeWow on the Weekend" episode blends a fun Q&A segment with a science-themed story, exploring why mosquitoes are attracted to some people more than others. Dennis hosts lively interactions with listeners before revisiting a classic "Wow in the World" segment about mosquitoes, genetics, and some very stinky socks.

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Main Themes and Purpose

• Listener Engagement: Dennis takes center stage answering quirky, real questions from kid listeners.
• Mosquito Mysteries: Mindy and Guy revisit a science segment asking, “Why do mosquitoes pick on some people and not others?”
• Genetics & Smelly Socks: The role of DNA (and personal odor) in attracting mosquitoes, and how scientists are investigating this with creative experiments.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Q&A with Dennis and Reggie

[02:18 – 08:53]

• Dennis, with his co-host Reggie the pigeon, answers a variety of listener questions.
• Topics range from animal biology to sibling rivalry, oversized coffee cups, and gingerbread houses.

Notable Questions & Answers:

• How does Dennis understand Reggie the Pigeon?
  • Dennis jokes that Reggie has a "very strong pigeon accent" (04:23), but he usually understands except for some words.
• Why does my little brother copy me?
  • Dennis sympathizes in a humorous way and claims he doesn’t copy people (05:18).
• Have you ever eaten Mindy's Gingerbread Mansion?
  • Dennis describes the mansion as "mass produced construction gingerbread which replaces the sugar with adhesive and sawdust" (05:48).
• Why do you like yourself so much?
  • Dennis cheekily answers: “Because I’m the best” (06:31).
• How many cups of coffee do you drink a day?
  • Dennis insists it’s only one, but comically reveals it's a comically enormous mug (06:46).

2. Inside Tinkercast Studios: Mosquitoes & Stinky Socks

[08:53 – 19:42]

• Dennis introduces a favorite segment from the archives: “Mosquitoes and Stinky Socks.”
• Mindy and Guy Raz perform a skit and discussion on why mosquitoes prefer some people.

Science Story Breakdown:

Why Do Some People Attract Mosquitoes?

• Personal Smell & Taste:
  • Mindy experiments with covering herself in cheese to be more “attractive” to mosquitoes (10:06), which doesn’t work.
  • Guy Raz is attacked just for using Mindy’s “sunscreen” (which turns out to be ranch dressing, 09:45).
• Mosquito Senses:
  • Female mosquitoes use "CPA neurons" to smell carbon dioxide from human breath (13:07).
  • Mosquitoes are drawn to people who exhale more CO₂—pregnant women, larger people, and those with higher body temperatures.
• The Genetics Angle:
  • Professor James Logan suspects genetics also play a role (13:43).
  • Identical twins tend to attract the same mosquitoes, while non-identical twins do not (15:49).
  • Suggests a heritable genetic component to “mosquito deliciousness.”
• The Stinky Sock Experiment:
  • Scientists collect socks from 100 sets of twins, throw them in a wind tunnel full of mosquitoes, and see which socks attract more bugs (16:46–17:13).
  • They’ll analyze both the chemical makeup (smell) and the DNA of the sock wearers.
• Why It Matters:
  • If the key to mosquito attraction is cracked, scientists hope to develop medicines or repellants to help people—especially in areas where mosquitoes spread disease (18:11).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dennis, on understanding Reggie:
  • “Reggie has a very strong pigeon accent, so it can be difficult to understand sometimes…now do your impression of that actor from that movie we like. Stop, stop, stop.” (04:23)
• On Mindy’s Gingerbread Mansion:
  • “It’s mass produced construction gingerbread which replaces the sugar with adhesive and sawdust.” (05:48)
• On Self-Love:
  • “Oh, well, that’s easy. Because I’m the best.” (06:31)
• Dennis, about coffee:
  • “My cup is big…well, who cares how big my coffee cup is?” (06:46)
• Guy Raz, on ranch as sunscreen:
  • “No, I just put on the sunscreen that you had in your bag.”
  • Mindy: “Oh yeah, so that was ranch, but…” (09:50)
• Mindy, on cheese experiment:
  • “Don’t try to change who you are just to attract a bunch of mosquitoes.” (11:07)
• On Identical Twins:
  • “They found out that if mosquitoes were attracted to one identical twin, they were more likely to also be attracted to the other identical twin.” (15:49)
• Mindy, on the sock experiment:
  • “These scientists will gather pairs of stinky socks from 100 sets of identical and non identical twins…The scientists will then throw these stinky socks into a wind tunnel with a bunch of mosquitoes…to blow around the stink.” (16:46–17:13)
• Guy Raz, on mosquito victim status:
  • “Well, whatever that group is, I’m pretty sure I’m in it, Mindy.” (18:40)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Q&A Segment Begins: 02:18
• Listener asks about Dennis/Reggie communication: 04:16
• Sibling copying dilemma: 05:07
• Gingerbread mansion taste test: 05:40
• Why does Dennis like himself?: 06:23
• Coffee cup question: 06:37
• Dennis transitions to 'Mosquitoes and Stinky Socks': 08:53
• Classic segment intro (Mindy & Guy): 09:06
• Ranch dressing sunscreen confusion: 09:45
• Personal experiments with cheese and mosquitoes: 10:41
• How mosquitoes pick their targets: 11:26–13:07
• Twins experiment explained: 14:44–15:49
• Stinky sock wind tunnel experiment: 16:38–17:13
• Discussion on real-world benefits: 18:11–18:30
• Dennis wraps up and reflects: 18:49

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Conclusion

This family-friendly episode provides science fun and laughs, mixing Dennis’s playful listener interactions with an engaging, educational revisit to a favorite “Wow in the World” topic. Kids are taken from goofy Q&As through a wild ride with mosquitoes and genetics, all with the quirky, energetic spirit that defines the show.

Perfect for:

• Curious kids and parents looking for a STEM adventure
• Anyone who’s ever wondered why mosquitoes seem to pick on them
• Listeners who enjoy humor, creative science, and lively banter

Final Dennis signoff:
“Gimme a call if you’re my long lost twin and I’ll do another show tomorrow. But for now, that’s the end of the show. Bye.” (19:42)

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.

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[Dennis]

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 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 Clap clap We wow on the weekend cause this is what we do on the weekend. Hello and welcome to We Wow on the Weekend. I'm your host Dennis and that's Reggie, my co host actually. Yeah, what does the co and co host mean? Cold blooded. Are you a cold blooded host, Reggie? Oh, pigeons aren't cold blooded. Well, what animals are Cold blooded lizards and snakes. Ew. No, I don't want to talk about that. Let's move on and answer questions from my devoted listeners. Fine. Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine. Our devoted listeners who are mostly listening to me anyway. Let's do the Q and A segment. 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. That's me. Do you have a question? Well, I do too. Lots of them. And who's gonna answer all my questions? You? Probably not. But I guess I can answer yours. Leave me a message.

[Listener]

Hi, Dennis, my name is Riley, I live in Maryland and I love you guys show.

[Dennis]

Thanks.

[Listener]

I'm watching it right now, matter of fact. Well, would you have been told that we're in a crazy age?

[Dennis]

So many scufferies and jumping.

[Listener]

How do you know what Reggie tells you? Like, how do you know what he says?

[Mindy]

Love you.

[Listener]

Bye.

[Dennis]

Oh, thanks, Riley. And yeah, well, Reggie has a very strong pigeon accent, so it can be difficult to understand sometimes. I understand him most of the time, except for certain words like Reggie say refrigerator. Okay, now say it again with a French accent. Okay, now do a robot voice. Okay, now do your impression of that actor from that movie we like. Stop, stop, stop. Okay, okay. We need to move on or I'm gonna wet my pants. Next question.

[Listener]

Hi, my name is Jessica. My question for you is. Why does my brother always copy me? Oh, he's six years old and he's so annoying. Thanks, Dennis.

[Dennis]

Oh, Jessica. Oh no, he's copying you. That's horrible. Reggie, I do not copy everyone and then shout twins just to try to fit in. No, I don't. That's a big, big lie. Reggie, stop doing that. Next question.

[Listener]

Hi, Dennis. Have you ever eaten any part of Mindy's Gingerbread Mansion? Thanks. And say hi to dentist for me.

[Dennis]

Oh, dentist says hi. And yes, I have tried eating some of Mindy's Gingerbread Mansion before and it's not very tasty. It's mass produced construction gingerbread which replaces the sugar with adhesive and sawdust. Well, it tastes like sawdust. Yeah.

[Mindy]

Huh.

[Dennis]

I snuck into her yard and tried to eat some that one time Mindy added on the indoor jumbo sized mini golf course. Well, it had rained the day before, so all the gingerbread walls were stale and slimy. Yeah, you're right. The gumdrops taste good. Next question.

[Listener]

Hi, Dennis. My name is Jarrett and I live in Connecticut. I have a question for You. Why do you like yourself so much?

[Dennis]

Oh, well, that's easy. Because I'm the best. Next question.

[Listener]

Hi, I'm Reese. Hi, I'm Leighton and we're from Southside, Alabama. We have a question. How many cups of coffee do you drink in a day?

[Dennis]

Great question, Rhys. Enlightened. I only drink one cup of coffee a day. Brewed with fresh single origin beans imported from Peru's Cajamarca region, hand picked and sorted, fully washed and sun dried, roasted to perfection and brewed by yours truly, Reggie. I do too. Only drink one cup a day. My cup is big. Well, who cares how big my coffee cup is? They asked how many cups, not how big your giant coffee cup. I mean my perfectly normal sized coffee cup that I ordered from cute and custom enormous CoffeeCups.org. well, thanks for your calls, everyone. If you've got a question for me, call and leave me a message. The number is 1-888-7-WWOW. I just might answer your question on Wee Wow on the weekend. Okay, that takes care of that. Oh, alright, let's move on to 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 gonna listen to a story from wow in the World. Season 1, episode 15 called Mosquitoes and Stinky Socks. Oh, no. Bugs and smelly feet are among my least favorite things. Yes, I've even written a song and it goes a little something like this. Gym socks with sandals and loud motorcycles. When Guy Raz won't come to my piano recitals. Dog's breath and rats breath and insects that sting. These are among my least favorite things. Cow breath and horse breath and hippopotamus breath and alligator breath. Okay, fine. I'm mostly. I really just don't like it when things breathe on me. Right, let's listen to the episode. Okay, here we go. And play Wee Wow.

[Mindy]

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

[Dennis]

Well, in the world.

[Guy Raz]

Ah, get away from me.

[Mindy]

Guy Raz. Why do you keep slapping yourself in the face, Mindy?

[Guy Raz]

These mosquitoes are trying to eat me alive.

[Mindy]

Aw, well, that just means they're hungry. Give them a little bite. Yeah, they are really going for it. You must taste delicious, Guy Raz.

[Guy Raz]

What?

[Mindy]

Wait. Oh, are you wearing ranch dressing?

[Guy Raz]

No, I just put on the sunscreen that you had in your bag.

[Mindy]

Oh, yeah, so that was ranch, but.

[Guy Raz]

The label on it. Said it.

[Mindy]

No, it's a long story.

[Guy Raz]

Well, if they're biting me because I taste delicious, why aren't they biting you? I mean, you're covered in cheese. Wait, why are you covered in cheese?

[Mindy]

Oh, well, it's actually part of a little experiment I'm conducting. Oh, no, See, I never get bitten by mosquitoes.

[Guy Raz]

Ouch. Well, consider yourself lucky, Mindy.

[Mindy]

Lucky. I take offense to it, Guy Raz. It's like they're. Like they're. Like they're repulsed by me or something. Like I'm not good enough for them.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah, I don't see a problem here.

[Mindy]

I mean, just look at them with you. So, yeah, you're covered in salad dressing. But even if you weren't, those mosquitoes just still wouldn't be able to get enough of you.

[Guy Raz]

And this is why you covered yourself from head to toe in slices of American cheese?

[Mindy]

Well, I just thought maybe if I could just make myself taste more delicious, then maybe the mosquitoes would come, you know?

[Guy Raz]

No, I. I don't. This is really weird, Mindy.

[Mindy]

Anywho, I've learned a lot from this experiment. Like.

[Guy Raz]

Like, mosquitoes don't eat cheese.

[Mindy]

No, like, be yourself. Don't try to change who you are just to attract a bunch of mosquitoes. And maybe it's not about the taste at all. Uh, see, there's this scientist, Professor James Logan, and he's a medical entomologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

[Guy Raz]

Oh, yeah, a medical entomologist. A scientist who studies how insects. Insects, like mosquitoes Affect human health.

[Mindy]

Exactly. And as a medical entomologist, Professor Logan wants to find out once and for all what makes mosquitoes so attracted to some humans like you and not at all attracted to other humans like you. You don't have to rub it in.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, sorry.

[Mindy]

Anywho, there have been a bunch of studies that have shown that mosquitoes may be attracted to things that smell or look a certain way, or people who sweat more, or people with higher body temperatures, and even women who are pregnant with babies.

[Guy Raz]

Because pregnant women usually have a higher body temperature, right?

[Mindy]

Yeah. And because they're generally among a group of people who breathe out more carbon dioxide than others.

[Guy Raz]

Interesting. You know, we've talked a lot about carbon dioxide and how it comes from things like cars that burn gasoline to keep them going or when we burn coal to generate electricity for our homes.

[Mindy]

Right, but our human bodies also release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every time we breathe out. No need to hold your breath, Guy Raz. It's perfectly Normal for humans to breathe carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In fact, we breathe it in, too, along with oxygen. But when we breathe out, we release more carbon dioxide than we do oxygen.

[Guy Raz]

So back to the mosquitoes. How would they know if one human is releasing more carbon dioxide than another? I mean, carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas.

[Mindy]

Okay, well, female mosquitoes have these little sensors called CPA neurons, and they help them to detect carbon dioxide.

[Guy Raz]

Wow.

[Mindy]

And researchers have also discovered that there seems to be a connection between mosquitoes.

[Guy Raz]

And large and tall people, because, I guess, well, large and tall people would give off more carbon dioxide.

[Mindy]

Yeah. And they have more body surface area, so they breathe in more of it, which means they also breathe out more of it.

[Guy Raz]

Well, if we know all of this, then what's the mystery that this medical entomologist, Professor Logan, is trying to solve?

[Mindy]

Okay, so Professor Logan has this hunch that there might be more to why mosquitoes attack some people but not others. And it might have to do with something called genetics.

[Guy Raz]

Genetics, huh? So like the human characteristics passed down from grandparents to parents to kids.

[Mindy]

Yeah, exactly. So every human being looks a certain way, talks a certain way, and even walks a certain way in part because of the genetic code inside our bodies.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah. Kind of like how you sound exactly like your mom when you laugh.

[Mindy]

Yeah. And how you sneeze exactly like your dad.

[Guy Raz]

I do?

[Mindy]

Uh, yeah.

[Guy Raz]

Okay, so what would give Professor Logan the idea that genetics could have something to do with which humans mosquitoes prefer?

[Mindy]

Well, this is where it gets interesting.

[Guy Raz]

Go on.

[Mindy]

The answer is twins.

[Guy Raz]

Twins? Uh huh.

[Mindy]

Twins like you and me.

[Guy Raz]

Uh, we're not twins.

[Mindy]

Yeah, but I mean, we look exactly alike. Uh, no, if you cross your I's.

[Guy Raz]

Nope.

[Mindy]

Okay, so about two years ago, Professor Logan and some other researchers gathered about 40 sets of twins. Half of them were identical.

[Guy Raz]

So the kind of twins that look almost exactly alike.

[Mindy]

Right. And half of them were non identical.

[Guy Raz]

Meaning that they did not necessarily look alike.

[Mindy]

Yep.

[Guy Raz]

But why twins? Why not just two siblings? One brother, one sister?

[Mindy]

Well, there's been other research that's shown that identical twins actually smell more alike than non identical twins or regular siblings. And this has to do with the fact that they're genetically more alike.

[Guy Raz]

And the way they smell matters because.

[Mindy]

The way they smell matters because like, like I said earlier, smell is believed to be one of the things that attracts mosquitoes to certain people.

[Guy Raz]

Got it. So when these researchers experimented with these sets of twins, what did they find out?

[Mindy]

They found out that if mosquitoes were attracted to one identical twin, they were more likely to also be attracted to the other identical twin.

[Guy Raz]

And what about in the non identical twins?

[Mindy]

Well, in the non identical twins, there didn't seem to be a real connection between their twinsiness and how badly the mosquitoes wanted to eat them.

[Guy Raz]

And since identical twins are closer genetically than other siblings or family members, does Professor Logan suspect that there's a certain part of our genetic code that makes some people taste and even smell better to mosquitoes than others?

[Mindy]

Yes, but it's still not clear exactly what that gene is. But Professor Logan and some scientist pals plan to conduct an experiment to help them get closer to the answer.

[Guy Raz]

And what's the experiment?

[Mindy]

I was hoping you'd ask that. Because it's a crazy experiment.

[Guy Raz]

Well, if you think it's crazy, Mindy.

[Mindy]

These scientists will gather pairs of stinky socks from 100 sets of identical and non identical twins from the UK and Gambia.

[Guy Raz]

This is starting to smell like a scheme you cook up.

[Mindy]

And it gets better.

[Guy Raz]

Wow.

[Mindy]

The scientists will then throw these stinky socks into a wind tunnel with a bunch of mosquitoes.

[Guy Raz]

Wait, wait, why a wind tunnel?

[Mindy]

To blow around the stink. I told you this was a crazy experiment.

[Guy Raz]

Yeah. So what do they hope to find out?

[Mindy]

Well, first these scientists plan to figure out which of these stinky socks the mosquitoes like best. And then they'll study what it was about those socks that attracted the mosquitoes to them in the first place.

[Guy Raz]

And what kind of things will they study?

[Mindy]

So they plan to study the chemical combinations or the recipe that makes up the stink.

[Guy Raz]

And what about the genetics that you mentioned earlier?

[Mindy]

Well, they also plan to study how the DNA of the two groups of twins affect how attracted the mosquitoes are to the socks.

[Guy Raz]

And by DNA, you mean the microscopic bits in the human body that we get from our parents and grandparents and great grandparents that are found in our cells and together make up our genetic code.

[Mindy]

Eggs. Exactly.

[Guy Raz]

So if these scientists are able to figure out what it is that makes some humans so tasty to mosquitoes, will they also be able to find a way to make people like me less tasty?

[Mindy]

Well, that's the idea, Guy Raz. I mean, if we could figure this out, scientists might be able to make a pill or another type of medicine that we could take to help keep the mosquitoes off of us, especially in places around the world where the mosquitoes carry bad diseases.

[Guy Raz]

Wow. So this stinky sock in a wind tunnel experiment could actually save lives.

[Mindy]

And not only that, but it might also help us to find out which groups of people based on their genes are most likely to become Mosquito Munch.

[Guy Raz]

Well, whatever that group is, I'm pretty sure I'm in it. Mindy.

[Dennis]

Yay. That was so cool. I didn't even really mind that it was about bugs and gross socks. And what about the thing where mosquitoes were attracted to identical twins the same amount? I know. I'm practically twins with, like, everyone. Reggie. What if I have a real twin out there somewhere and, like, we got separated when we were babies? Yeah, just like Parent Trap. Oh, good idea. We should watch Parent Trap later. All right, let's wrap up the show. That's the end of the show. Gimme a call if you're my long lost twin and I'll do another show tomorrow. But for now, that's the end of the show. Bye.

[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] survey.