Hey, Bowser fams! Mindy year! And before we start the show! Oh! Hey, Reg! What's that? A new pigeon dropping? Isn't that the postcard you send out to members of the world organization of Wowsers every quarter? Can I see it? What? You need to see if I'm a member of the WOW first? But Reg, come on! It's me, Mindy! Huh? You're not seeing a Mindy on the list? Okay, uh, try a Mandy. I think Thomas Finkirling signed me up. Yes! Can I get my pigeon dropping now? What? I gotta wait for it in the mail? But it's right there! Okay, fine. Guess I'll go wait out by the mailbox. In the meantime, to get the next quarterly mailing from Reggie, runups, you can sign your Wowser up to be a member of the World Organization of Wowsers by Monday March 16th. It's so top secret I haven't even seen it yet. Now, where'd I put my mailbox? Runups, when you sign your Wowser up to be a member of the World Organization of Wowsers, you also get birthday cards in the mail from me and Guy Ross, access to over a thousand online activities inspired by our podcast, and a welcome kit from me and Guy Ross, including our autographs and a special t-shirt. Plus, you get to help support all the work that goes into powering the WOW at TinkerCast. Runups, visit TinkerCast.com, slash membership to sign up today. That's TinkerCast.com slash membership. That's it! And now, let's get back to the show. And now, for everyone's second favorite game show after repeating everything your brother says, stop doing that, seriously! Stop! It's two Wots and the WOW! With your hosts, Mindy and Guy Wowser! Two Wots, Two Wots, Two Wots, Two Wots, Two Wots, Two Wots, Two Wots, Two Wots, Two Wots, and WOW! Hello and welcome back to Two Wots and Wows. The scientific game show that separates the WOWs from the Wots. And the category or theme for today is co-wows. Mindy, why don't you refresh our contestants on how the game works? You know it. Wowsers in each of our three rounds today, Guy Rosenai, will present you with three scientific statements about koalas. But... and this is a big but. Only one of those statements will be a true wow. The other two, just a couple of made up. What? Now, any round, if you guess correctly, well, congratulations, you win a point. But if you guess incorrectly, you must stop, drop into a redonculus physical challenge. Okay, everyone ready to start the game? Great, then let's get to it. Round one. Which of the following statements is a true scientific wow? Is it a, koalas are the only bears native to Australia? Or is it b? Koalas drink a cup of eucalyptan tea every morning. Or is it c? Koalas have two opposable thumbs on each hand. When you think you have the correct answer, say it in koala. Hey, red. Cute thinking music. And time is up. Let's now reveal the winning wow. And to do just that, it's Jack from North Carolina. Jack from North Carolina. What's the winning wow? Hi, my name is Jack. And my wow is that all of us have two opposable thumbs. Winner, winner, two thumbs up for dinner. Thank you, Jack. Contestants, if you guess the answer is C, that koalas have two opposable thumbs on each hand. Well, congratulations, you found the winning wow. We humans have opposable thumbs, meaning that our thumbs can move independently of our fingers and are placed roughly opposite of them. They help us to grab and hold things which makes them pretty handy to have around. Fun intended. And koalas actually have two opposable thumbs on each hand, which is pretty helpful with climbing the trees they live in. They also have a large opposable digit on their feet, which helps them grasp branches and stay securely in the trees. Now, if you did not get that answer correct, you must stop, drop, and climb a eucalyptus tree. Okay, round two. Which of the following statements is a true scientific wow? Is it A, most koalas live to be 80 years old? Or is it B, baby koalas eat their mom's poop? Or is it C? koalas live in groups called cutie pods. When you think you have the correct answer, yell koalawala ding dong! Hey, Reggie, cue the thinking music. One time is up and joining us by phone, it's Maya from Washington. Maya, please reveal the winning wow. Come on, we're going to get it right. My name is Maya. My world in the world is that baby koalas eat their mom's poop. Winter, winter, poop for dinner! That's gross! That's right, Maya. If you guessed B, that koalas eat their mom's poop, well, congratulations, you found the winning wow. Newborn baby koalas or joys drink milk from their mother's patch. But after about six weeks, they start eating something called pap, which is basically a softer, runnier version of their mother's poop. It is rich in protein and full of the mother's gut bacteria. And scientists think that eating pap helps transition the joys diet from milk to eucalyptus leaves. Now, if you did not get that answer correct, you must stop, drop, and run the whole length of Australia. Okay, time for round three. Which of the following statements is a true scientific wow? Is it A? Koalas have retractable tails. Or is it B? Koalas' favorite flavor of cupcake is fun-fetti. Or is it C? When baby koalas are born, they're the size of a jelly bean. When you think you have the correct answer, yell, make electus! No, you collectus! Ah, thinking music please! Okay, time is up. And joining us by phone, it's Andrew from Texas. Andrew, please reveal the winning wow. Hello, my name is Andrew. My wow is that when baby koalas are born, they are the size of a jelly bean. When are jelly bean babies from dinner? That's right, Andrew. Wowsers, if you guessed C, that when baby koalas are born, they're the size of a jelly bean. Well, congratulations, you found the winning wow. Koalas are marsupials like kangaroos. They give birth to underdeveloped joys, which are only about 2 centimeters long. These jelly bean sized newborns are blind with no fur or ears, so they kind of look like jelly beans too. And a newborn joey has to make its way across its mother's abdomen all the way to her pouch. Once the joey makes it into the pouch, it spends about 7 months continuing to grow, until it's ready to come out and join its mom. Now, if you did not get that answer correct, you must stop, drop, and crawl around like a baby koalpa. And now it's time to take a moment to thank our sponsors. Today's show is brought to you in part by sleeping all day. Do you like to sleep? So do koalas. They spend up to 22 hours a day, conked out in the trees, and so can you. Simply even dye it with very little nutrition, keep your metabolism low, and soon you'll have almost no energy at all. Let's hear it from some satisfied customers. You heard it here first, folks. Oh, sleeping all day. It's... Um, Mindy? Just put on the koalas you care us. Just put on the koalas. Okay, yeah, why don't we take a quick break and hear some other important messages for grownups. To what's in a while, we'll be right back. Grownups, this message is for you. Hey, grownups. Spring is right around the corner. And as schedules fill up with activities and travel, let IXL help you stay on top of your child's learning. IXL is an award-winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling. It offers interactive practice in math, language arts, science, and social studies for grades pre-K through 12th. IXL offers personalized learning for every child and gives parents clear insight into their progress. At TinkerCast, making learning fun is our bread and butter. So we love that IXL has games, awards, and celebrations to keep students motivated and engaged. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now. And wow, and the world listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at IXL.com slash wow. Visit IXL.com slash wow to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. That's it, now back to the show. Welcome back to Two Wots and a Wow. Two Wots and a Wow. The scientific game show that separates the wows from the wows. What was that? Oh, GuyRaz, that sound can mean only one thing. Reggie's throwing a party. Oh, it's time for today's Bunker Balls bonus round. Now, if you listen to our Wow in the World episode titled The Great Salt Lake, you'll know the answer to this one. And the question for this round is… Breaking news. The Great Salt Lake is shrinking. Yep, now the Great Salt Lake is around 2500 square kilometers large. But 40 years ago, in 1985, the lake was almost three times that size. So what's the main reason that the lake is shrinking? Is it A? Climate change. Or is it B? Or is it C? Denysca, really, really thirsty one day. And with the answer to today's Bunker Balls bonus question, it's Reggie. Reggie, tell us what's the winning wow. Well, if you answered B, you are correct. So climate change-related droughts have certainly driven some shrinkage of the lake. The main reason that the lake is a third of its original size is because of unsustainable water usage in the towns and cities that surround it. Luckily, city planners and residents have a plan to reverse this shrinking and bring the lake back to the size it used to be all those years ago. Well, congratulations to all of our winning wowsers, many what's today's prize. Our today's winning wowsers will all receive their very own lifetime supply of eggs. Eggs. Right, you're the prize cannon. Oh no. Fire away. Hooray. Hooray. Oh, sorry, that one broke. Sorry, that one too. Oh, try to catch him, people. You're breaking the eggs. Well, that's about all the time we have for today. But if you want to keep the fun going, then become a member of the world organization of wowsers and unlock hundreds of activities. And for any teachers in our listening audience, consider joining Tinker Class. Our free brand new learning platform that helps get kids wild about science. Visit tinkercast.com slash membership. That's tinkercast.com slash membership. And be sure to come back on Monday for a brand new episode of WOW in the world is weekend for some wee-wow in the weekend with Dennis. And again on Friday for a new episode of Two Wots in a WOW. Until then, keep on wowing. Two Wots in a WOW is executive produced by Meredith Halpern-Ranzer, Mindy Thomas, and me, Kyraz. Our writers are Ruth Morrison and Anna Zagorski with collaboration from our head writer, Kenny Curtin. Sound production and design is by Marion LaZana with help from Jed Anderson and Tyler Thull. Thanks to Rebecca Caban, Dr. Natasha Crandall, Lizzie Freilich, Kristen Yang, Tweed Mack, Erica Medina, Henry Moskall, Jody Nussbaum, Ali Paxima, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Joanna Weber, Anna Zagorski, and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ. Our theme song was written and composed by the pop-ups. For more on their three-time Grammy-nominated All-Age's music, find them at thepopups.com. To keep the WOW rolling after you finish this episode, you can visit us at tinkercast.com. There, you can become a member of the World Organization of Wowsers to get year-round mailings and weekly activities. Shop our WOW shop, get tickets for upcoming events, find our best-selling books, and learn all about the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast. Grown-ups, you can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at WOW in the world, and our email address is helloatinkercast.com. Finally, if you're educated with a big WOW to share, it could be used on an upcoming episode of Two Wots in a WOW. Call us at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW. Thanks again for listening and playing along. Meet us back here next Friday for every Monday for WOW in the World. WOW in the world was made by Tinkercast and set to you by Wondry.
