Hey, Bowser fams, Mindy-Year, and before we start the show.
Hey, Regg, what's that? A new pigeon drop-in?
Isn't that the postcard you send out to members of the World Organization of Wowsers every quarter?
I see it! What?
“You need to see if I'm a member of the WLW first?”
But Regg, come on, it's me, Mindy! Huh? You're not seeing a Mindy on the list? Okay, uh, try, Mindy. I think Thomas Fingerling signed me up. [crying] Yes! Can I get my pigeon dropping now? What? I got a wait for it in the mail?
It's right there! [crying] Okay, fine, guess I'll go way out by the mailbox. [crying] In the meantime, to get the next quarterly mailing from Regg,
grownups, you can sign your Wowser up to be a member of the World Organization of Wowsers by Monday, March 16th. [crying] It's so top secret I haven't even seen it yet. [crying] Now, where did I put my mailbox?
[crying] Bornups, 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 Ros, access to over 1,000 online activities inspired by our podcast,
and a welcome kit from me and Guy Ros,
including our autographs in a special t-shirt. Plus, you get to help support all the work that goes into powering the Wow at Tinkercast. [crying] grownups visit tinkercast.com/membership to sign up today. That's tinkercast.com/membership.
That's it! And now, let's get back to the show. [crying] Is it? [crying] [crying]
[crying] [crying] [crying] [crying] [crying]
[crying] [crying] ♪ I don't know what you've been told ♪ ♪ We're in a golden age ♪ ♪ So many scufferies ♪
♪ That a jump in off the page ♪ ♪ Wow to the world ♪ ♪ Wow to the world ♪ ♪ Wow to the world ♪ ♪ Wow to the world ♪
♪ Wow to the world ♪ ♪ Wow to the world ♪ ♪ Wow to the world ♪ ♪ Wow to the world ♪ [crying]
[crying] [crying] [crying] [crying] Welcome to Hell's Way.
Your local neighborhood, all natural eco-conscious food pantry.
“Remember, a sustainable future is just about full of way.”
Okay, let me just check my shopping list here. Uh, Kienwak. Check. Kail. Check.
Tomatoes. Check. And... [crying] Bindi! What?
I thought we were supposed to be making a salad tonight. We are! Don't worry, guys, rise. These are green marshmallows. What kind of salad has marshmallows in it?
Uh, a good one. Please put them back. Oh, fine. But I'm keeping the maple syrup. Okay, let's see where I was.
Ah, yes, uh, tomatoes. Check. Okay, that looks like it's everything, uh, now to the checkout line. And this one doesn't seem too long.
Uh, yep, there's your seat. Thomas Fingerling? Oh, hey there, Mr. Rassie. What are you doing here? What do you mean?
I work here. You work at the Health Way grocery store. Well, sure. Why? Well, nobody else could seem to wrangle D-force.
Okay, I'm back from my bathroom, right? Uh, excuse me. D-force, you work here too? No. I'll just take the money.
That'll be $75. What?
“You should probably just give her the money.”
You don't want to see her get angry. Well, uh, I'm already angry. I'm going to ring. Huh. Okay, this car smells back, I rise.
But I really think we should get these budgy brownies for that. Thomas Fingerling? Huh. Give my cheap wars. Hi, no.
What are you two doing here? They work here. We work here. You do? Apparently.
I'll just take the money. Ah, she's just being modest. Chief forces, the fastest grocery bagger this side of the wherever we are. Whatever. Speaking of which, uh, you need a reusable bag for all these vegetables, guys, Rossie.
No, uh, sure. Oh, no, that's okay. I brought my own bags. There's somewhere in here. Where'd I put those bags?
Oh, here we go. Oh, those plastic bags? Uh-oh. Oh, what just happened? Maybe this is an all-natural, eco-conscious, full pantry.
Really? I thought it was a grocery store. They take their environmental issues here very seriously.
Plastic bags.
They are a big, no-no. But they're all a big plastic bags are different. How? Well, there she is. There's the lady that takes me and find them.
Get her. Come on. Hey, do you back in out of here? Come on, medieval. [screaming]
I brought my bag. I brought my bag. I need you for shopping. Oh, that was a close one.
“Well, I guess that's what we get for forgetting our reusable bags.”
Well, if everyone in there had actually given me a second to explain myself,
they would know that these plastic bags aren't actually all that bad for the environment. What do you mean? Well, I'll tell you about it on the way home. Come on, let's emulate and pontificate.
What? What can talk? Ah! You see, guys, these bags are bio-degradable. Bio-degradable, you mean they break down in nature?
Yeah, just like a banana peel or compost or an apple core. The bag breaks down just like that? Yeah, they're based on these plastic bags that were developed at the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology. Well, that was helpful.
You mean jam stick? Yeah, that's much easier to say. Anywho, I was excited to try out these new bio-degradable bags that they developed.
It's sort of realized people would freak out so much.
Uh-huh, and how long does it take for these bags to fully disintegrate? Well, this research found that the bags lost 80% of their mass in just over a year. In other words, 80% of the bag disappeared in over a year. Ah, that's super fast, considering that normal plastic bags can take tens or hundreds or even a thousand years to fully break down.
I know! So, how does it all work? Well, Gyros, I could tell you. Yes. But I'd rather show you.
Look, we made it back to my gingerbread mansion. Oh, yeah! [sighs] I freshly baked the front door this morning. Come on, follow me.
Heee! Yeah! Yes! How sweet, hum!
Literally, because it's gingerbread.
“Mindy, why is there a giant tank of water in the middle of your living room?”
Oh, that's just for science, Gyros. For science, you needed a bus-sized tank of water in your living room for science? Yeah, you wanted to know how these biodegradable bags worked. So, we're going to run a little science experiment. Just like they did at Jamstack.
A science experiment about plastic bags in this aquarium? Yeah, part of developing these biodegradable plastic bags meant that the researchers had to observe how they broke down in sea water. Okay. And we're going to do the same.
Wait, this is sea water? Yeah, originally I brought this sea water home from our trip to the beach last week, and I was going to use it to cook potatoes for our salad tonight. So, let me just see if I understand the experiment here, Mindy. Okay.
We're going to take some of your plastic bags. Uh-huh. Put them in this giant tank of sea water. Yeah. And then observe them as they break down over time.
You know it. Let me just climb up this ladder here. Oh, okay. Now I just kind of fold the bags out of my pocket and drop them in the sea water, dropping in the bag.
“But Mindy, didn't you say that it takes just over a year for these plastic bags to break down?”
Uh-huh. So, we're just going to stand around here for a year? Yes, of course we're not just going to stand around for over a year guy, but that's what the wow machine is for. Wow, machine, where are we going?
Well, we're going in here. In the sea water tank? You know it. We're going to get up close in personal guy rods to see just how this plastic bag breaks down in the ocean. Come on, all me.
Wow, machines in the garage. Oh, okay. Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk. Uh-huh. The name the door.
Sorry, I just been making a couple of tweaks to the wow machine. Hey, ride, ride team. The wow machine ready yet? Yeah, that's good enough for me. Come on, guy, rise.
Okay. Yeah, we'll be back in like 13 minutes. You can reinstall the temporal stabilizer when we get back. Hmm, it'll be fine. Stop worrying, red.
Come on, hop on in, guy, rise. All right. Closing the hatch. Strap in, guy, rise. It's time to shrink a five.
Shrink a five. Yeah, in order to see how this bag gets broken down, we have to shrink down to the microscopic level. If you say so, Mindy.
I do say so.
I'll strap in.
“Uh, there's nothing to strap in with, Mindy.”
Well, then you better hold on to something.
Because, here we go. All right, now let's see if we made it. All right. You want to open those blinds, guy, rise? Oh, uh, sure.
Opening the blinds. Whoa, oh, yeah. Where are we, Mindy? We can't you tell, guy, rise? We're in my giant living room.
See, water, aquarium. And that giant shelly fish looking wall in front of us? That's our plastic bag. Whoa, we really are small. Yep, we're on the microscopic scale now, buddy.
You could fit about five million wow machines
in the head of a needle at this size. And so, when does this plastic bag start to break down, Mindy? Yeah, in a couple of months. Let me just see if I could speed us up with a little bit of a good old fashion time travel. Now, where did I put the fast forward foot?
Down it. All right, here we go. Fast forward.
“Okay, you should be coming up on three months, right?”
Down, down, down. Phew, okay, let me just see here. What was that, Mindy? Wow! What's that sound?
That's the wild machines proximity alarm.
Uh, I have a bad feeling about this. Here it comes. What is that? Guy Roz, behold, the bag eating micro. Um, micro, you mean those microscopic teeny tiny little creatures
that live on and inside our bodies? Yeah, but they don't just live on our bodies, Guy Roz. They also live out in nature. They're like nature's invisible workers. Some live in the soil where they break down dead plants and animals
turning them into nutrients that help new things grow. And in the ocean, some microbes make oxygen for us to breathe. And these ocean microbes? Well, there are the reason these bags are able to be broken down. What do you mean?
Wait for it. Wait for it. Uh, wait for it. Mindy, is that micro-beating that plastic bag? Uh, huh?
And that is how the plastic bag is able to lose 80% or most of its mass in just a little over a year. Because they break down this biodegradable plastic in the same way that other microbes break down other tough materials? You know it. See, the scientists from JamsTech knew that there were other microbes out there
that eat oil and wood even some metals. So they had an idea. Yeah? If they can eat up those other things, then maybe they could add this newly developed biodegradable plastic to the menu too.
Huh? Oh, here comes another one. Oh, these microbes are hungry today. You know, Mindy, they actually look kind of cute. Yeah, it's of the most adorable little micro-organisms I've ever seen.
But Mindy, where's all that plastic go?
“I mean, you know, after it gets eaten by these microbes?”
Wow! Does that answer your question? Uh, did that micro-just? Two out that plastic bag? Yeah, it did.
Gross! It's not gross, Kaira's, it's science. These microbes are taking the plastic bag, digesting it, and then converting it into chemicals like carbon dioxide and water. Great job, buddies. Keep up that good work.
Whoa, Jikes! We better get out of here, Kaira's. Before this becomes a feeding frenzy. Could idea, Mindy? Strap in!
Uh, once again, Mindy, there are no stress. Oh yeah, well, Hannah, hold on to something. What does he do? Here, we... Kaira's!
Okay, don't...
Hey, Red, see?
I told you it would be fine.
Uh, sorry about the water. Hey, Red, where are you going? Boom! It's not bad at me. Symondia, what does this new technology mean
for the future of plastic bags? Well, single use are plastic that you use once and throw away. It's still a pretty big problem for our planet. Particularly in the ocean.
“Yeah, have you heard of the great Pacific garbage patch?”
Yeah, it's a huge area in the ocean. We're ocean currents trap plastic in other trash. Right, and it's super big, too. Like twice the size of Texas big. And super dangerous, because animals mistake the plastic for food
or get tangled in it, and the garbage never really goes away.
Yeah, but if more of that trash was made out of the same sort of plastic that these plastic bags are made out of, then a lot of them would break down and just over a year. And post less of a threat to the environment in sea life. So, how far away are we from replacing our everyday plastic
with this biodegradable stuff? Well, we've still got a long way to go.
“I mean, there's a lot of plastic in the world right now,”
but it is a good first step. You got to start somewhere. Reggie, you came back! [coughing] Alright, fine.
Hand me that mop.
That's the spirit, buddy.
But maybe we should bring a couple of my reusable tote bags this time. You know, just to be safe. Not a bad idea. Wow, in the world, we'll be right back. Croneups!
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 home schooling. 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.
Making impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now. And wow in the world listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership. When they sign up today at iXL.com/wow, visit iXL.com/wow to get the most effective learning program out there
at the best price. That's it! Back to the show! Hi, thanks for calling while in the world! After the beep, get ready to record! My wow in my world is that the most children delivered on a single birth. It's 9 babies.
And it's a lot harder for us to come to IXL ever happen. Hi, my name is IXL and I live in Rhinwood, Washington. And my wow in the world is that learning can be different colors. And the colors are blue, yellow, violet, red, orange, green, and pink. Bye, love you so! Stay on the weather for me!
Hi, my name is Jade. I'm from Minnesota and my wow is what taught you to build the school too. When it starts, they use them to get in all places and do objects. Hi, my name is Jade. I'm from elementary and two Washington. My wow in the world is that comoda gardens are the biggest living in the world.
They can be ten feet long.
Stay hiding. Grammargy sure. Oh, mine. Come with me, Green.
Oh, cool, dude. And then it's... No, no, come quick! Bye! My name is Dev, I'm six years old, I'm thumb-mathed to hit my wow in the world. It's honey vouchers to protect yourself from diseases, CO honey. Hi, my name is IXL and I'm 10 years old.
I'm from Washington, D.C. and my wow in the world is that the weather's DNA stands for
deoxyribal nucleic acid. Stay high to the annoying dentist for me.
Hello, I am John. So, that's me, Green. And I am you. My wow in the world is that your teeth are all connected to your jaws. My name is Cassidy and I live in Toledo, Ohio.
“My wow in the world is, did you know that a dog's nose print is just as unique as a human's finger print?”
Hi, guys, I'm Indy, my name is Kelly and I'm your brother, Kelly. And we're from Toledo, Ohio. And we have two wow in the world. My wow in the world is the winds on that chin can both pass than a 1,200 miles an hour. My wow in the world is a silverback gorilla came up to over 1,752 pounds. Stay high to your dentist and record for us, bye. Oh, wow. And it messages.
Thanks for listening to this episode of "Wow in the World." If you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call our wow hotline at 1-888-7-wow for a chance to be featured at the end of the show.
“And while you're at it, head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Leave us five stars”
and tell us what wow is you about our show by leaving a review or send us a comment on Spotify. You just might hear your reviews he read by Dennis on WeWell on the Weekend. Visit us at tinkercast.com and become a member of the World Organization of Wowsers. With that, you'll get your round mailings in your mailbox, weekly activities, birthday cards, and more. On tinkercast.com, you can also shop our wow shop.
Get tickets for upcoming live events, find our books, toys, and science kits,
and learn all about the other amazing podcasts from tinkercast.
Once again, that's tinkercast.com.
“Wow in the world is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kelkin with contributions from me.”
Guy Ross. Original sound design and music editing is done by our senior production director Jed Anderson with help from our audio producers, Tyler Thull, and Henry Moscow. You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis, Thomas Fingerling, Reggie, and many of the other silly characters you hear on our show. Jessica Bowdie keeps our fact straight as our fact checker. Steph Sosa keeps our heads on straight as our executive producer in
Meredith Helpin-Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast. Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, The Pop-ups, find them at thepopups.com. Special thanks to our team, including Kristen Yang, Tweet Mac, Ali Paxima, Linda Rothenberg, and Anna Zagorsky in all of the other tinkercast HQ. Grownups, you can follow wow in the world on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter,
app wow in the world, and our email address is hello at tinkercast.com. Thanks for listening. Find episodes of wow in the world every Monday, two watts in a wow every Friday, right here and on YouTube. And don't forget, we wow on the weekends with Dennis every Saturday and Sunday, right here in the wow in the world podcast feed. Until then, keep on!
Wow in the world was made by Tinkercast.
