Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here. And before we start the show, I've got a question for you. Are you ready to make it? Okay, here's the deal. My buddy Carly Q and I are hitting the road to make it wow with you in the D.C. area. That's right. We'll be making it wow in Bethesda, Maryland on Saturday, March 29th. Make It Wow is a live bonker balls competition game show where real 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. Grownups visit Tinkercast.com slash events to get your ticket today. That's Tinkercast.com slash events. We count. wait to make it wow with you this spring, but until then, let's get on with the show. The bubblegum abduction of magnificent proportion. of sand and rock and wind and dust and sand. Oh yeah, and sagebrush.
My crew and I have been wandering this desolate area of Nevada for hours now. And we... Wait, wait, wait. Hold on, Mindy. Did you say Nevada? in Nevada, but we're just pretending. Remember? Come on, play along. Well, does it have to be so miserable? Yeah, can't we just pretend? pretend we're on a nice pleasant hike through the basin of Nevada?
And remind us, why are we pretending to be on a hike in Nevada, Mindy? Because, Guy Raz, West Union Canyon in Nevada is where those mysterious bones were found by that group of paleontologists. Remember? Oh, right, right. Wait, what'd she say? An alien florist? She said paleontologists. You know, scientists that study fossils and bones. Ah! Get back into it. Fine, but make it nice this time. Oh, Mandy, quit being so dramatic. Ah, it was a beautiful day.
My friends and I were having a lovely hike near the West Union Canyon in Nevada. Now this is more like it. So much better. Thanks everyone for coming on this hike with me. Well now it's too hot. He is right. Fine. Here, take this water flask. Hooray! Imaginary water flask! Now, can we please... Mindy, are you okay? Yeah, I'm okay, Guy Raz. I just tripped over something. Luckily, I had my marshmallow knee pads on. Here, let me give you a hand. Wait a minute, Guy Raz.
What is it? That thing I tripped over. What is that, Mindy? I think it's some sort of bone. That is a huge bone, Mindy. Who could it possibly belong to? Well... Maybe a giant dog buried it. Like Clifford. Yeah, like Clifford. I reckon it's from one of them big animals with the trunks. All right. What are those things called again? You mean an elephant? No, that's... No, no, no. You're all wrong. What we have here is a dinosaur bone. Oh, well, well. What a mystery.
We should call Detective Mindy, an inspector guy, private eye. No, I don't think we need to. Yes, great idea, Dennis. Oh, boy. So what have we got there, Detective Roz? Another case of a dinosaur being in the wrong place at the wrong time? I've seen it a million times before. I'm afraid it's a... A little bit more complicated than that, Detective Mindy. What do you mean? Well, it's not a dinosaur. What? Technically, this skeleton belongs to a massive reptile. Uh, right. Ahem.
Dinosaurs and reptiles are different species. Really? Yes. But if it looks like a dinosaur and walks like a dinosaur... Doesn't that make it a dinosaur? I'm afraid not, Detective. Bonker balls. Junior Detective Dennis, what do you make of this? Hmm, let me see. Wait. Dennis is a detective now? That's junior detective to you. Yeah, Detective Guy Raz. Let me introduce you to junior detective Dennis. Mindy gave me a badge.
So fancy. Wow, a real life detective. No, a junior detective. It's sort of like an internship. I'm... paid in experience. Pretty cool. He'll be shadowing me today, Detective Guy Raz. Hope you don't mind. Not at all. So, why don't you tell me a bit more about what's going on here? Well, for starters, there's more than one creature here. What do you mean? Yeah, what do you mean? Well, I mean, look, I can see more bones scattered around the area. So what is this? Some sort of dinosaur graveyard?
Again, not a dinosaur Whatever But yes, it seems to be some sort of graveyard Wow A giant reptile graveyard. So interesting. That's not even the most interesting part. It's not? Nope. Well, then what is the most interesting part? These prehistoric reptiles. We're swimmers. Whoa. Prehistoric swimming reptiles? Yep. How is that even possible? We're in the...
We're in the middle of the desert. Yeah, Guy Private Eye. We're in the middle of a desert. Oh, this mystery's getting good. Real good. Well, we've heard from reliable sources that this whole area was a shallow sea about... 230 million years ago. Hmm. A shallow sea, you say? Yeah, this whole canyon was about 300 feet underwater. Whoa.
But it's so dry now. Interesting deduction. Is that all, Detective Ross? Dennis, that's my line! Oh, sorry. Is that all, Detective Ross? Well, there is one more thing. What else you got? We got a match on what species this was. Tell me more. Well, here's the analysis. Well, hold on now. Where'd he get that? Who cares, Fingerling? We got to move this mystery along.
Yeah, I suppose. Oh, a piece of paper. Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme. Okay, let me see here. These skeletons belong to a species known as... What? That's a horrible name. Ichthyosaurs. They were called Ichthyosaurs. Oh, Ichthyosaurs. Got it. Well, well, well. This mystery keeps going deeper. Agree. Deeper and deeper. I think it's time we talk to the investigators. What?
Who are the investigators? Yeah, who are the alligators? I'm talking about you two. You're the investigators. Oh, right. I knew that. Well, well. Well, if it isn't Detective Woods' name and... Special agent, what's-her-face? And their intern. Hello, inspectors. We're trying to solve the mystery of these reptile bones and how they ended up here in the middle of Nevada.
That's right. What information do you have for us, inspectors? Well, I got this. Ow. And this. Ow. And this. Grab a G-Force. Stop throwing... I wasn't throwing them at you. I was throwing them to you. And those ain't no rocks, fella. Uh, they aren't? No. Stop! Well, if they're not rocks, then...
What are they? They're soil samples. Soil samples? Yeah, we think there's clues hidden in that there soil. Take these samples back to your lab and get a closer look. You know, Mindy, that's not a bad idea. soil samples like these can tell us a lot about what the environment was like millions of years ago. There might be some clues in here that...
Tell us how these prehistoric aquatic reptiles died out. Nice work, inspectors. I'm the best at this. Yeah, looks like our work here is done. Actually... Not quite. What? I need you to see if any other bones have been dug up from this area before. And just how do you want us to do that, Missy? I don't know. Go visit some... universities or museums, you know, those kinds of places. Well, which ones? All of them. Now scram. Oh, hush, probably. This is going to take forever.
Grumble, grumble, grumble. Inspector Guy Raz, Junior Detective Dennis, let's get back to the lab and analyze these soil samples. Shall we? Huzzah! All right. Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run. Special Agent Reggie, how are those soil samples coming along? Excellent. Let me know when you finish the analysis. Well, what are we going to do while we wait, Mindy? Ahem. Oh, sorry. I mean, Detective Mindy. Thank you.
Yes, I have been going over the clues of this mystery and have come up with a few leading theories. Want to hear them? Of course. All right, just wait right here. There we go. Detective Mindy, is that a blackboard balancing on a pair of rollerblades? Yes. Now, if you'll kindly give me your attention, I will start my presentation. Of course. Proceed, Detective Mindy. My first theory is a mass stranding event. A mass stranding event?
You mean like the kind of thing that we see with whales sometimes where a whole group of them wash up on shore? Exact Doritos, Detective Guy Raz. So you think these creatures might have been traveling as a group? and somehow got confused, stranding themselves on a beach unable to get back into the water? That's the theory. What is it, Special Agent Reggie? I see.
What is it? Well, Reggie says that he analyzed those soil samples that G-Force gave to you. You mean threw at me? Right. He says that he analyzed those samples, and it turns out you were right. There was no... beach in that location 230 million years ago, that whole area would have been about 300 feet underwater. Right, so I guess that eliminates that theory. Yeah, better cross that one out. So what's your next leading theory, Detective Mindy? Okay, theory number two is poison. Poison!
Yeah. You think someone poisoned the fish that these prehistoric reptiles were eating? Well, not exactly, Guy Raz. I think it was the air that was poisoned. You think the air was poisoned? Yeah. I mean, this was actually a... pretty common way for animals to die back in the day. It was? How? Well, for example, a volcano would erupt. Oh no! Spew huge amounts of chemicals like sulfur into the air and every living thing around it would die. Because of the poisoned air? Yeah. Yikes! I know.
What did you find now Reggie? I mean, Inspector Reggie? I mean, Special Agent Reggie? Huh. What is it? Well, Special Agent Reggie says that there is no evidence of volcanic eruptions in those soil samples either. So it seems unlikely that poison is the cause of these deaths too. Yeah. Plus, if it was a volcano or something, wouldn't we see a whole bunch of animal skeletons everywhere? Not just these ichthyosaur bones?
Hmm, that's a good point, Detective Gairaz. So I guess theory two is also off the table. Well, looks like it. Crossing out theory number two. So, what's theory number three, Detective Mindy? Well, theory number three is... nothing. Nothing? Yeah, I'm all out of ideas, Detective Guy Raz. So we still have no idea what happened to these ichthyosaurs, even after all of this work? Oh no! A dead end!
I'm afraid so. Unless investigators G-Force and Fingerling come up with anything, it looks like this case is remaining cold. Oh, speaking of which, Jell-O? Uh-huh. Really? Hmm, that's very interesting. Okay, we'll be right there. What is it, Mindy? That was investigators G-Force and Fingerling. And? They found something, and we're about to find out what it is. Hooray! The case is back on! Come on! Run, run, run, run, run, run! So, where are we now, Detective Mindy?
Detective Mindy. Where are we now? We're at the museum. Inspectors G-Force and Fingerling have found something here. Really? This doesn't look like any museum I've seen before. Well, technically, we're... underneath the museum that the public usually sees. We're in a place called the Archives. The Archives? Yeah. This is where the museum keeps all the stuff it can't put on display. Huh.
And this is where G-Force and Fingerling wanted to meet us? Yeah, that's what they said. Well, where are they? There y'all are. Hey, Fingerling, wake up. They're here. What? I wasn't sleeping. Investigators G-Force and Fingerling, good to see you again. Yeah, I guess. Took you long enough. So, what have you got for us? Take a look here. G-Force, help me dramatically pull this cloth off that what's-it here. All right, all right. Hold your horses. And... Oh! What is it? Is that? Yep.
It's the skeleton of another one of them swimming prehistoric reptiles. It's called an itchy lizard fingerling. Well, if you say so. Okay, so you found another ichthyosaur. What's the big deal? Well, big deal number one is that it came from the same place as all them other bones you were looking at before. Uh-huh. And what's big deal number two? Well, why don't you get a closer look at that there skeleton's belly and you tell me.
It's belly? That's what I said, didn't I? Let me just see here. Whoa, wait a minute. Detective Mindy. Take a look at this. What is it, Detective Gairaz? Inside the belly of this ichthyosaur. Does that look like... Another smaller skeleton? Yeah. What in the wow? What is going on here? Well, it's pretty obvious, isn't it? This creature was pregnant with another little baby of its own. Huh. Detective Mindy, I've got it! Got what?
I've solved the mystery. I know why all of those bones were found in that one spot in the middle of the desert. You do? You do? Yes. Well, what are you waiting for, Detective Guy Raz? Spit it out! birthing grounds. Yes, we see animals like whales do it all the time. They travel huge distances, often to somewhere where the water is shallow. Like it would have been in that canyon.
230 million years ago. Exactly. I think that these creatures traveled to this place to give birth. And some of the creatures didn't survive. And then the rest of the pack swam back out to sea. And that would explain why just this one species of Ichthyosaur was found in this one very specific area. Hmm.
Interesting. So what do you think, Detective Mindy? Well, I think we might have just solved our mystery, Detective Guy Raz. These prehistoric aquatic reptiles must have swam to these shallow waters to give birth. and then headed back out to sea, only to return the next year and the year after that. Each year leaving behind those that didn't make it. Consider this case cr-
wrapped Detective Guy Raz. Great work. Hooray! We did it! We did it. We did it. We did it. We did it. We did it. We did it. Wait a minute. What? One more thing. What is it, Investigator G-Force? The museum boss wanted us to give you this. What is it? How am I supposed to know it's in an envelope? What am I? X-ray vision man or something? Good point. Opening the envelope. Reading what's inside.
What does it say, detective? Yeah, what does it say, detective? It says here that there is a bigger mystery afoot here. With the ichthyosaurs? Yeah. Well, what is it? Apparently, this specific species went extinct tens of millions of years before the dinosaurs on land did. And nobody knows why? Nobody knows why. Oh, my! Well, Detective, sounds like we just got our next case. It sure does, Detective Guy Raz.
Who's with us? Me, me, me. I don't think about it. I'm tired of playing mystery. I want to play mini golf and ride go-karts. This message is for you. That's it. Back to the show. snap a pencil in half. can spark new growth. Hi, Mindy and Guy Ross. My name is Melanie, and I'm from Magnolia, Texas. My law in the world is that scientists have evidence that sometimes tiny diamonds fall from the sky.
on Neptune. Say hi to Thomas Singering, Grandma GeForce, Dennis, Reggie, and the sleigh cats for me. Thank you. Bye. from Herndon, VA. My wow in the world is that panda. Over one million years ago, ate meat. Now they eat bamboo, and on occasion, they eat fish, farns, and honey. Say hi to Grandma G4MOOLYEAH! Thomas Fingerling, Reggie, Dennis, and Static Man. Bye. Love your show.
that the basilisk lizard can run on top of water. Hi, my name is Jankara. My name is Willow. I live in New Jersey, and my wow in the world is that dolphins sleep with one eye open. and to watch out for predators. Bye. Say hi to Reggie for me. You guys know I know you're static, ma'am. What? Bye. Hi, my name is Augie, and I live in...
Indianapolis. My wow in the world is that sand cats have a special kind of fur that allows them to not make footprints in the sand. Hello, my name is Teddy. I'm from Fairfield. Connecticut, in my well, is that the largest snake weighed more than a lion. Say hi to Reggie. Thomas and Grimes. Oh, would you look at that. Buzz, buzz, buzz. With Grandma G.
Grownups, if you like wow in the world, you can listen early and ad-free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Wondery Kids Plus. On Apple Podcasts, Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me, Guy Raz. Original sound design and music editing is done by Tyler Thole with help from our supervising producer, Jed Anderson. 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 Bode keeps her facts straight as our fact checker, and Meredith Halpern ran...
Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, The Pop-Ups. Find them at thepopups.com. Special thanks to Anna Zagorski, and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ. To keep the wows rolling, visit us at Tinkercast.com. There you can learn more about becoming an official member of the World Organization of Wowsers. about upcoming events, shop our wow shop, find our best-selling books, and learn about all of our other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.
Grownups, you can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at wowintheworld. And our email address is hello at tinkercast.com. And if you're a kid with a big wow to share with us... Call us at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of our show or an upcoming episode of Two What's in a Wow. Thanks again for listening, and until next time, be fun wowing! This world was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.