Wow in the World

By NPR

Kids & Family

What's Wow in the World about?

Hosts Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz guide curious kids and their grown-ups on a journey into the wonders of the world around them. We'll go inside our brains, out into space and deep into the coolest new stories in science and technology.

4.5

11,066 ratings

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LAST EPISODE

Bored Out Of Your Bonkerbal...

01.20.2020

Bored out of your bonkerballs with nothing to do? Turns out, being bored can be good for you! A new study from the United Kingdom suggests that periods of boredom are crucial for anyone looking to get their creativity on! ...

Wow in the World episodes:

01.20.2020 Bored Out Of Your Bonkerballs? - Why Having Nothing To Do Can Be Good For You! Bored out of your bonkerballs with nothing to do? Turns out, being bored can be good for you! A new study from the United Kingdom suggests that periods of boredom are crucial for anyone looking to get their creativity on! ...
01.13.2020 Duck Duck Poop! - A Tale Of Symbiosis (encore) It's time for the regional library Story Slam Potluck & Pajama Party, and the gang's all here! First up, it's Mindy, with a non-fiction story involving a duck, a copycat plant, and some scientifically magical POOP? What could these three ...
01.06.2020 Totally Spiced Out! (encore) What in the world makes chili peppers hot? How in the world do we measure their spiciness? And where in the world are kids least likely to get spiced out? Get ready to be SPICED OUT with Mindy Thomas and ...
12.30.2019 The Rise And Fall of Static Man A 2,500 year old mystery solved! Scientists have finally answered the age-old question of how friction leads to static electricity. But it's not all hip hips and hoorays ... this new information leads the rise of an all new super-villain; ...
12.23.2019 100th Episode! A Scientific Songtacular From pop to hip-hop and from disco to techno, humans love music! Monkeys on the other hand...well, that's a completely different question! Join Mindy and Guy Raz as they experiment with their new invention that turns speech into song, and ...
12.16.2019 Hugomatic 3000 And The Future of Soft Robotics Sometimes, the cold, metallic touch of a robot doesn't quite cut it; whether that be when studying small, delicate jellyfish in the wild ... or building the world's most advanced huggable robot! After Mindy learns all about the science of ...
12.09.2019 Rat Race! Lab rats, start your engines! What in the world happened when scientists created tiny rodent-sized cars and taught rats how to drive? And why in the world are these four-legged creatures using their newfound freedom to pick up Froot Loops? ...
12.02.2019 Growling Ghost-Crabs Are you spooked by things that go bump, eeek and growl in the middle of the night? Have no fear! Mindy and the 'Ghost-Catchers' are here! What starts out as a paranormal phenomenon slowly turns into a scientific sensation as ...
11.25.2019 Drop That Beat and Cut The Cheese...For Science! Would you care for a little brie marinated in hip hop? How about some cheddar dipped in rock and roll? Swiss serenaded by an up-beat pop classic! Turns out that cheese have preferences when it comes to music, and those ...
11.18.2019 Horsefly Don't Bother Me! - The Dazzling Mystery Of Zebra Stripes Guy Raz and his horse Bucky just got back from a frustrating riding lesson. Mindy is on the roof of her gingerbread mansion dressed as a horsefly. And Dennis is, well....just being Dennis. And before this episode is over, YOU ...
11.11.2019 So Cute You Can't Even! - The Science Of Cute Aggression Do you have a face so cute that people want to pinch your cheeks? Does the sight of a baby piglet snuggling up to a newborn baby make you want to kick down a door and run away screaming? Have ...
11.04.2019 The Cubic Scoop on Wombat Poop! Poop to the power of 3? Rubik's Poop? Poop cubed?! We're talking wombats and the unusually shaped blocks of scat they leave behind! But HOW? And WHY? Join Mindy and Guy Raz as they travel to an Australian "Pooseum" to ...
11.01.2019 Wow in the World Presents: 'Circle Round: The Chattering Clams' Join Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz as they come out of their shells on WBUR's Circle Round, a podcast hosted by Rebecca Sheir that adapts carefully-selected folktales from around the world into sound- and music-rich radio plays for kids ages ...
10.28.2019 Extreme Makeover: Spider Edition Lights, Camera and Action! Join Mindy and Guy Raz as they go behind the scenes on the hottest new matchmaking show in the animal kingdom; "Date or Bait!" Follow along as they learn all about the carnivorous habits of the ...
10.21.2019 Two-Headed Space Worms What in the world are Planarian Flatworms? Why in the world did scientists send them on a mission to outer space? And where in the world are their mouths if not on their heads?! Join Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas ...
10.14.2019 Hey Onion! You're Makin' Me Cry! Why in the world do onions make us cry? How in the world does it even work? And what in the world would happen if onions were to lose this special power? Join Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas as they ...
10.07.2019 An Elevator to the Stars! Welcome to another toe tapping episode of Wow in the World! Guy Raz is off to listen to the latest and greatest in world of elevator music and Mindy tags along for the ride! But this music isn't just for ...
09.30.2019 The Karate Kickin' Cockroach Mindy signs Guy Raz and herself up for a karate lesson! But when she starts talking about cockroaches, jewel wasps, and zombies, Guy Raz quickly realizes that this is not going to be your typical karate class. What in the ...
09.23.2019 Operation Earth: How to Be Cool To A Planet That's Hot We've all heard of Climate Change, but what is it, and why is it bad news for planet Earth? Join Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas as they go back in time in an effort to protect our future! It's the ...
09.16.2019 Back-To-School: Recess 101 How in the world does recess make us smarter? Where in the world do kids enjoy the most of it? Join Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas on an expedition to better understand the science of taking a break! It's the ...
09.09.2019 The Very Hungry Black Hole Mindy's going to need a few tips if she's going to win the local eating competition, lucky for her, Guy Raz knows the best eater in the universe! The supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy! Join Guy ...
09.02.2019 Heeeere Foodie Foodie Foodie! - Edible Insects Are On The Menu! It's that time of year! The annual public radio food truck festival! Mindy has slapped a new logo on her dilapidated ice cream truck and joins in the festivities with a new twist on Gramma G-Force's famous "Sloppy G's!" But ...
08.26.2019 Smart-Bots From self-driving cars to chess playing robots, oh my! Artificial intelligence is all around us, and it's only getting smarter. Join Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas on a computational quest to discover the Who, What, When, Where, Why, How and ...
08.19.2019 Wow in the World + The Story Pirates in Do You SEE What I HEAR? This week, it's a double scoop of our first ever, Wow in the World Podcast Scrambler! In this episode, Guy Raz and Mindy team up with the Story Pirates Podcast to explore the latest science behind SYNESTHESIA! Taste words, hear ...
08.12.2019 Spit-Take! The Science Of Saliva And Those Bitter Bites Having trouble breaking through the bitter bites of nature's leafiest greens and cocoa beans? Well before you do that spit-take, you may want to chew on this nature's candy just a little longer! New research suggests that the key savoring ...
08.05.2019 How To Talk To A Dog Is that dog wearing glasses?! Guy Raz has a new four-legged friend, but he's having trouble bonding with him. Good thing Mindy knows the scientifically-proven very best way to talk to dogs! This week learn HOW in the world scientists ...
07.29.2019 WAIT...WAIT...ARE THOSE MARSHMALLOWS? Why Kids Are Better At Waiting Than Adults New scientific research suggests that kids these days are better than grownups when it comes to waiting. WHAT?! Join Mindy and Guy Raz in the waiting room of the dentist's office, as they explore how scientists used MARSHMALLOWS in the ...
07.22.2019 Your Crabby Pee Is Scaring Me! What's that scent wafting through the murky waters off the coast of Georgia? Well if you're a mud crab, you'll know that it's the smell of fear. But where does it come from? And how do we know? Join Guy ...
07.15.2019 Now Watch Me Drip Drip: The Science Of Slower Melting Ice Cream I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! But what's up with all the melting on hot summer days? Join Mindy and Guy Raz as they scour the globe in search of a special new ingredient, that's said ...
07.08.2019 Un-BEE-lievable Bees! You won't bee-lieve your ears! Join Detective Mindy and Inspector Raz, an un-bee-table crime fighting duo, as they try to crack the case of the missing bees! It's all in this episode as we explore the Who, What, When, Where, ...
07.01.2019 Brain Freeze! What in the world is Brain Freeze? Why in the world does it happen when we're enjoying a cold, tasty treat? And how in the world do we get rid of it?! Grab an ice-cold refreshing drink, and get ready ...
06.24.2019 An Eyebrow Evolution! Once upon a time, our earliest human ancestors all had a permanent case of 'angry face' due to the big bony ridges on their foreheads. Over time we've evolved flexible brows that can communicate our complex emotions. Evolutionary anthropologists are ...
06.17.2019 G-Force Vs. Wasabi: How The Brain Registers Pain It's time for another spicy smack down in the world of Wow, and this time Gramma G-Force and a Naked Mole Rat go head to head in a battle of...Wasabi?! How will our fearless competitors handle the heat? And what ...
06.10.2019 A Sunbrella For The Planet Summer days are getting hotter and hotter! For us humans, it's as easy as drinking a cool glass of water, lathering ourselves in sunscreen and putting up a parasol! But what about the planet? How do we keep planet earth ...
06.03.2019 Dinosaurs Take Flight! How Birds Evolved To Fly What in the world can a giant ostrich and a prehistoric dinosaur tell us about the evolution of flight? Join Mindy, Guy Raz, a dino robot, and escaped zoo ostrich as they explore the Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, ...
05.27.2019 Scaredy Sharks & The Science of Fear Darkness? Orcas? Turns out, everyone's afraid of something! Even the Great White Shark, the most fearsome predator in the seven seas! But afraid of what? And why? And how can this fear impact the rest of the ocean? Join Guy ...
05.20.2019 Getting Nosey About the Science of Smell: Why Different Sniffs Get Different Whiffs! Scientists have long known that different people experience different smells, well...differently! But Why? And How? Join Mindy and Guy Raz in their new backyard Ol'Factory of bottled up odors, as they explore the Who, What, When, Where, Why, How, and ...
05.13.2019 An UnFROGettable Day At the Museum of Wow! The Museum of Wow just opened its new amphibian exhibit, and everyone from pollywogs to old croaks agree that the new discoveries featured there are positively ribbeting! Join Mindy, Guy Raz, Reggie, and friends for a fact-filled tour of miniature ...
05.06.2019 Pull A Face! The Science Of Four-Legged Facial Mimicry Hook your fingers in your cheeks, push your nose up with your thumb and strap yourselves in as Mindy and Guy head to the Interspecies Face Pulling World Championships to see the best funny face makers in the animal kingdom! ...
04.29.2019 Drop That Beat and Cut The Cheese...For Science! Would you care for a little brie marinated in hip hop? How about some cheddar dipped in rock and roll? Swiss serenaded by an up-beat pop classic! Turns out that cheese have preferences when it comes to music, and those ...
04.22.2019 Here Comes The Sun-Powered Energy! It's Cyber Funday on Wow in the World, and Mindy is taking full advantage of all the good deals! Sales on everything thing she's ever wanted and everything she never even knew she wanted! But is her online shopping spree ...
04.15.2019 MY ASTEROID IS BLOWING UP! Imagine a giant asteroid is out in space and headed on a collision course with planet Earth. Your mission, is to annihilate this giant mass of space rock before it can even get close. What do you do? How do ...
04.08.2019 And The Winner Is...RICEQUAKE! You might think that rice krispies belong in the kitchen, but as Guy Raz and Mindy find out at the Annual Nom Nom Foodie Awards, they also belong on the big screen and in the lab! Join Mindy and Guy ...
04.01.2019 Song Of The Singing Mouse What do humans, bottlenose dolphins, and the singing mice of the Costa Rican cloud forests have in common? Well according to a new scientific study, we all share the power of singing...in duets! But why?! And how?! Join Mindy, Guy ...
03.25.2019 Hey Baby Island, How'd You Get Here? - When Underwater Volcanoes Grow UP! If you could take one item to a desert island what would it be? A pacifier? A rattle? How about a diaper? Well that might be just what you need if you're visiting an itty bitty baby island! Join Mindy ...
03.18.2019 Horsefly Don't Bother Me! - The Dazzling Mystery Of Zebra Stripes Guy Raz and his horse Bucky just got back from a frustrating riding lesson. Mindy is on the roof of her gingerbread mansion dressed as a horsefly. And Dennis is, well....just being Dennis. And before this episode is over, YOU ...
03.11.2019 Bored Out Of Your Bonkerballs? - Why Having Nothing To Do Can Be Good For You! Bored out of your bonkerballs with nothing to do? Turns out, being bored can be good for you! A new study from the United Kingdom suggests that periods of boredom are crucial for anyone looking to get their creativity on! ...
03.04.2019 1+2=3? Just Ask A BEE! - The Scientific Buzz On Bees & Math What in the world is a Fibonacci Sequence? Where in the world can you spot one in the wild? And why in the world is that BEE adding and subtracting at the lightening speed of a child?! Join Guy Raz ...
02.25.2019 So Cute You Can't Even! - The Science Of Cute Aggression Do you have a face so cute that people want to pinch your cheeks? Does the sight of a baby piglet snuggling up to a newborn baby make you want to kick down a door and run away screaming? Have ...
02.18.2019 Heeeere Foodie Foodie Foodie! - Edible Insects Are On The Menu! It's that time of year! The annual public radio food truck festival! Mindy has slapped a new logo on her dilapidated ice cream truck and joins in the festivities with a new twist on Gramma G-Force's famous "Sloppy G's!" But ...

Older episodes

Wow in the World

What's Wow in the World about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Wow in the World episodes:

Bored Out Of Your Bonkerballs? - Why Having Nothing To Do Can Be Good For You!

Duck Duck Poop! - A Tale Of Symbiosis (encore)

Totally Spiced Out! (encore)

The Rise And Fall of Static Man

100th Episode! A Scientific Songtacular

Hugomatic 3000 And The Future of Soft Robotics

Rat Race!

Growling Ghost-Crabs

Drop That Beat and Cut The Cheese...For Science!

Horsefly Don't Bother Me! - The Dazzling Mystery Of Zebra Stripes

So Cute You Can't Even! - The Science Of Cute Aggression

The Cubic Scoop on Wombat Poop!

Wow in the World Presents: 'Circle Round: The Chattering Clams'

Extreme Makeover: Spider Edition

Two-Headed Space Worms

Hey Onion! You're Makin' Me Cry!

An Elevator to the Stars!

The Karate Kickin' Cockroach

Operation Earth: How to Be Cool To A Planet That's Hot

Back-To-School: Recess 101

The Very Hungry Black Hole

Heeeere Foodie Foodie Foodie! - Edible Insects Are On The Menu!

Smart-Bots

Wow in the World + The Story Pirates in Do You SEE What I HEAR?

Spit-Take! The Science Of Saliva And Those Bitter Bites

How To Talk To A Dog

WAIT...WAIT...ARE THOSE MARSHMALLOWS? Why Kids Are Better At Waiting Than Adults

Your Crabby Pee Is Scaring Me!

Now Watch Me Drip Drip: The Science Of Slower Melting Ice Cream

Un-BEE-lievable Bees!

Brain Freeze!

An Eyebrow Evolution!

G-Force Vs. Wasabi: How The Brain Registers Pain

A Sunbrella For The Planet

Dinosaurs Take Flight! How Birds Evolved To Fly

Scaredy Sharks & The Science of Fear

Getting Nosey About the Science of Smell: Why Different Sniffs Get Different Whiffs!

An UnFROGettable Day At the Museum of Wow!

Pull A Face! The Science Of Four-Legged Facial Mimicry

Drop That Beat and Cut The Cheese...For Science!

Here Comes The Sun-Powered Energy!

MY ASTEROID IS BLOWING UP!

And The Winner Is...RICEQUAKE!

Song Of The Singing Mouse

Hey Baby Island, How'd You Get Here? - When Underwater Volcanoes Grow UP!

Horsefly Don't Bother Me! - The Dazzling Mystery Of Zebra Stripes

Bored Out Of Your Bonkerballs? - Why Having Nothing To Do Can Be Good For You!

1+2=3? Just Ask A BEE! - The Scientific Buzz On Bees & Math

So Cute You Can't Even! - The Science Of Cute Aggression

Heeeere Foodie Foodie Foodie! - Edible Insects Are On The Menu!

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