Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! - Nalini Nadkarni

Episode Date: October 26, 2019

Nalini Nadkarni, biologist, joins us along with panelists Roxanne Roberts, Peter Grosz, and Roy Blount, Jr.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. Utah, me, Bill. I'm Bill Curtis. And here is your host at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah, Peter Sagal. Thank you, Bill. Thank you, Salt Lake. Thank you. We've got a great show for you today. Later on, we're going to be talking to pioneering biologist Nalini Natkarni. But first, this week, we are celebrating the broadcast of our 1,000th show. We think so anyway.

We're all liberal arts majors and we're bad at math. This is a big deal. Nobody gets to do 1,000 shows except, of course, soap operas. So it's only appropriate that this week I reveal that I am pregnant with Bill's baby.

This anchorman's gonna have an anchor baby. The next plot twist we want, of course, is a surprise call from you. The number is 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Let's welcome our first listener contestant. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hi, this is Amy Johnson in Washington, D.C. Hey, Washington, D.C. Hey, Washington, D.C.

What a terrible, horrible place. On the other hand, you must be pretty excited about your baseball team. Sure. Wait a minute. Oh, wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait. That was a very unexcited well sure. Are you not particularly a Nationals fan?

I am now. I guess you kind of have to be just by peer pressure. Amy, let me introduce you to our panel this week. First, meet a humorist and author, most recently, of Save Room for Pi. It's Roy Blunt Jr. Hi, how are you doing? Next, the features writer for the style section of the Washington Post, your hometown paper, Roxanne Roberts.

Hello, hello. Go Nats! section of the Washington Post, your hometown paper, Roxanne Roberts. Hello, hello. And finally, a writer for the upcoming season of At Home with Amy Sedaris, it's Peter Gross. Hi. Amy, you're going to play Who's Bill this time. Bill Curtis is going to read you three quotations from the week's news. If you can correctly identify or explain two of them, you will win our prize. Any voice from our show you might choose on your voicemail. Are you ready to play? I feel like I should say yes.

Good feeling. I think you're correct. That would be the appropriate response. All right, here's your first quote. It's a headline from this week. Tiff with Schiff in the skiff. That was Elle magazine describing the scene when who stormed a classified congressional hearing? Oh, that would be Florida man Matt Gaetz and his 40 friends. That's exactly right. Bunch of House Republicans. This week, the Republicans finally came up with a response to the growing evidence that the president is,

as the founders said in the Federalist Papers, super guilty. One day after damning a testimony from the acting ambassador to Ukraine, a bunch of Republican House members stormed the impeachment hearing led by Matt Goetz, Republican of Delta House. Because really, and I got to say this, there's nothing more stirring than a bunch of powerful white men shouting about the violation of their rights because they don't immediately get everything they want. You agree. It's stirring.

Makes the heartbeat a little faster, am I right? They had to do it to prove they weren't human scum. That's right. Am I right? They had to do it to prove they weren't human scum. That's right. Except about a third of that group had privileges to be inside those hearings. Exactly right.

They were Republicans who were part of the committees, and they therefore had the right to be in there. There were a dozen people outside the hearing demanding to be let into the hearing who could have just walked into the hearing. Exactly. Exactly. outside the hearing demanding to be led into the hearing who could have just walked into the hearing exactly exactly now these guys that would be like if in like a streetcar named desire stanley's like stella and she's like you have a key just open the door you're not locked out man or maybe it's like stanley you're in our bedroom yeah yeah exactly also it's like they they stormed in i thought they were going to like storm in and then take all the videos and then turn around and be like, the Democrats are letting people into this private room and they're letting them videotape stuff with their phones. Either way, it was a classy thing to do.

Yeah, why? Now, what happened to maybe bring this on was that the day before, the ambassador to Ukraine had testified that the president withheld aid to Ukraine and demanded that they investigate Joe Biden before he released it. Now, even though the White House is still claiming the president is innocent, Trump and his allies clearly believe it is not a quid pro quo unless you actually say the words, this is a quid pro quo when you do it. And that makes sense because just like the law says that when you murder someone, it's not a crime unless you say, this is a murder as you stab. That's why at the end of the show we say, this is NPR. Because otherwise, it could be anything. You never know. We could be anything. You never know.

We could be like an adult contemporary station. Amy. Yes, I'm here. Amy, your next quote is someone responding to the question, are you Pierre Delecto? Oh, you know this guy? Friend of yours? C'est moi.

Who admitted in his patented down-to-earth style to being Pierre Delecto? That would be Mitt Romney. It is Mitt Romney. Maybe somebody here in Utah can explain, can just unpack that. Well, you might have to ask you. Of course, Mitt Romney, senator from the great state of Utah. He admitted that he had this fake Twitter account under the name Pierre Delecto.

Now, if you've ever wondered what lies beneath the placid G-rated exterior of Senator Romney, the man who once said, quote, my favorite meat is hot dog. If you've wondered what deep, dark secrets he might divulge if he had the shield of anonymity, well, as his alter ego, Pierre Delecto Romney, sometimes suggested that other people might be mistaken. The real question, of course, is which is a weirder name? Pierre Delecto or Mitt Romney? Yeah. Mitt Romney sounds like the fake name

that somebody with an interesting name like Pierre Delecto would pick as a fake name to throw people off the scent. Okay, but Delecto, I kind of thought, well, this is going to be kind of his sexy, swaggery, you know, hidden myth, right? And instead, I was so disappointed because it wasn't sexy. And I felt bad for him. I didn't think it was.

You thought that he, like, set himself up for something really spicy. Yeah. And then he just, like, it's like, we have hot salsa here. And he was like, I'll have the mild. Exactly. But then why pick the recto? But he will have salsa. Should we

be happy he is as wholesome as he is? I guess it's not. I mean, it would, in a weird way, although it seems kind of disappointing that he's just as bland in private as he is in public. It would be worse to find out, like, he's just as awful as private as he is in public, it would be worse to find out, like, he's just as awful as the rest of us, right? I think, like, somebody like Mike Pence

pretends that he's bland, but that is a dark, evil person. Right. And I think that Mitt Romney... Like, Mitt Romney is like, I have a deep, dark secret, and it's very similar to who you think I am. And that is endearing.

That's an endearing quality. Basically, what he did was he created a fake Twitter account, and then used it just to defend his own public actions. That's like creating a fake Tinder profile just to hit on your own wife. Speaking of which, in a strange way, this allows his wife to make history.

Anne Romney is now the first Mormon with two husbands. All right, here is your last quote, Amy. I would swipe right for her. That was a comment on a Washington Post article about France's strangely sexy logo for what sporting event that's coming in 2024? The Olympics? The Olympics, yes! Paris is hosting the 2024 Olympics, and they just

revealed their logo for it, and it's being criticized for being too sexy, and not just because it's smoking a galois and writing poetry. And ignoring an American logo. Exactly. The logo is a version of the French national symbol, a woman named Marianne, and it's combined with the Olympic flame, but instead of an expression of national pride, most people

see with this incredibly sexy woman's face, it looks like an icon for a dating app. Now, the logo's designers defend it, saying that she, quote, reflects the unique energy of the games, and they assured everyone that as sexy as it might be, it's better than their first attempt at the Eiffel Tower proudly rising from an Olympic ring at either side

of its base. Does the rest of the world just need to catch up to how sexy France is? Yeah. Like, are they right and we're just all a bunch of Puritans? Or are they like the hedonists and we're just kind of lame? I bet Mitt Romney went to France once and that's where he got that pure. He locked it away and he's like, one day there'll be something called Twitter and I will release this name.

Bill, how did Amy do in our quiz? Amy did great. She did. And so will the Nationals. Congratulations, Amy. Thank you. Bye-bye. Right now, panel, it is time for you to answer some questions

about this week's news. Roxanne. Yes, sir. A paper published this week describes the unique mating tactic of the white bellbird of Brazil, scientists say that the male of the species seduces the females by doing what? I believe it's screaming. That's exactly right. It screams in the female's face.

Screaming? That's exactly right. It screams in the female's face. Male white bellbirds are the world's loudest bird, and their mating ritual includes sidling up next to the ladies, taking a deep breath in, and then screaming their lungs out. It's always heartening to find out about a species that does worse than ours. Yeah, it's true.

Although maybe if you're not getting lucky, you can take this bird as your model. Forget, do you come here often? And go for, do you come here often? Male scientists, by the way, say this is a highly unusual tactic among mating rituals. Women scientists said, yeah, no. But remember, the reason they do this is because it works. That's how sexual selection works. The females pick the loudest voices. So the females are like, you had me at hello! You want to shout, shout, shout all about it. Coming up, our panels run their mouths in our Bluff the Listener game.

Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT-TO-PLAY. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR. Maddie Safai here, host of a new daily science podcast from NPR called Shortwave. We'll bring you new discoveries, everyday mysteries. And this week, Randall Munroe, professional nerd and creator of XKCD, explains how to use science to tell if you're a 90s kid. Listen and subscribe to Shortwave from NPR. From NPR in WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz.

I'm Bill Curtis. We're playing this week with Peter Gross, Roxanne Roberts, and Roy Blunt Jr. And here again is your host at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, Peter Sagal. Thank you, Bill. Thanks, everybody. Right now, it's time for the Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me Bluff the Listener Game. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to play our game in the air. Hi, you are on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. I'm Andrew Stockwell-Alpert. I'm calling from Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Sudbury. I know Sudbury near Boston, right? 20 miles away. 20 miles away. And what do you do there? Well, I am a criminal defense lawyer, and I'm the only legally blind trial lawyer in Massachusetts, in fact. Oh, wow. You're the only legally blind trial lawyer in Massachusetts, in fact. Oh, wow! You're the only legally blind trial lawyer in Massachusetts. That's quite an honor.

Congratulations. Let me ask you a question just between you and me. What do you think I look like? Well, I've seen you several times because I've gone through the tapings in Tanglewood. So I know that you're bald. I know that you're stiff. You're legally blind but not blind enough for me to

fool you. Well, that is a little frustrating. Well, welcome to the show, Andrew. You're going to play our game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction. Bill, what is Andrew's topic? It happened at mile eight. So we all know two things about running. Runners like to tell you about running, and hearing about running is the most boring thing in the world. Especially reading a book written about running. That's now out in paperback. But this week, we heard an actually interesting story about running that happened at mile

eight of a particular race. Our panelists are going to tell you about it. Pick the one who's telling you the truth, and you'll win the weight-waiter of your choice on your voicemail. Are you ready to play? Yes, it can't be more of a crapshoot than a criminal jury trial. That's true, you know. All right, your first story of an incident in a race comes from Roy Blunt Jr.

Online, you can find a T-shirt that says, Jesus saves, all others take half damage, which I gather is some kind of Dungeons and Dragons joke. Very clever. But what if you were running in a race and you collapsed and passed out wearing one of those T-shirts? Fortunately, when Tyler Moon, 25, had a real heart attack at mile eight of a 10-mile run in Minneapolis this week. He was wearing a jogging bib on which he had written simply, Jesus saves. And Jesus did. Okay, strictly speaking, it was Jesus. Jesus Bueno, 43, a nurse who stopped running himself, called an ambulance, performed CPR,

and saved Moon's life. When Moon came to and was told who had saved him, he said, bless my soul, or words to that effect. A man wearing a shirt saying Jesus saves collapses at mile eight of a road race and is saved by a man named Jesus. Your next story of run-on sentences comes from Roxanne Roberts. Frank Rieger had just one goal for the Chicago Marathon this month, finish in five hours or less. this month, finished in five hours or less. He was doing okay until mile eight, when Rieger, an FBI agent who investigates white-collar crime, spotted David Raphael about 25 feet ahead of him. Placed on the FBI's most wanted list for tax fraud and money laundering, Raphael was believed to have fled overseas. But there he was, running in Nike Vaporfly shoes and Gucci sunglasses. A stunned Rieger gave chase, which required him to step up, literally.

Quote, I had to go faster, and I made him my pacer. I'll give him this. He's a hell of a runner. Raphael crossed the finish line in four hours, 32 minutes, with the exhausted Rieger right behind. He was arrested by two policemen that the agent had flagged over and demanded a lawyer and a Gatorade. Rieger was honored in Washington this week for capturing one of America's most wanted,

but seemed most excited by his athletic feat. Quote, chasing Raphael made me beat my personal record by almost 30 minutes, he told reporters. So that's some sweet justice. An FBI agent tracks down a wanted criminal over the course of the Chicago Marathon and sets a PR. Good for him. Your last story of someone on the run comes from Peter Gross. Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it? That's the question 700 runners were forced to ask themselves this weekend at the Detroit Half Marathon. The 13.1 mile race is popular with

locals and is usually a pretty traditional event. People sign up, they run, their nipples bleed only half as much as they would in a full marathon, and everyone goes home happy. But this year, the race was held on the birthday of rapper and Detroit native Eminem, and a group of local runners and fans who call themselves the Marshall Marathoners wanted to pay tribute. So when they passed the race's eight-mile marker, which just so happened to be at the famous eight-mile road that lent its name to Eminem's movie, Eight Mile, they initiated an Eminem-themed flash mob that stopped the marathon dead in its tracks. They blasted the famous song from that movie, Lose Yourself, over the massive PA system.

Then the Marshall Marathoners quickly changed out of their tank tops and skimpy lycra shorts and got into costume, some donning the iconic Eminem white t-shirt and jeans, while others wore outfits that referenced the song's lyrics. There were some Mackay Pfeifers, some Pied Pipers, and more than a few sweaters covered in mom's spaghetti. And everyone loved it. Flushed with civic pride, the rest of the runners joined in the celebration, and no one even finished the race. Well, no one, that is, except for 55-year-old Douglas Stradley, who didn't even notice when the commotion broke out

because he was sucking wind and listening to Lose Yourself on a loop on his iPod. Stradley finished with a time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, an amazing time for a full marathon, but the slowest winning time in the 73-year history of the Detroit half marathon. All right, Andy. So you had from

Roy Blunt Jr. the story of a man who ran a race in a bib that said Jesus saves, he collapsed, and was saved by a man named Jesus. From Roxanna, an FBI agent who ran down his suspect over the course of the Chicago Marathon,

or from Peter Gross, a guy who won the Detroit half with a time of 2.15, because everybody else was stuck at 8 mile enjoying the music of Eminem. Which of these is the real story of an event at mile 8 of a race? I'm going with A, because I like the idea of somebody stopping and saving somebody

and not winning the marathon because of it. That's what it is. It's a nice sort of Good Samaritan angle there. Well, to bring you the real story, we spoke to one of the people who was involved in it. On my race bib, I had the words, Jesus saves, and I collapsed. A man named Jesus saved me.

That was Tyler Moon, who was, in fact, the runner runner saved by a man named Jesus, or Jesus. Congratulations, Andrew. You got it right. You earned a point for Roy Blunt Jr. for telling the truth. And you've won our prize, the voice of your choice on your voicemail. Thank you so much for playing. Thank you. Jesus, mighty Jesus, touch me. you. And now the game where we ask smart people dumb questions. It's called Not My Job.

You know the old cliche about the brilliant scientist coming up with a new idea and all the old stodgy scientists say, you're crazy! That's actually what happened to biologist Nalini Nedkarni back in the early 80s, when she first suggested studying the treetop canopy of the rainforest. It's just leaves up there, they said at the academy. Professor Nedkarni ended up founding a whole new school of biology.

She joins us now. Nalini Nedkarni, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you very much. You're very welcome. It's great to have you. We read that that's what happened, that you were like, we really should study what's going on

at the tops of these trees. And everybody was like, why? Why? What's up there? Well, it was like that. You know, scientists are supposed to discover the unknown. And I am a scientist. I mean, I'm really a scientist.

I'm a geek. I mean, in high school, I was a member of the Latin Scrabble Club. That's how much of a geek I am. That's geeky even for NPR. Yes, it is. That's pretty geeky. I'm an NPR NPR. So you were a nerd.

You were studying science. Fine. But how did you get interested in the tree canopy? So when we ascend into the canopy, we really have access to a completely different world up there. It's a different microclimate, there's more sunlight, more variations in relative humidity, and a whole panoply of plants and animals that have adapted to live up there.

And when you were the first scientist to actually go up there, did you find all these unique animals going, damn it, she found us! Actually, what I did, what does happen sometimes is that you really make observations of animals that you can't make on the forest floor. For example, sometimes if you sit up there very quietly, you see this

white form coming towards your side and suddenly you hear in your ear Hello! And let me ask you, you're new. What was your reaction to that? I said that I'm already married. I understand. Oh, and I met your husband. He is also a biologist, and he studies ants. Yes, he does. Actually, we met because I studied the canopy.

We were both graduate students. He came to my field site, and he said to me, in just such a charming, quiet voice, he said, you know, I really want to know if there are ants in the canopy. And so I had to teach him how to climb. We fell in love. And when he proposed, he said he would name an ant after me.

Did he? He did. It took him seven years, but he did. What is the ant? The ant's name is Procryptoceros nalini. Oh.

You do have a name, nalini, that lends itself easily to species names. I wish that he was like, you know what, I know there's no ants up there. I just was hitting on you. Yeah. I just wanted to climb a tree with you. That's a very term... See, I wish that he was like, you know what, I know there's no ants up there. I just was hitting on you.

I just wanted to climb a tree with you. I assume that the only way a treetop canopy scientist and an ant scientist could meet would be a tragic fall. No, that didn't happen. It was the other way. He came up. And is there anything in particular about the ant Nalini species that he made him?

Yes, he calls it an elegant canopy ant. It's slim, it's nimble, and it occurs in the canopy. So, I take that as a compliment. Oh, that's very nice. He did well with that. Yes. I have to ask about treetop Barbie. Yes. Which is something that you invented. Yes. So, tell me about that. Well, you know, I grew up climbing trees, as I said, in suburban Maryland. And my students and I began thinking, how can we inspire young girls to climb trees and to treasure trees the way I do? And we know that many little girls treasure Barbie for whatever reason. And so we thought perhaps making a treetop Barbie, making a Barbie that has the clothes that I wear in the canopy and in the field, a little helmet, a little crossbow, a little booklet that tells her...

Wait, wait, what? Crossbow? Well, we have to get the ropes up there somehow. So you invented a Barbie that was dressed as a treetop scientist. Yes. And what did the Mattel company have to say about this? Well, I did call them. I offered them the idea.

I thought it would be just fabulous for Mattel to have it sold and Toys R Us and so forth. And they were not interested for some reason. I couldn't understand that. So we just decided,

well, in our lab, we can make them ourselves. We bought used Barbies from Goodwill. We had volunteer seamstresses make the little clothing. There were some challenges, like the big hair

wouldn't fit under the little helmets. That's a problem. And her high-heeled feet, you know, their boots wouldn't stay on. And we did try Ground Support Ken, but that turned out not to be a big seller. My husband hates Ground Support Ken.

But I was told that Mattel got mad at you. Well, they did get mad. They actually said, you know, you can't sell these. You know, you're impinging on our brand. And I said, well, I know a number of journalists who might be interested in knowing that, you know, Mattel is not interested in having a brown woman encourage young girls to go into science and be discoverers. Did you say that while holding your crossbow? But the amazing thing is, just

last year, I got a call from National Geographic and they have partnered with Mattel and they have now produced five Explorer Barbies, which is fabulous. And is one of them something like your treetop Barbie? Well, they didn't make treetop Barbie. I think there wasn't a big

enough market for canopy explorers. But they did make a one-of-a-kind Barbie that looks like me. Hey! And so I have this little Barbie. She looks like me about 30 years ago. Sure, wow. But I'll take it.

Well, Nalini and Adekani, we've invited you here to play a game we're calling... Join us up in the trees for canapes. Yep, that's what we went with. Oh, no. You study the tree canopy. We thought we'd ask you about canapes. Those treats usually passed around during cocktail hour before dinner.

Answer two questions about canapes, and you'll win our prize. One of our listeners, the voice of their choice on their voicemail. Bill, who is Nalini Nadkarni playing for? Heather Hurley of Washington, D.C. All right, here's your first question. The origin of the word canape is surprising. What is it? A, it's named after Claude Canapé, a French cook so legendarily awful people could only eat one bite of his food.

B, it comes from the Greek word for mosquito, or C, the original pronunciation is can ape, as in, can an ape eat that? Is that a B? All right. I will say bee. Yes, it is a bee. Yes! And it's a very bizarre origin.

So are you ready? Here we go. Yeah. The Greek word for mosquito is konopos, which became canopy, which became the word for the screen around a couch to keep out mosquitoes. But in French, that became the word for couch. And somebody thought a piece of toast with some spread on it looked like a couch, so

canapé. Wow. Language is weird. Here's your next question. Taste and canapés change over time. Which of these was a real appetizer you might have been offered at a swanky party in the 1960s? Is it

A. Hot dog nutty fritters, B, prune nuggets supreme, or C, kidney toast? I'm thinking A. You're thinking A, hot dog nutty fritters? That sounds like that's wrong. I think I'll say C. I really meant to say C. They misled you. It was A. Oh! Where's my crossbow? But this is okay. You have one more question.

If you get this right, you win. Well, what about if you want to throw a big summer party by the pool? Back in the day, again, you might have served which of these delicious hot weather canapes? A, a single cold potato. B, frozen pork beans and ketchup pops. Or C, herring ice cream bites. B, I think. You're going to go with B?

I'll go with B. You're right. Yes! Right! Simplest thing in the world. You make pork and beans, pour in ketchup, pour into a popsicle mold, and your friends will never forget it. Bill, how did Nalini do on our quiz? Well, no one has enjoyed winning more than Nalini.

It's true. And she did win. Two out of three. Congratulations. Thank you. What's better, this or the acceptance of your theories

by the worldwide scientific community? I'll have to think about that. I bet you will. Nalini Nankarni is an ecologist and professor at the University of Utah

and an advisor for Mattel and National Geographic's new line of science Barbies. You can hear more about Nalini Nutcarney is an ecologist and professor at the University of Utah and an advisor for Mattel and National Geographic's new line of science barbies. You can hear more about Nalini and her work on NPR's new science podcast, Shortwave. Nalini Nutcarney, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. For both of Nalini and Nutcarney, everybody. On top of the world.

On top of the world. In just a minute, Bill revolutionizes your pizza experience in the Listener Limerick Challenge. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to join us on the air. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR. The past decade saw a lot of changes in the way music is made, shared, and experienced. Social media blew up, genres blurred together, and Beyonce dominated nearly everything. I'm Robin Hilton. Join NPR Music as we look back at the 2010s, its defining trends and moments. Listen to new episodes twice a week on all songs

considered from NPR. From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Roxanne Roberts, Peter Gross, and Roy Blunt, Jr. And here again is your host at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, Peter Sagal. Thank you so much, everybody, and thank you, Bill. In just a minute, Bill premieres some new limericks at the Rhyme Dance Film Festival. If you'd like to play, give us a call at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT.

That's 1-888-924-8924. Right now, panel, some more questions for you from the week's news. Peter, NASA just unveiled their new spacesuits, and after millions of dollars spent and several years of development, they happily report that for the first time, astronauts wearing them will be able to do what? Is it something silly like fart? No, they've actually been able to do that since the beginning.

Oh, good. That was like, all right, before you can breathe regular oxygen, I just want to make sure I can fart in this thing. You can do this in the spacesuit. I don't know. I'll take a hint. Now they can reach the jar of Tang on the top shelf. You can raise your arms over your head? Exactly. For the first time ever,

astronauts will be able to raise their arms over their head. We could put a man on the moon, but until now, a man wearing a spacesuit could not point up at it. The original spacesuit has lots of problems. For one, it was stiff and offered a limited range of movement and also it only came in white, which was a nightmare for anybody going to the moon

after Labor Day. I can't believe that that never came up. After every single space mission they were like, are they debriefing? And they were like, again, we need to reach stuff that is higher than our shoulders. It was really hard, of course, when they were asking for volunteers to go out of the spaceship. Who wants to go?

Do people who don't live in New York have those reach-or-grabber things for high shelves? Because every bodega, like Small Deli and stuff in New York, they stack everything up. So important stuff is up there, like toilet paper, which you need toilet paper. They should have one of those. This is great, because now American astronauts, men and women, will be able to shop in a bodega. In their spacesuit. Exactly. So they can be all badass walking around.

Oh, I forgot to take this off. I didn't even realize I'm wearing my spacesuit. But I will take some toilet paper. be soon, but I will take some toilet paper. Roxanne, scientists at the University of Richmond have for the first time trained rats to do what? This is my

favorite story this week. I knew it would be. I just love this story. They have trained rats to drive in little tiny cars to get Froot Loops. That's exactly right, Roxanne. So this happened, like, day-wise. Was this before the astronauts could reach above their shoulders?

Or afterwards? I'm just saying it was a big week for science, Peter. The advances. Anyway, so this is true. They trained these rats to drive these little, you know, motorized plastic cars. The rats, which previously had been forced to take public transportation, steered their little cars.

They steered them in exchange for treats. Though to get those little treats, they had to wait in an interminable drive-thru lane. They were trying, actually, believe it or not, to test their levels of stress, their emotional resilience. So they put all the rats in traffic behind another rat who was staring at his phone and waited all the way through one green light until it turned red again. Didn't it make them happier? It did.

This is true. They tested the stress level of the rats, don't ask me how, and they found that driving relaxed the rats. They were happier. They were less stressed. However, and this is also true, it did stress out the rats that were forced to ride as passengers. No, don't turn right, there's a cat there Coming up, it's lightning fill in the blank But first it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme If you'd like to play on air, call or leave a message

At 1-888-WAIT-WAIT That's 1-888-924-8924. Or click the Contact Us link on our website, waitwait.npr.org. There you can find out about attending our weekly live shows back at the Chase Bank Auditorium in Chicago. And if you want even more Wait Wait, try the Wait Wait quiz for your smart speaker. There are new questions every Wednesday, and you could win a prize. Just say, open the Wait, Wait quiz, and like magic, Bill and I will be there in your home. Quick question. Can I use your bathroom?

Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hi, this is Jess calling from Queens, New York, but I'm actually from Chicago. You are from Chicago. Why would you ever leave our beautiful city by the lake? I know, I'm sorry. And what do you think? I think it's pretty great. All right. Do you find the pizza suspiciously thin? It is suspiciously thin. I agree. Yeah. And much better, right? I guess because my girlfriend's in the other room is from New York, I would have to say this pizza is great too. All right. My God, that was like a hostage talking to a camera. Yes, this pizza is also great.

And my girlfriend, I love. Well, welcome to the show, Jeff. Bill Curtis is going to read you three news-related limericks with the last word or phrase missing from each. If you can fill in that last word or phrase correctly, and two of the limericks will be a winner. Ready to play? I'm ready. Here is your first limerick. Like T-Rex whose teeth rot from meth,

the stench he emits is like death. Though Halitosaurus has died out before us, in this room you're smelling his... Breath. Yes, breath. We've all wondered what it would be like to kiss a dinosaur now, thanks to the Field Museum in Chicago. Amazingly, we know it would be terrible. Researchers have determined that a T-Rex's breath would have smelled really bad due to its unique anatomy, which allowed decaying meat to remain in the mouth months at a time.

Now, do not judge. There is no way they could floss with those tiny arms. Couldn't they just rub their mouth on a tree limb? The museum actually went and made a synthetic version of dinosaur breath which the exhibition developer describes as, quote, bad. It's a scientific term. It's Axe body spray, isn't it? I believe quote, bad. It's a scientific term. It's Axe body spray, isn't it?

I believe so, yeah. Remember, even though it seems uncomfortable and awkward, the polite thing to do is always tell a dinosaur when they have a person stuck in their teeth. Here, Jeff, is your next limerick. This thing that I wrap my phone in. I poke, prod, and press to begin.

The screen will refresh when I'm pinching the flesh. My phone case feels like human skin. Yes! That's right, and that's so wrong. It is a new phone case that is designed to feel and look just like human skin.

So if you are looking for some way to spend less time with your phone, here it is. Less time with your phone and with your friends. Yes, it's called skin-on technology. The idea is, well, they say, is interfacing with skin is a more intuitive way for people to interact with technology. One example of how it works, in order to produce a laughing emoji, you tickle the phone, you see?

This show is getting gross. It really is. The skin phone case comes in three styles, simple flesh, super realistic flesh, and great grandma's elbow. Here's your last limerick. In pizza tech, changes abound. The progress they serve is profound. I'd say it's a miracle to make the box spherical.

A box that is totally... Round? Round, yes. If you are the kind of person, sophisticated, who likes to store your pizza vertically on bookshelves, you're going to have to find a new way to do it because the classic square cardboard pizza box might soon be replaced with a round one.

Pizza Hut is testing out an entirely new round box designed for pizza delivery and also an entirely new method of delivering the pizza, chucking it like a Frisbee. It seems like maybe it took us too long to come up with, like, a container that is the shape of the item. Yes.

It does seem crazy. It does seem like... I have never thought of that. And now that you said that, I'm like, why are we wasting all of that part of cardboard? Or put something there. Like, it's great when like, when you get pizza and they're like, get pizza and also our cheesy bread with marinara sauce. And you're like, hold on a second. That is pizza. You've just, like, separated it and made me dunk it in sauce. Yes, it's pizza with disassembled pizza on the side. Bill, how did Jeff do in our quiz?

Jeff did great. You did. You ought to come home, Jeff. Thank you, Jeff. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

It is time for our final game. Lightning fill-in-the-blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill-in-the-blank questions as they can. Each correct answer now worth two points. Bill, can you give us the score? I sure can. Peter has two. Roxanne and Roy worth two points. Bill, can you give us the score? I sure can. Peter has two. Roxanne and Roy each have three. All right. So that means Peter is in third place, and you're up first. Great. The clock will start when I begin your first question, Peter.

Fill in the blank. After assurances that the ceasefire in Syria was permanent, the White House announced it was lifting sanctions on blank. Turkey. Right. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Blank said that he had failed to form a new coalition government. Netanyahu. Right. This week, lawmakers in Hong Kong officially scrapped a blank bill that has prompted pro-democracy protests. Extradition. Right. Last weekend, President Trump reversed his plans to host the blank at his luxury golf club near Miami.

Ha ha. G7. Right. at his luxury golf club near Miami. Ha ha, G7. Right. In order to redirect around a 65-foot-long road closure, officials in Britain blanked.

Gave up. No, they created a 41-mile-long detour. On Sunday, Francis Ford Coppola joined Martin Scorsese in criticizing the blank movie franchise. Marvel. Yes. On Tuesday, former President Blank was hospitalized with a fracture after falling in his home. Jimmy Carter.

Right. He was released on Thursday. Yes. A man in Illinois trying to avoid arrest gave police a false name but was caught when officers noticed Blank. The name he gave was his name. No. He was caught when they saw that he had his real name tattooed on his neck.

Matthew Bushman was wanted for forgery, and when police attempted to arrest him, he gave the cops a fake name that probably would have worked if Bushman did not have his full name tattooed in giant letters on his neck. It also didn't help that he was also wearing a name tag from a recent forgers convention that said, Hello, my name is Guilty. Bill, how did Peter do in our quiz?

Real good. Six right, 12 more points, total of 14. He is in the lead. Very well done, Peter. Now, we flip the coin and Roy has elected to go next. Roy, fill in the blank. On Tuesday, Britain's parliament rejected a request to fast-track a deal on blank. Brexit. Right. On Monday, Democrats blocked a GOP effort to censure House Intelligence Chair blank. Shift.

Right. For the second week, PG&E cut power to customers in California to reduce risk of blank. Risk of fires. Right. A university student in Bangladesh was busted this week when she hired a blank to take her exams. Hunter Biden. No. She hired eight lookalikes to take her exams.

On Monday, the last trailer for the ninth and final movie in the blank series was released. Superman. No, the Star Wars series. At least the Skywalker saga, to be specific. In order to keep them from cheating, a college in India had students blank during tests. It hung a scimitar. No. They had students during this test,

to keep them from cheating, they had students wear cardboard boxes on their heads. A recent picture showed university students taking an exam while wearing these cardboard boxes with small cut-out eye holes, presumably to keep students from looking to their left or right and cheating off the person next to them. Or maybe just every student had ended up with a bad Halloween costume. The school has since apologized for doing this to their students.

They say that when it comes to future ideas for preventing cheating, they'll try and think outside the box. Bill, how did Roy do in our quiz? He got three right, six more points, totaled of nine, but he trails Peter. So how many is Roxanne going to get right and thus win? Six. Six. Okay,

Roxanne, this is for the game. Fill in the blank. On Monday, Justin Trudeau won a second term as Prime Minister of blank. Canada. Canada. Right. After charges she was being evasive, presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren said she would soon release her detailed plan for blank. Medicare for all. Right.

This week, a judge said the State Department must give a watchdog group documents relating to the president's dealings with blank. Ukraine. Exactly right. According to a new report, health insurance premiums covered by the blank will drop by 4% next year. Obamacare. Yes. This week, a security guard at a bath and body works in Wisconsin had to call police for help after he blanked. Didn't he accidentally spray himself with something? No, he got bored and handcuffed himself to the counter.

In a deal reached on Monday, four drug companies will pay $260 million for their role in Ohio's blank epidemic. The opioid crisis. Right. On Wednesday, shares in electric car company Blank jumped 21%. Tesla. Right. Thanks to a newly passed law, it will soon be legal to eat Blank in California. It'll be legal to eat really fatty cheeseburgers with bacon on top.

No. It will be legal to eat roadkill in California. I didn't know that. Well, now you know. The Wildlife Salvage Bill, which goes into effect next year. Wildlife Salvage. Yes. Allows drivers who fatally strike animals with their cars,

I presume possibly with their fists, I don't know, to take the animals home and cook them. Not all Californians are pleased with the bill, especially California's many vegetarians who are finding it difficult to run over an acai bowl. Bill, did Roxanne do well enough to win? Well, she did it six. She got six. So she wins.

Twelve more points, 15, and got six. So she wins. Twelve more points, 15, and the winner. In just a minute, we'll ask our panelists to predict who will be the next well-known person with a secret identity to be discovered. And what will it be? Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association

with Urgent Hair Cup Productions' Doug Berman, benevolent overlord. Philip Godeka writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Our house manager is Gianna Capodonna. Our intern is Dereva Khan. Our web guru is Beth Noby. BJ Lederman composed our theme.

Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbos, and Lillian King. Technical directions from Lorna White. Our business and ops manager is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chilagin. The executive producer of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is Mr. Michael Danforth. Now panel, who will be revealed to have had a secret identity online?

Roy Blunt Jr. Mark Zuckerberg. Secret identity is Mark Zuckerberg. He didn't think anybody would ever guess it. Roxanne Roberts. Nancy Pelosi's new secret Twitter handle will be, he did pro quo. And Peter Gross. Rudy Giuliani will reveal his new secret identity, federal inmate 67291.

Well, if that happens, we're going to ask you about it on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you, Bill Curtis. Thanks also to Roy Blunt Jr., Roxanne Roberts, Peter Gross. Thanks to the staff and crew at the Eccles Theater. Thanks to everyone at KUER here in Salt Lake City. Thanks to our fabulous audience in this beautiful theater. Thank you all. And thanks to all of you at home for listening. I'm Peter Sagal, and we'll see you with show 1001 next week.

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