Episode Transcript

EPISODE – 197

LEELA: This episode… India’s ancient mystery-language prize, the Indian army hits targets in Pakistan, US snake-fan blood, the human-v-robot marathon, and an octopus’s dangerous taxi ride.

OPENING STING – LEELA: “Hey, hey, hey. Listen up. New, new, newsy – Newsy Pooloozi!” 

THEME MUSIC 

LEELA: Hello and welcome to Newsy Pooloozi – the news pool for curious kids and adults!

I’m your host Leela Sivasankar Prickitt and, as ever, I’m joined by the big story explainer and sound effects finder – otherwise known as my… mama!

MAMA: That would be me. Call me Lyndee. And this is your one-stop shop for the most interesting and important news happening around the world.

LEELA: This episode… talk about wacky world news…

A massive prize is being dangled in front of codebreakers and linguists (you know, those people who are foreign language experts) – how much and for what is coming up.

Also, heard the one about the man who loves snakes so much he’s willing to be bitten endlessly? Oh, yeah… but you’ll never believe what good is coming out of that sssssssssssssssussss love.

The world’s first human versus robot marathon took place in China – guess who or what won?

And talk about a wild – or dangerous taxi ride – meet the octopus who jumped on the back of… wait – you gotta listen till the end to hear this one!

OK then, let’s dive on in. First up, it’s the…

BIG NEWS STORY STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “The Big news story of the week!”

MAMA: So, if I say ancient civilization, you’d say…

LEELA: The Egyptians.

MAMA: Right. Or…

LEELA: Well, the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans and, of course –

MAMA: Closer to home yet few people around the world, especially those taught in the West…

LEELA: The Indus Valley Civilization, of course!

MAMA: Bingo! The ancients of India – or technically from not far from us here in Delhi, in northwest India over to Pakistan and even parts of Afghanistan – from 3300 BCE. We’re talking well over FIVE-thousand years ago!

LEELA: Around the same time as Egyptians then, right?

MAMA: A tiny bit after, but more or less the same. And known for being among the first civilizations to have urban planning and drainage systems – including public baths – pretty amazing for five thousand years ago.

LEELA: Impressive. So, ummm, what’s the news with this old, long-gone civilization then?

MAMA: Well, while we know a lot about them… there’s one thing that’s still a mystery.

SFX OF MAGIC MYSTERY SOUNDS 

LEELA: Do tell.

MAMA: Their language! The Harrapan script.

LEELA: Like their words and text is, hold on, what’s the word… in… un… decoded?

MAMA: Yes! Or, maybe, better to say, not deciphered.

LEELA: Indecipherable! That’s what I meant.

MAMA: And, guess, what. There’s a challenge to decode the 5,000-year-old secret texts from the Indus Valley Civilization.

LEELA: Oh, wait, I’ve heard about this. Isn’t there a massive prize, like money, being offered for this too?

MAMA: You got it. And, weirdly, it’s the Chief Minister of Tamal Nadu – like miles and miles south of where the civilization was – but a proud Indian, all the same – who’s putting up the prize money.

LEELA: Which is how much, exactly…?

MAMA: Well, let’s head to our Chennai correspondent, in Tamil Nadu, Sahasra Sridar, for the details.

LEELA: Take it away, Sahasra!

SAHASRA: Thanks, guys.

Like you said, the Indus Valley Civilisation existed over 5000 years ago.

They were super advanced for the time – that we can see from the remains of their cities.

But unfortunately, no one has been able to decipher the Harrapan script they left behind.

No one knows what these ancient symbols – etched into pottery, seals and other artifacts – stand for.

For years and years, it’s been a mystery for archaeologists (as in scientists who dig up old things left behind by humans) AND linguists (those are people who study languages).

Well, now, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is raising the stakes – as in, trying to get more people interested in decoding this ancient lost language.

SFX OF MAGIC MYSTERY SOUNDS 

How? Oh, simply by offering a cool $1 million prize to anyone who can finally decode the Indus script!

Experts believe the script holds the key to understanding the daily lives, culture, and beliefs of the Indus Valley people.

Like how they conducted trade, religious practices, even their family structures!

But deciphering it isn’t easy.

No one knows for sure if it’s a full-fledged written language or a system of symbols!

To solve the puzzle, the people taking part will need to use logic, historical knowledge, and maybe a bit of good old-fashioned guesswork.

But one thing’s for sure: the person who cracks this code could make history and bag a fortune!

In Chennai, I’m Sahasra Sridhar, reporting for Newsy Pooloozi!

LEELA: Thanks, Sahasra. That’s one big treasure hunt!

MAMA: Yeah, thanks! Well, given how smart people from Tamil Nadu are… if anyone can do it… y’all can! Keep us posted.

MAMA: Staying with India, we have some breaking news to report. India has fired rockets at what it says are terrorist targets (like training camps) in Pakistan, killing at least 70.

LEELA: Yeah, that was scary news to wake up to, I can tell you!

MAMA: Indian officials say the operation was a response to that deadly terrorist attack that happened in Kashmir couple weeks ago.

LEELA: Oh, yeah, it’s all anyone in India was talking about for a few days. It happened just before we published our last episode, so I think it went in World Wrap, right?

MAMA: Correct. We reported on how five of militants – who are thought to be from or have links with Pakistan – opened fire on a group of tourists visiting the beautiful town of Pahalgam in India’s state of Kashmir. At least 28 people were killed.

LEELA: Why though?

MAMA: Well, that’s always the real question with any violence, right? Let’s just say, India and Pakistan have fought with each other since both countries were created over 75 years ago. And a pressure point is Kashmir, a region which both countries claim.

LEELA: So what happens now? Will Pakistan then return the attack, and start bombing India? Will I have school tomorrow? They said there will be drills going on all afternoon.

MAMA: Yes, it’s particularly scary because bothIndia and Pakistan have nuclear weapons. But luckily, calmer sensibilities seem to be prevailing. Thankfully the Pakistan’s Defence Minister said his military is ready to refrain from further action if India halts its operations. So – this might be the worst of things.

LEELA: Or it could be a bluff?

MAMA: Let’s think positively, shall we! Let’s hope common sense and compassion prevail!

LEELA: OK – I think it’s time for some happier news, thank you very much. It’s…

[SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pahalgam-terror-attack-operation-sindoor-launch-live-updates-may-7-2025/article69543511.ece

https://apnews.com/live/india-pakistan-attack-pahalgam-kashmir]

NATURE STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “The call of nature. Get on your safari suite. Or squeeze into your scuba gear. And get ready to hop into a jeep. Or submarine. Submarine. Because Mother Nature is calling! Nature.”   

LEELA: So, today’s Nature story is about snakes, well, specifically snake bites? We sure do have a lot of snakes here in India – which I’m grateful to not have run into!

MAMA: We sure do! Did you know, roughly half of the world’s annual deadly snakebites happen to people here in India? And even sadder perhaps, is that the antivenom shot they receive might not work.

LEELA: Antivenom shot? Venom… That’s the poisonous stuff that comes out of a snake’s fangs when they bite into you. And in many cases, it’s deadly.

MAMA: Correct.

LEELA: So, ANTI-venom is… like medicine that reverses venom, right?

M Correct again. Currently, antivenom is made by injecting a teensy tiny dose of venom into an animal, like a horse or sheep, then collecting the antibodies from that animal.

LEELA: Antibodies being what it produces naturally to fight that specific venom.

MAMA: Right. Antibodies are protective proteins produced by the immune system (in humans and in animals) to help fight off harmful invaders like bacteria, viruses, and toxins.

LEELA: That’s what I thought.

MAMA: The problem is, there are so many kinds of snakes and so many kinds of venom out there, it’s hard to know which antivenom shot to administer.

LEELA: Yeah – I know. Like they always say you have to know WHICH snake you’ve been biten by.

SFX OF SNAKE

LEELA: How is that even possible unless you’re some wildlife expert.

MAMA: Well, you wrestle the snake, kill it and take it with you to the hospital, obviously.

LEELA: Yeah, or just, you know, take picture of it. Cos it sits there waiting to do a selfie with you… Not!!

MAMA: I know, right?! Alas… hope is on the way!  Thanks to, Tim Friede, a self-taught snake expert, from Wisconsin in the U.S.A.

LEELA: OK, tell me more.

MAMA: Well, over the course of about 18 years, Tim injected himself with teeny tiny doses of venom all different kinds – to build up his immunity.

LEELA: Ahhhhhh…

MAMA: And now a group of scientists are using Tim’s blood, which contains all those different kinds of antibodies, to make a universal anti-venom medicine, meaning one that can be used treat lots of different kinds of snake bites.

LEELA: Great news. But… ummm… Mama, one questions remains: WHYYYYYYYYYYYY would you inject yourself with doses of venom? Not once, not twice but over 18 years? Why? I mean, just why?

MAMA: Yeah, well, I guess you could say Tim is a snake super-fan. He had lots of poisonous snakes as pets and wanted to make sure he could continue his hobby in case he ever got bitten.

LEELA: Wow. And now, his blood going to be used for a potential breakthrough in science and medicine?

MAMA: Pretty neat right?! He said he feels immense pride knowing hobby, his life’s work, has become the basis of such an important medical breakthrough.

LEELA: Yeah, it must be very sssssssssssssssssssatisfying.

MAMA: I heard what you did there…

[SOURCE: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2013803#:~:text=In%20India%2C%20around%2050%2C000%20deaths,snake%20bite%20is%20grossly%20underreported.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/health/snakes-universal-antivenom-tim-friede.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5d0l7el36o]

WORLD WRAP STING – LEELA: “What’s that? I’ll tell you what. That’s the halftime bell! Which means… it’s time to hear what’s making news around the rest of the world. Hold on tight, it’s around the world in 80 seconds.” 

MAMA: There are new leaders in both Canada and Australia after elections. Mark Carney is Canada’s new Prime Minister and Anthony Albanese is re-elected the PM of Australia. Though the countries are on opposite sides of the world, both winning candidates ran on platforms opposing US President Donald Trump.

Residents in Spain and Portugal are marveling over renewable energy… as both countries were in the dark for about 15 hours last week after a power surge tripped their electricity grids, which almost entirely dependent on renewable sources. On that day a kooky combination of no wind and other factors caused the outage.

Some people never learn… Not once but twice a 27-year-old Chinese student was rescued from the slopes of Mount Fuji in Japan. First, he was rescued after part of his shoe broke, and he couldn’t climb down safely. Then he returned to retrieve his phone – and had to be rescued again.

And a belated happy Star Wars Day to all you Newsies! Although an unofficial holiday, May the 4th has evolved over the years to become day fans celebrate their favorite movie franchise. Why? Well, May the 4th be with you, of course!

[SOURCE: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/world/canada/global-elections-trump.html

https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/spain-still-investigating-cause-blackout-solar-flare-not-blamed-2025-05-06/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0w7xx0kk5o

https://mashable.com/article/free-lego-star-wars

https://apnews.com/article/star-wars-day-may-4th-holiday-ea1b5b43b00c23f53294dc159da2bae9]

LEELA: Well, thank you so much for that – wait for it… that whippity-whappity-zippity-zappity wrap of what’s making headlines elsewhere in the world, Mama.

MAMA: Anytime, Leela.

TECH STING – LEELA/MAMA: “It’s time for…. Technology News, technology news, tech news!”

LEELA So, mama, imagine you’re running a half marathon, but instead …

MAMA: Wait. Sorry. I have to stop you there. I can’t ever imagine myself running a marathon. So… just sayin’.

LEELA: Ok, well, for the sake of the story mama, please, imagine you’re running a half–marathon but, instead of taking water breaks, your fellow competitors had to take … battery pitstops!

MAMA: Hmmm, I would say maybe you’re talking about an electric vehicle race rather than a marathon with, you know, people?

LEELA: Ah, but I am talking about a half-marathon, yes, with people, but also with… wait for it… Wait – here’s a clue:

SFX OF ROBOT AND COMPUTER NOISES

LEELA: Humanoid robots!

MAMA: Wow! Is that like a thing now?

LEELA: Apparently! Just recently, in the capital of China, Beijing, hundreds of humanoid robots hit the streets alongside humans to run a half marathon.

MAMA: Very impressive. I know today’s humanoid robots are very “human”-like, as in, they’re about the same size as a human, with arms, legs, and a head like a human, and some with super-real looking silicon faces.

LEELA: Yes! In fact, there were 20 teams with humanoid robots in the competition. But during the race they had their own section lane to run in – just in case of any malfunctions.

MAMA: Which I’m sure there were.

LEELA: There were indeed some spills and slips, I mean, it’s to be expected.

MAMA: Ouch! And I guess there were battery pit-stops, too?

LEELA: Yes, but nothing like Formula 1, I gotta say.

MAMA: Of course.

LEELA: The good news is humans won this race… with the fastest human runner finishing in 1 hour and 2 minutes, that’s one and a half hour faster than the robot called, Tien Kung Ultra, which crossed the finish line at just a hair over two hours and 40 minutes.

MAMA: Hmmm… It’s like 12 minutes per mile. Not exactly Speedy Gonzales or anything. Though, ummm… probably faster than I’d average…

[SOURCE: https://apnews.com/article/china-robot-half-marathon-153c6823bd628625106ed26267874d21

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/china-s-robots-race-against-humans-and-their-us-counterparts/ar-AA1Dsbg0

https://www.firstpost.com/vantage/humanoid-robots-race-humans-in-beijing-halfmarathon-vantage-with-palki-sharma-n18g-vd1075726/]

ODDBALL STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “Step right up, step right up… Have a go at the lucky dip machine… What’s it gonna be today, eh? An oddball, no doubt!”

LEELA: You’ve heard of stowaways –

MAMA: Yep, people who hide aboard a ship, a plane or a train in the hopes of getting a free ride.

LEELA: But what about an animal stowing away… ON another animal?

MAMA: Ahhhh, I can’t even imagine how that would be possible.

LEELA: Well, that’s what happened in waters near New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf…

MAMA: Oh, oh…! I think we need to pass this one over to our team in New Zealand… Abby Kilpatrick, take it away!

ABBY: Thanks, you guys. So yeah, we have an animal … in this case an octopus… who was a stowaway on… wait for it… a shark.

Sharktopus… is what we call this ride-or-die duo. It’s a Maori octopus clinging to the back of a mako shark.

Researchers from Auckland University spotted the pair cruising along the surface at about 10 kilometers per hour.  But the shark wasn’t doing all the work.

Our octopus passenger had to hold on tight… keeping all its tentacles tucked in.

What a strange sight! It looked a bit like the shark was wearing an octopus hat!

And it’s even stranger when you consider that mako sharks, the fastest sharks in the open seas, live close to the surface. And Maori octopi, who are among the largest and most hostile of their species, tend to live along the seabed.

So, how did this even happen?

Researchers can’t say for sure, but the video of the pair has thousands of views online and continues to grow as a favorite.

It’s a community of “shark opus” fans and I’ve become one of them.

Reporting in Aukland New Zealand, this is Abby Kilpatrick reporting for Newsy Pooloozi.

LEELA: Well, thank you very much, Abby! I guess that shark didn’t argue about the stowaway – after all, octopuses are known for being… well-armed. Geddit…

MAMA: Baaaaduump duune!

[SOURCE: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/shark-octopus-puzzled-1.7492694

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/science/octopus-riding-shark-new-zealand.html]

FAB FACTS STING – LEELA: “And it’s time to wrap up the podcast with the top five fab facts heard today. Here goes…” 

MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 1 – A million dolllars is being offered to the brainy-brain who can decode the long-lost language of the Indus Valley Civilization, which dates back how far?

5,000 years ago

LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 2 – Where exactly was the Indus Valley Civilization?

Modern day north India, Pakistan and Afghanistan

MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 3 – A US snake-lover survives hundreds of snake bites to help create world’s most powerful antivenom. Which country has the highest number of deadly snakebites globally every year?

India

LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 4 – In a first-of-its-kind event, China hosted a half-marathon where 21 robots competed alongside humans. What are robots that are designed to look like real people – with arms, legs, and sometimes even super-real-looking silicon faces – called?

Humanoid

MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 5 – An Octopus hitched a ride on the type of shark – known as the fastest shark in the world – in the open seas off the coast of New Zealand. What is the name of this type of shark?

Mako sharks

And don’t forget, if you want to test yourself later on, then go to the Lucky Dip page of our website,  newsypooloozi.com, that’s pool-o-o-z-i, and take this quiz online in your own time!

LEELA: And that almost brings us to the end of this episode of Newsy Pooloozi! But first…

MAMA: We would like to thank the lovely Jyoti Chuahan for her production help and Julie Noce for helping write AND edit this episode!

THEME MUSIC

LEELA: If you enjoyed this dip in the coolest pool of news and information then HIT that subscribe button on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Alexa or wherever you get your podcasts.

MAMA: While you’re at it… Give us a good rating. Or better still, leave us a review! Go on – we’ll read it out loud if you do…

LEELA: And don’t forget to check out our website – that’s newsypooloozi.com – p-o-o-l  o-o-z-i.com

Alright then, see you next week in the happy, splashy giant Newsy Pooloozi!

-ends-