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Rabbit Hole of Research

Rabbit Hole of Research

By: Jotham Austin II PhD Nick Elizalde and Georgia Geis
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 Our goal is to have fun learning science through the lens of science fiction, fantasy, and pop-culture. We will start in one place and let the conversation lead us down the winding scenic road exploring the science in science fiction, separating the facts from the Handwavium. We’ll have a little fun and you’ll learn a few facts you can use to impress your friends at a party or use as a conversation starter to go down your own rabbit holes.

jothamaustin.substack.comJotham Austin, II PhD Science Science Fiction
Episodes
  • RHR Season 2 Finale: What Makes a Christmas Movie? (And Is Die Hard One?)

    RHR Season 2 Finale: What Makes a Christmas Movie? (And Is Die Hard One?)
    Dec 24 2025
    In this lively Season 2 finale of Rabbit Hole of Research, hosts Joe, Nick, and Georgia are joined by returning guest Mary Schons and first-time guest Kathryn “Kat” Sterbenc to do two things at once: look back at a season spent separating science from handwavium—and finally tackle the perennial holiday argument, Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?Over the course of Season 2, the show explored science through the lens of fiction, asking how fast is too fast, what happens when time misbehaves, and what it looks like when ecosystems, societies, and technologies buckle under pressure. From noir to kaiju, superheroes to slashers, stretched bodies to stressed systems, every episode dug into the real science beneath the stories we love.As the season closes, that same lens turns toward Christmas movies, stories that look comforting on the surface, but are almost always about pressure: people forced together, deadlines that can’t move, and systems pushed to their limits right when everything is supposed to feel magical.The conversation starts with the crew sampling the worlds second strongest beer (Snake Venom) and swings widely, from It’s a Wonderful Life and Home Alone to Trading Places, The Thing, and of course Die Hard, as Kat lays out her criteria for what makes a “true” Christmas movie and Mary pushes back with thoughtful counterarguments. Along the way, the group explores holiday mythology, redemption arcs, cultural tradition, and even the science behind Frosty the Snowman, the Grinch’s heart, and the biology of immortal holiday figures.Part season recap, part holiday debate, and part festive rabbit hole, this episode unwraps what makes stories endure—whether they’re built to loop every December or just held together by a little Christmas magic.Stay Safe, Stay Curious, and Merry Christmas you Filthy Animals!Check out what the RHR crew is creatingJoe:Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories Anthology featuring a new story by Joe!Joe’s Sci-fi physiological thriller Novel: Will You Still Love Me If I Become Someone Else?Essay by Joe: From Beyond Press: Specific Knowledge: Jotham Austin, II, PhD on Transformations in FictionIt’s Science for WeirdosWant to support the show? Tell your friends. Follow us on social media, Discord, share the podcast, and let us know what topics you are excited about. Leave a Comment. And for email alerts sign-up for the Substack newsletter and never miss an episode, exciting updates or the bonus images we talk about on the episodes.We want to Hear From You (leave a comment):What’s your personal definition of a Christmas movie?What’s your favorite Christmas movie?Is Die Hard a Christmas movie… or just an action movie wearing holiday bling?Are there movies you only watch in December that technically “shouldn’t” count?What holiday science, myths, or pop-culture traditions should we dig into next season?Future Episodes & EventsEpisodes:Season 3Episode 52 – The Physics and Biology of Extreme PerformanceGuest: Hayley ChowHow far can the human body really go? Hayley Chow joins the crew to explore endurance, adaptation, and the edge of physical performance.Episode 53 – Space Arks and Colonizing New WorldsGuest: Roland PittsIf Earth is no longer an option, what comes next? Roland Pitts helps us imagine space arks, generation ships, and building new civilizations in the stars.For more stuff (Images, Episode Highlights, Notes and Fun Facts, events, etc), subscribe to our Substack newsletter!Join Rabbit Hole of Research on Discord: https://discord.gg/2nnmKgguFVDon’t forget to give us 5 stars or a like! Get full access to The Rabbit Hole of Research at jothamaustin.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Gremlins recap: A Mini Batch

    Gremlins recap: A Mini Batch
    Dec 17 2025
    In this mini recap of Episode 50, Joe, Georgia, and Nick revisit the chaos, science, and fuzzy destruction of Gremlins, Joe Dante’s 1984 holiday horror-comedy produced by Steven Spielberg. They unpack the speculative biology of the Mogwai one more time, diving into the infamous three rules: no bright light, no water, and never feed after midnight—especially not raw chicken.The crew adds fresh layers of science to the discussion: the real-life Turritopsis dohrnii immortal jellyfish challenges biology’s one-way street, birth to death, by reverting from adulthood back to a juvenile form. They clear up misquotes, too, turns out Ben Franklin never said anything about beer being purer than water. Chris Guzman may now own that line. Joe finally remembers which sequel he thought was better than the original (Superman II), Georgia nominates “you can’t have a pet caterpillar” as a t-shirt, and Nick offers a time paradox for the ages: “Time has not been around all that time.”Also discussed: E.T.’s grown-up mischief parody from Legends of Tomorrow. The crew gives their media recommendations: Stranger Things, Skate Story, The End of the World As We Know It, Lose Your Mind, Gilmore Girls, and Abbott Elementary.Just one full episodes and one mini remain in season 2: Get ready to close out with some holiday fun and silliness!Check out what the RHR crew is creating:Joe:Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories Anthology featuring a new story by Joe!Essay by Joe: From Beyond Press: Specific Knowledge: Jotham Austin, II, PhD on Transformations in FictionJoe explores how many calories it would take to transform into monsters across sci-fi and horror—think 222 Big Macs and tubs of Cherry Garcia.It’s science for WeirdosWant to support the show? Tell your friends. Follow us on social media, Discord, share the podcast, and let us know what topics you are excited about. And to see all the content (studio images and artwork) subscribe to the Rabbit Hole of Research newsletter!Stay curious, stay speculative, stay safe, and we’ll catch you in the next rabbit hole. Love Y'all!Upcoming EpisodesEpisode 51 – Season 2 Recap: PJs and Holiday MoviesGuests: Mary (a return guest) and KatGrab your pajamas and join the crew as we toast two seasons of curiosity, chaos, and science—plus a sneak peek at what’s coming in Season 3.Season 3Episode 52 – The Physics and Biology of Extreme PerformanceGuest: Hayley ChowHow far can the human body really go? Hayley Chow joins the crew to explore endurance, adaptation, and the edge of physical performance.Episode 53 – Space Arks and Colonizing New WorldsGuest: Roland PittsIf Earth is no longer an option, what comes next? Roland Pitts helps us imagine space arks, generation ships, and building new civilizations in the stars.For more episode stuff (images, show notes, links, and more science for weirdos) visit and subscribe to our Substack newsletter and never miss out on the extra fun! Get full access to The Rabbit Hole of Research at jothamaustin.substack.com/subscribe
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    12 mins
  • Gremlins and Holiday Science

    Gremlins and Holiday Science
    Dec 10 2025
    In this episode of Rabbit Hole of Research, Joe, Nick, and Georgia team up with special guest Chris Guzman to unwrap one of the weirdest holiday phenomena in film history: Gremlins (1984). What starts as a gift from a Chinatown curio shop turns into a full-blown creature-feature apocalypse—and the team wants to know: how do the rules actually work?They break down the film’s infamous care instructions—no bright light, no water, and never feed them after midnight—through the lens of speculative biology, behavioral science, and evolutionary design. Could water-triggered replication be real? Why is sunlight instantly fatal? Is “after midnight” a biologically meaningful category—or a deliberate psychological trap?From there, the conversation spirals outward into the strange wartime origins of gremlins as invisible mechanical saboteurs, and how those mythic figures got reinvented as furry weapons of mass suburban chaos in the 1980s. They discuss the influence of E.T., Cold War bioweapon fears, chaotic creature logic, and the idea that the Mogwai may have been designed to test humanity’s ability to follow instructions—or fail spectacularly trying.Naturally, they also dive into the age-old debate: is Gremlins a Christmas movie? Whether you see it as holiday horror, anti-consumerist satire, or a dark fable about pet ownership gone wrong, this episode explores what it means to take rules seriously—and what happens when you don’t.Links:Chris Guzman @theboxinggloveartistCheck out what the RHR crew is creating:Joe:Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories Anthology featuring a new story by Joe!Chicago Writers Association Podcast: Talkin’ Science Fiction with Joe AustinEssay by Joe: From Beyond Press: Specific Knowledge: Jotham Austin, II, PhD on Transformations in FictionJoe explores how many calories it would take to transform into monsters across sci-fi and horror—think 222 Big Macs and tubs of Cherry Garcia.It’s Science for WeirdosWant to support the show? Tell your friends. Follow us on social media, Discord, share the podcast, and let us know what topics you are excited about. Leave a Comment. And for email alerts sign-up for the Substack newsletter and never miss an episode, exciting updates or the bonus images we talk about on the episodes. We want to Hear From You (leave a comment):Do you remember your first time watching Gremlins? Did it feel like a horror film, a comedy, or something else entirely?Could Gremlins realistically function as a biotech weapon?Which movie creature has the weirdest biological logic, Xenomorphs, Tribbles, or something else, that we should talk about on the RHR Podcast?Future Episodes & EventsEpisodes:Episode 51 – Season 2 Recap: PJs and Holiday MoviesGuests: Mary (a return guest) and KatGrab your pajamas and join the crew as we toast two seasons of curiosity, chaos, and science—plus a sneak peek at what’s coming in Season 3.Season 3Episode 52 – The Physics and Biology of Extreme PerformanceGuest: Hayley ChowHow far can the human body really go? Hayley Chow joins the crew to explore endurance, adaptation, and the edge of physical performance.Episode 53 – Space Arks and Colonizing New WorldsGuest: Roland PittsIf Earth is no longer an option, what comes next? Roland Pitts helps us imagine space arks, generation ships, and building new civilizations in the stars.For more stuff (Images, Episode Highlights, Notes and Fun Facts, events, etc), subscribe to our Substack newsletter!Join Rabbit Hole of Research on Discord: https://discord.gg/2nnmKgguFVDon’t forget to give us 5 stars or a like! Get full access to The Rabbit Hole of Research at jothamaustin.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 hr and 7 mins
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