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So, What is this Rabbit Hole of Research Podcast?
Hello there, welcome to the Rabbit Hole of Research Podcast. Our goal is to have fun learning science through the lens of science fiction and fantasy.
It’s like listening to a panel at your favorite Comic Con, where we will start in one place and let the conversation lead us down the winding scenic road exploring science, fantasy, horror, and pop-culture. 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.
It will not just be us rambling, fumbling and tumbling down the rabbit hole, but we will invite creators, thinkers and innovators on to join the lively conversation exploring the quirky science in fiction.
We are Jotham (Joe) Austin, II, a research scientist and author; Nick Elizalde, roaster of the coffee bean, entrepreneur and pop culture guru; Georgia Geis (@atomic_number14), librarian, storyteller, and print maker, and Mary Schons (Librarian).
We know you have many choices of entertainment, so we will keep the episodes short, about the time it takes to drink a tasty beverage. So, please join us on this journey down the rabbit hole.
Play below (if on mobile click three-lined bar to expand episodes) or follow the Podcast at your favorite Podcast Provider or you can subscribe below to my newsletter and get email updates:
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You can always email (I do answer back), or follow me online for real time tracking. And keep reading to see what I read or listened to when I had time.
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.
In Episode 70 of Rabbit Hole of Research, Joe, Nick, Georgia, and Mary welcome special guest Lorena Salinas, Peruvian artist, architectural drafter, entrepreneur, and owner of Jose’s Family Restaurant in Highland, Indiana, to dig into one of archaeology’s greatest mysteries: the Nazca Lines of Peru.
Lorena, born and raised in Peru, shares her unique cultural perspective and walks the crew through the Nazca geoglyphs, and explains why, as impressive as they are, why to Peruvians, the real engineering marvel isn’t what you can see from the air. It’s what’s underground. The puquios, ancient spiral aqueducts still functioning today, represent the Nazca people’s extraordinary engineering response to life in one of the driest places on Earth, a desert that sometimes sees only one rain a year.
The crew explores the theories: ceremonial offerings to the gods, astronomical alignments, mathematical precision without modern tools, and the deeply human impulse to create something vast and beautiful that you’ll never fully see yourself. They push back on the alien narrative, not just because the science doesn’t support it, but because attributing ancient genius to extraterrestrials is, as Mary puts it, a way of not giving our ancestors the credit they deserve.
From there the conversation shifts to crop circles; their emergence in 1970s England, the Doug and Dave confession of 1991, the 20% of formations that still don’t have a clean explanation, that a plank and a rope can produce.
As always the crew dives down many rabbit holes including, Machu Picchu’s earthquake-proof stonework, the German mathematician who dedicated her life to protecting the lines, the Nazca civilization’s rise and collapse, Peruvian food and ritual, the word jerky, 3000 varieties of potato, and a Quechua farewell .
Jose’s Family Restaurant
2934 Highway Ave, Highland, IN 46322 — the only Peruvian restaurant in Northwest Indiana
Check out what the RHR crew is creating
Joe:
Named by the Guild Literary Complex as one of the 35 writers to watch!
Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories Anthology featuring a story by Joe!
Joe’s Sci-fi physiological thriller Novel: Will You Still Love Me If I Become Someone Else?
Joe’s Rom-Com Novella: Tomorrow May Be Too Late
Essay by Joe: From Beyond Press: Specific Knowledge: Jotham Austin, II, PhD on Transformations in Fiction
It’s Science for Weirdos
Want 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):
1) The crew landed on human ingenuity over aliens, but what’s your take? Were the Nazca Lines ceremonial offerings, astronomical calendars, engineering blueprints, or something else entirely?
2) The alien theory gets dismissed a lot, but as Nick points out, it’s a hard idea to shake. What is it about unexplained ancient structures that makes us reach for extraterrestrial explanations, and what does that say about us?
3) Lorena says that as a Peruvian living in the States, she sees herself as an ambassador for her culture. Is there a culture, heritage, or place you feel that kind of responsibility toward? How do you carry it with you?
Future Episodes
Three Part Spider-Man Series to get ready for the new MCU Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Episode 72 – Spider-Man Villain Series 1: Lab Safety
Guest: Tera Lavoie, PhD
Episode 74 – Spider-Man Villain Series 2: Scorpion and the Other Chimeras
Guest: Erin C. Anthony
Episode 76 – Spider-Man Villain Series 3: What His Villains Reveal About Him
Guest: Comic YouTuber, Alex Hanes (@Hanes4Heroes)
Future Events to Hang with the Crew:Podcast Cross-Appearances
Joe on GoIndieNow: 21grams with Joe Compton
RHR Crew on This Podcast Will Change Your Life with Ben Tanzer
Events & Conventions to hang with the Crew:
Events & Conventions:
Highland, IN Arts Walk — Saturday June 13th, 11am–2pm; Georgia will be at Fuzzyline Brewery
Slay the Lake Chicago Pride Book Fest Soundgrowler Brewing Co., Tinley Park, IL 60487 (June 27, 2026 12PM-5PM)
Shore Leave 46 – Lancaster, PA (July 10-12, 2026)
Lancaster Wyndham Resort and Convention Center
Dragon Con – Atlanta, GA (September 3-7, 2026) – Joe attending as Professional
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