Episode 13: Blockbusters and Frozen Landscapes: Climate Change Through the Lens of Pop Culture

Hello Fam! Hope y’all are doing well. So, here is Episode 13. Thank you for tuning in and supporting us. Our goal is to have a little fun exploring science through the lens of science fiction, fantasy and pop culture.
In this episode, Joe and Nick are joined by Dr. David Pincus from the University of Chicago to delve into the fascinating and alarming world of climate change and thawing permafrost. They discuss the potential dangers of melting permafrost, including the revival of ancient viruses and bacteria. The conversation meanders through topics like the revival of woolly mammoths, geoengineering solutions like solar shades, and how meteorite impacts could lead to abrupt climate changes. They also touch on various forms of media, including the science behind movies like ‘Twister,’ 'The Day After Tomorrow,' 'Frozen II,' and even a nod to 'Sharknado.' The trio share their drinks of choice while exploring the intersection of science and pop culture, making for an engaging and somewhat humorous discussion on a critical global issue.
We hope you enjoy. Tell a friend! Don’t forget to give us 5 stars or a like!
Artwork by Georgia Geis atomicnumber14 ( / atomic_number14 ) / atomic_number14
To see how deep the rabbit hole goes, check out the (timestamped) expanded show notes (open.substack.com/pub/jothama...) .
open.substack.com/pub/jothama...
You can always email (I do answer back), click the comment link below, or follow me online for real time tracking. Share with a friend! Leave 5 stars!
Get full access to The Rabbit Hole of Research at jothamaustin.substack.com/subscribe (jothamaustin.substack.com/sub...)

[@alex4833]

Hi guys, how are you? Fun and cool episode! I listened to it earlier when I away from my laptop, so I'm going partially by memory and also partially from the shownotes :). Haha Dr. David Pincus and Joe had some fun banter. I hadn't heard of many of the drinks (I don't drink alcohol but the various types of drinks intrigue me). They all sound cool though :). I had heard about the threat of pathogen release from permafrost melt. That is pretty scary. When you mentioned the fungi, I immediately started to think of Last of Us. What is especially scary is the fungi that enters the body. I'd hate to have that. The question asked was hilarious though - if it could give you superpowers lol. Imagine gaining a superpower from fungi. It's amazing how viruses and other organisms have survived so long despite being frozen. It's concerning, but also interesting. I had heard a bit about efforts to resurrect woolly mammoths. That is absolutely not a good idea IMO. Maybe I'm biased because of Jurassic Park, but I have doubts about it and think it's too risky. But, that's more of a gut reaction, and my thoughts might change if someone provides a solid reason for it. I had heard of efforts towards geoengineering. Snowpiercer is a great film. I did not see the show. However, I watched the movie and liked it a lot. Chris Evans did a great job. It's a smart and awesome film. Wow, I haven't seen Aliens, but it's cool that Paxton was in it too. I remember seeing him in Terminator. I haven't seen Predator 2. It's cool that Paxton was in it as well. Now, I need to watch the ALien films and Predator 2 (I saw the first Predator many years ago). Joe, which Alien movies do you recommend? I want to watch them before Romulus is out :). I appreciate your recommendations. I saw commercials for the original Twister when I was a child. I still need to see it (I didn't get to see many movies as a kid - some, but not a ton). LOL it was hilarious when you asked if Helen Hunt was in Frozen 2. I hadn't seen either Frozen movie. When I heard the "Let it Go" song sooooo many times (I kept hearing it everywhere from people talking about it and even NPR played it once), I was super annoyed lol. That's why I haven't seen it Lol. Lol I had no idea that frogs, mudfish, worms, and jeyllfish were thrown through the sky. That is scary. The alligator one is even scarier haha. The discussion about alligatornado is hilarious as well. Hahaha great discussions throughout, like about scales for windspeed. I hadn't heard of the movie where aliens dropped meteorites to kill humans and change the weather. That is quite a concept. Haha. I had heard of an asteroid that will be nearing Earth in 2029. That is definitely close, but yeah, we will be all right. Funny discussion about whether it will be like Armageddon. :). Yeah, it would be too risky to try to destroy an asteroid, especially with a missile (since you'd turn one asteroid into countless fragments). But, I do wonder if one day, we will find a solution that can destroy an asteroid and avoid or minimize the fragmentation. That's absolutely fiction and handwavium for the near-future, but I would be intrigued if it comes true. LOL The discussion about Category 6: Day of Destruction is hilarious. That movie sounds way too silly. Funny discussions. I like how wide ranging they get. Take care. :). :).

[@Jomega22]

Hey Alex, Thanks for listening and writing us. We really appreciated and we are working on including a Multiverse Episode before the year is out! Thanks for the suggestion. I am excited about the Alien Romulus movie also--I just watched the trailer. I'd watch Alien and Aliens (It doesn't happen often, but I think the sequel is better that the original). After that I saw Alien 3, it was okay. And I dropped off after that. I need to watch Prometheus and Covenant. I've heard mixed reviews on these three, but I'll probably try to watch those two before Romulus. I did watch the Alien vs Predator (2004) movie and that was fun also. I didn't watch the second one--Requiem. I think we are going to do an alien anatomy episode next year--at least it is on the list of episode ideas 🙂 Hope you are doing well and we'll see you next episode: Regeneration -- Getting ready for the Wolverine and Deadpool movie!!! So excited to see it! 👏

[@alex4833]

@@Jomega22 Anytime! That's neat, Joe! I'm excited for the multiverse episode! Thank you for your consideration :). I saw the trailer too. I'm stoked! :) I will be sure to watch Alien and Aliens :) I'm excited! I need to watch them. Do you think Prometheus and Covenant will be per-requiste films for Romulus? I haven't seen Alien vs. Predator. I might see it though since you liked it :) Ooh Alien anatomy should be intriguing :). Take care, Joe! :D