You now can catch @planetneish.bsky.social and me on the radio! We dropped by London Morning with Andrew Brown yesterday to talk all about scientific accuracy in movies: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-... To hear more of our conversations, check out Popcorn Science Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

This week, Elisa makes up for lost time on the PVL blog with a longread about the joys of pen and paper in academia. Find the article here: york-pvl.blogspot.com/2026/07/a-pe... What are your favorite materials or techniques for accomplishing your science?

A Perspective on Analog Writing Implements

The motto of my favorite journal brand, Leuchtterm1917, is "Denken mit der hand" or thinking with the hand. I'm not the only member of my gr...

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Congrats to newly minted MSc Abby Newton, PVL’s fifth and final successful thesis defence this summer!

Congrats to Dr. Elisa Dong (co-supervised student of myself and @planetneish.bsky.social ) who successfully defended her PhD dissertation this afternoon!

In this week’s episode of Popcorn Science, we cover the AppleTV series, “Pluribus”. For our first ever in-person recording, we cover virus transmission, exoplanets, and Vince Gilligan’s love of Albuquerque. Spoiler alert - this episode has the longest “science shine” section of any of our podcasts!

Pluribus

You will never have to consume this podcast. Not unless you want to, which we assume is unlikely.

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For the second part of our Andy Weir double feature, John and I discuss “Project Hail Mary.” In this episode, we talk about alien life, the fallacy of the “lone genius”, and why Andy Weir may be a bit too much of a “bro”.

Project Hail Mary

Give us some words of encouragement because you are in for an episode which will amaze amaze amaze you so much that you'll want to fist my bump!

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Congrats to @transmartian.bsky.social who successfully defended their PhD Dissertation in Earth and Space Science at York University yesterday!

This week’s Popcorn Science kicks off our Andy Weir double header, starting with “The Martian.” We discuss wind on Mars, how hard it is to grow potatoes, and why sometimes a movie is better than a book. @arcticsaxifrage.bsky.social

The Martian

We don't want to come off as arrogant here, but Catherine and John are the greatest scientists on this podcast.

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This week on Popcorn Science, John and I take a deep dive into the 1989 film “The Abyss.” We discuss the science of scuba diving, oxygenated breathing fluid, and why no one wants to work with James Cameron.

The Abyss

It's not easy being a cast-iron bitch. It takes discipline, and years of training... A lot of people don't appreciate that.

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As I start work on my second book, I paid a visit to cannery row for some inspiration!

This week, Popcorn Science goes back to 1977 to critique one of Spielberg’s early hits, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” We discuss the cultural phenomena of alien abductions, music as a universal language, and the hopping tourist industry in Wyoming.

Close Encounters

I know this sounds crazy, but ever since yesterday on the road, Catherine and John have been seeing this shape. Shaving cream, pillows... This means something. This is important.

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End of an era - demolition on the long derelict McLaughlin Planetarium begins here in Toronto

Congrats also to Milena Markovich who successfully defended her MSc thesis this afternoon!! Milena will be continuing with my lab at York for her PhD as we dive deeper into ice deposits on the moon (you’ve got to love her title for the public lecture!)

Congrats to my student Grace Bischof who successfully defended her PhD today at York University!! Next for her will be a postdoc at U of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Lab, a place near and dear to my heart

Inyalowdas! In our longest Popcorn Science to date, we take an “Expansive” look at a genre defining series. We ponder what it would be like to die of radiation exposure, realistic ways of living in zero-g, and why James Holden is so darn boring. www.popcornscience.ca/the-expanse/...

The Expanse

Wrecking things is what Earthers do best.

popcornscience.ca

To engage more deeply with the best of Science Fiction, as we do on Popcorn Science, allow me to recommend a WSFS Membership: www.lacon.org/register/ You get a packet with great stories and art + you can nominate and vote your favourites. For our Canadian listeners, next year will be in Montréal!!

Thank-you to everyone who is enjoying Popcorn Science! We've recently passed 250 plays over on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. @planetneish.bsky.social and I are looking forward to our next milestone. Next time we'll be talking about an Expansive series that you suggested! Keep those ideas flowing

In this week’s episode of Popcorn Science, John and I are joined by physiologist Dr. Ann Revill to discuss the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. Hop on the Mr. DNA ride as we discuss ancient mosquitoes, cloning, and a very sexy Jeff Goldblum. Life, uh, finds a way! @arcticsaxifrage.bsky.social

Jurassic Park

God creates dinosaurs, God destroys dinosaurs. God creates Man, Man destroys God. Man creates podcasts. Dinosaurs eat man, woman inherits the Earth.

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Don't forget that you can also listen to our latest episode over on Apple Podcasts podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/t... and on Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/6ohP... Stick with @planetneish.bsky.social and I and you will come to realize that The Fifth Element is anything but Boron

The Fifth Element

Podcast Episode · Popcorn Science Podcast · April 5 · 1h 2m

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On this week’s episode of Popcorn Science, we travel back to 1997’s “The Fifth Element”. In this bright and vibrant vision of the future, we discuss what makes a “perfect being”, the vocal range of aliens, and why NYC in the 23rd century looks so much like the 90s.

The Fifth Element

Y'know we've got a show to run here, and it must pop POP POP!

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This week, PVL masters student Isabelle Marincic reflects on their first year in graduate school. You can read about the highs, the lows, the challenges overcome and yet to come here: york-pvl.blogspot.com/2026/04/one-...

One Year In

It's an adjustment, starting grad school. Even if you've already done research work, becoming a teaching assistant, taking on more respons...

york-pvl.blogspot.com

Excited about Season 5 of ‘For All Mankind‘? Join us as we discuss the science behind this “space soap opera”. Could humans really live on Mars? What does Russian sound like with a southern accent? Join us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. www.popcornscience.ca/for-all-mank...

For All Mankind

Hi, Bob!

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Little slow to post, but @arcticsaxifrage.bsky.social (John Moores, York University) was in the department last week for some meeting and gave us a seminar about his work. Totally #Plutonic On the slide, the image of #Pluto says: I'm glad you finally found me, I hope we can be friends 🧪🔭 #planetsci

Are you missing the Popcorn Science podcast? Not to worry, @planetneish.bsky.social and I will be back for a 2nd season on March 21st! Our first episode is a deep dive on "For All Mankind." Enjoy it in the lead up to the March 27 season 5 premiere. popcornscience.ca

Popcorn Science Podcast

Popcorn Science is a podcast that takes a critical look at the science portrayed in our favourite movies and television shows.

popcornscience.ca

This week, PhD Student @dchayes.ca sheds some light on how we talk to spacecraft on and around other planets: york-pvl.blogspot.com/2026/02/talk... The situation on the red planet is particularly complex and therefore particularly interesting! Like any infrastructure, maintenance is critical

Talking to Mars

This week, PhD student Diana Hayes takes a look at how we communicate with spacecraft dispersed throughout the solar system. Given the numbe...

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This week, first year MSc student Izzy Marincic recounts her first big conference at EPSC in Helsinki, Finland last fall: york-pvl.blogspot.com/2026/02/dpse... From an advisor's perspective it is always so great to see these moments of growth in my students. It really takes me back...

DPS/EPSC 2025: Izzy’s First Masters Conference

One of the best parts about being an advisor is that you get to see moments of growth in your trainees. Not only is is satisfying to see t...

york-pvl.blogspot.com

A neat new result from the Curiosity mission about the persistence of liquid lakes on the surface of early Mars, protected beneath ice. Press release here: news.rice.edu/news/2026/th... paper here: agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

In the final blog post of 2025, @transmartian.bsky.social reflects on their writing journey as a graduate student. york-pvl.blogspot.com/2025/12/inse... This is a key skill: it's not science until it has been shared!

[Insert Title Here]

Writing is a key part of being a researcher of any kind. It's not enough to do the work, take the data or make the discovery. It's not scien...

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You only get one first conference presentation. It can be a stressful experience, but ultimately it's rewarding too: a big step along the pathway to becoming a scientist. This week, MSc Abigail Newton describes her experience at the IPM Workshop last summer york-pvl.blogspot.com/2025/11/baby...

Baby’s First Conference Talk

Public speaking: it's a critical part of communicating your science. But, apocryphally, most people would rather do almost anything else, ev...

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With graduate school application season coming up quickly, MSc student Milena Markovich offers some advice to those trying to select a program, lab group and project. Read more over on the PVL Blog: york-pvl.blogspot.com/2025/10/say-...

Say Yes to the Lab Group

It's an interesting exercise to look back from time to time. Can you make out the pathway that brought you to where you are today? No matter...

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