Planetary friends -- the DPS Fall Meeting abstract submission is now open! We have some great special sessions planned, and warmly encourage abstracts on planetary science / geological science, DEIA/Workforce and Education topics. aas.org/meetings/dps58

Thrilled to announce I was selected by the DPS for the Claudia J. Alexander Prize for mid-career researchers in planetary science. Honoured to be listed alongside all these amazing people. dps.aas.org/news/aas-div...

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/...

Congratulations, Prof. Catherine Neish! @planetneish.bsky.social Recipient of a Western Faculty Scholars Award, recognizing exceptional recent achievements in teaching or research and international scholarly impact. Well deserved!

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

Those balloons on top of Orion look a bit like maple leafs. They’re clearly celebrating the first Canadian to go to the Moon. 🇨🇦🍁🎈

That was a surprisingly emotional roller coaster. Went from nausea to choking up when they reestablished comms. Only brought my daughter down to watch the splashdown after the parachutes had successfully deployed. So glad everyone is safe.

I once heard my colleague Jim Head speculate on how human history would have evolved if Orientale was pointed directly at Earth. It would look like a giant eye ball. Can you imagine what that would look like? Now we know.

I’m wondering if the crater Reid Wiseman wanted to dedicate to his late wife is in fact Pierazzo crater, also named for a woman who left us too soon due to cancer. It is a bright spot that straddles the near and far sides. ❤️

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.

My graduate students and I were featured in this CBC article about the Artemis II launch! One of the astronauts is from a small community just outside of London, so there was a lot of local interest in the launch. 🚀

I'm know everyone's excited about The Moon today, but I wanted to alert you to a new article I co-authored on another moon. In this review, we discuss potential terrestrial analogues for Saturn's moon Titan. Despite it being an icy world, it looks surprisingly Earth-like!

Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, was discovered on March 25, 1655, by Christiaan Huygens. More than 350 years later, it remains a key target for exploration. Launching in 2028, NASA’s Dragonfly mission will investigate the complex chemistry of this ocean world. https://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/Why-Titan

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...

I still remember going to a sugar bush in Quebec where we ate what amounted to a maple syrup snow cone. Underrated treat.

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

I just nominated my podcast, Popcorn Science, for a Hugo Award. You can too!* Season 2 is being recorded now and will be released soon. www.popcornscience.ca *See restrictions below.

An excellent thread! It truly is a wild time to be an educator.

A year and a half ago, I attended an Earth Observation workshop sponsored by @westernuspace.bsky.social. There was a talk about tornadoes that got me thinking - could we detect and characterize tornado tracks with synthetic aperture radar?

The Planetary Science Journal is looking for a new scientific editor! You would be working with my good friend Dr. Brian Jackson, the new editor-in-chief. aas.org/jobregister/...

An article from Science about the changes LPSC has made to its abstract submission process. As my colleague @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social states, "This is censorship". www.science.org/content/arti...

PLANTS! IN! SPACE! www.cbc.ca/news/science...

I don’t usually watch baseball, so I never subscribed to Sportsnet and can’t watch it live. Instead, I’m tracking the plays on Google, and wow, it is not as fun. But go Jays! I still remember the last World Series they won back in 1993.

Congratulations to Dr. Reid Perkins, who successfully defended his dissertation today. He studied terrestrial analogue sites in Iceland and Nunavut to understand our planetary neighbours.

New research from PhD student Elisa Dong! Could Dragonfly detect airbursts on Titan? To find out more: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... This is Elisa's 2nd paper published this year - @planetneish.bsky.social and I are very proud advisors!! If you're looking for a postdoc, consider reaching out

In our Popcorn Science Season 1 finale, we cover the film that defined every sci-fi movie that followed - 2001: A Space Odyssey. Join us as we open the pod bay doors to discuss early humans, walking on the Moon, and evil computers. @arcticsaxifrage.bsky.social popcornscience.ca/2001--a-spac...

This week on Popcorn Science, we go back to the summer of the killer asteroids. In 1998, both “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon” hit the big screens. We cover the lesser known (but better) movie as we discuss comets, impacts, and Elijah Wood’s obsession with rings. popcornscience.ca/deep-impact/...

Am I the only person who thinks Blade Runner is boring? Join us as we discuss this 1982 classic, delving into the subjects of climate change, genetic engineering, and what it means to be alive. @arcticsaxifrage.bsky.social popcornscience.ca/blade-runner...

Very cool video! Lava is way louder than I expected it to be.

This week on Popcorn Science, John and I discuss the 2003 Battlestar Galactica Miniseries. Could Cylons really kill everyone with nuclear bombs alone? What kind of crazy solar system do the colonists live in? Grab your gun and bring this podcast in! popcornscience.ca/battlestar-g...

Happy to introduce the newest PhD in my lab, Dr. Ashka Thaker! Dr. Thaker studied ejecta emplacement on the Moon and Mercury.

This week, John and I discuss the Star Wars movie “Rogue One”. We debate the utility of holographic communication, a Star Destroyer’s curious relationship to gravity, and Darth Vader’s inefficient data storage center. Check it out! popcornscience.ca/rogue-one--a...

How can you study impact craters like an astronaut? It's easier than you may think. Planetary science prof @planetneish.bsky.social + her grad students recently conducted analogue studies at Meteor Crater to assess the feasibility of in-situ tools that will be used by astronauts. Learn more below:

Popcorn Science is now on Spotify! You can find our first seven installments here: open.spotify.com/show/3TARKhL... There's lots more scientific analysis of your favorite films and TV shows coming your way in the weeks ahead from @planetneish.bsky.social and I.

I'm so excited about this mission, and stoked that it finally launched. Go NISAR!

It’s hammer time! This week, John and I discuss the science behind the MCU classic, “Thor”. Join us as we contemplate the distinction between technology and magic, whether Frost Giants could freeze you with a touch, and advocate for the Flat Earth society on Asgard. popcornscience.ca/thor/index.h...

If you're a trans or non-binary scientist, consider appearing on the podcast Assigned Scientist at Bachelor's, the only podcast dedicating to interviewing, and highlighting the research of, trans and non-binary scientists, cohosted by your truly!

Always a good idea to follow Captain Janeway’s orders!

This is terrible for many, many reasons. Who will be President when the Cylons attack??

This week, John and I take a deep dive into the most pretentious film about exoplanets I have ever seen. But with an advisor like @arcticsaxifrage.bsky.social, there’s lots of good science to admire.

Are you a graduate student with an admission offer at a top 100 university in the US, interested in pursuing your degree in Canada instead? Please consider this new program offered by Western University. news.westernu.ca/2025/07/phd-...

I attended an earlier version of this workshop a few years ago, and found it both engaging and informative. Highly recommend to any space scientist!

This week, John and I discuss a movie whose science was so bad, it literally changed the movie industry. Join us as we discuss why humans wouldn’t sink in lava and why it’s best to avoid popular landmarks during a natural disaster. @arcticsaxifrage.bsky.social popcornscience.ca/the-core/ind...

The president’s budget request would destroy $20 billion worth of operational NASA missions, including MAVEN, America’s best telecommunications satellite at Mars. Check our bio to see what you can do to help. #PlanetaryScience 🧪🪐🔭

A very nice article from KNAU about our recent trip to Meteor Crater with the Mini-RF team. Includes a shot of me pretending to be Antman on the rim of Meteor Crater. www.knau.org/knau-and-ari...

In this week’s episode of Popcorn Science, Catherine and John live long and prosper as they discuss their love of Star Trek, and marvel at how both Spock and Jadzia Dax can calculate exponential growth in their heads. 🖖🏻 @arcticsaxifrage.bsky.social popcornscience.ca/tribbles/ind...

In this episode of Popcorn Science, John and I hop into a 1957 Thunderbird to discuss the interplay between science and faith… and why radio astronomers never, ever wear earphones.

New episode just dropped! Listen as John and I try to figure out if we need to fear human sized insects, and whether a creator’s personal views should influence how you engage with their media.

How does science translate when adapting a classic SF novel to the silver screen? @planetneish.bsky.social and I recently put our theories to the test with the 2013 film Ender's Game. You can listen to our discussion over on Apple Podcasts podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p... or at popcornscience.ca