News & Views

Fault characteristics, how close is close enough?

Sofia Michail and edited by Kleoniki Lydia Theodoridou February 11, 2026

Source: Marina Leonova Pexel.com

Have you ever wondered what common thing connects fault surfaces and their characteristics with your… squeezy sneakers on a wet surface or the required frequent change of your car tyres? Well, the answer is simple. The fundamental principles of stress and friction can significantly cause this behaviour in our everyday lives. However, these two factors can also be responsible for the slip behaviour ...[Read More]

The courage to be disliked: reflections on peer-review processes

Jean-Baptiste Koehl, edited by Constanza Rodriguez Piceda and edited by Michaël Pons February 4, 2026

Peer-review strikes back (Credit: Lea Pennacchioni)

Although often daunting and discouraging, every academic must navigate the inevitable process of peer review. In this week’s post, Jean-Baptiste Koehl, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oslo (Norway), reflects on what the future of peer review might be. Author disclaimer: The reflections presented here reflect my perspective grounded in my own experience. While peer review is a key mech ...[Read More]

Mathematical closed-form solutions in Geodynamics: insightful or detrimental?

Dimitrios Papadomarkakis and edited by Constanza Rodriguez Piceda January 14, 2026

(credit: modified from Unsplash)

Mathematics is certainly not every scientist’s cup of tea. Despite the latter, they are, for the most part, very important, since most problems, regardless of their complexity, start and end with a mathematical equation (or set of equations). In this week’s blog, Dimitrios Papadomarkakis (student at the National Technical University of Athens), discusses the subject of closed-form (analytical) sol ...[Read More]

Building the Earth in a sandbox

Conor Farrell and edited by Michaël Pons January 7, 2026

Building the Earth in a sandbox The Main Ethiopian Rift stretches for hundreds of kilometers through Ethiopia, a massive fracture where Africa is slowly tearing apart to birth a new ocean. However, the processes driving this continental breakup remain hidden deep beneath layers of volcanic rock and millions of years of geological history. Today, in a laboratory in the heart of the be ...[Read More]