Geodynamics

The Geodynamics Awakens: Star Wars Planets and Earth’s Geological History

Arijit Chakraborty September 2, 2026

Credits: Lyman Hansel Gerona [Unsplash]

Star Wars is one of the most influential science-fiction worlds created in our time. The central theme revolves around the struggle between the tyrannical Galactic Empire and the rebels trying to bring it down. Star Wars has many reasons to pull you in: iconic lightsaber duels, technological advancements such as hyperspace travel, and perhaps most importantly for a geologist: a remarkable number o ...[Read More]

I’M BRINGING KERNELS BACK

Alina Valop and edited by Prachi Kar August 26, 2026

Computational geodynamic models are powerful tools for understanding Earth’s deep interior, but how do we know they are producing realistic results? In this week’s News & Views, Alina Valop, a PhD candidate from Virginia Tech, unpacks the world of geodynamic kernels and shows how these sensitivity functions provide a computationally efficient way to benchmark mantle flow models, te ...[Read More]

Mobilidiocy

The Sassy Scientist August 12, 2026

Guess who’s back? Back again! Sassy’s back, tell your colleagues! This week I am going to shoot the elephant in the room by answering Will’s question “Is Mobility a plus or a must for a research career?” Now I know I have already answered a similar question some time ago, but a changing world requires an updated saucy answer. Disclaimer: The reflections presented here reflect my perspective ground ...[Read More]

Science has no borders. Researchers do: a modern Odyssey

Katherine Villavicencio August 5, 2026

A conceptual illustration of the modern scientific journey, inspired by Homer's Odyssey, where the pursuit of knowledge unfolds alongside the challenges of international academic mobility. Image generated using IA.

When Homer wrote The Odyssey nearly three thousand years ago, he described a journey filled with storms, uncertainty, unexpected detours, and the relentless hope of eventually reaching Ithaca. Today’s journeys may no longer cross the Mediterranean, but they continue to test researchers’ resilience in unexpected ways. Not because researchers sail across unknown seas, but because the pur ...[Read More]