Mika McKinnon
@mikamckinnon.bsky.social
Field geophysicist, disaster researcher, scifi science consultant, science writer, public speaker, irrepressibly curious. Occasional rock-licker, frequent devourer of board books. 🇨🇦🇺🇸
Help?
I’m looking for a solar charger for a phone.
Use case is frequent power outages in a remote location. It doesn’t need to be fast or powerful or store charge, just give a phone enough juice to pop on data & check BC Hydro repair updates on Day 3.
I’m looking for a solar charger for a phone.
Use case is frequent power outages in a remote location. It doesn’t need to be fast or powerful or store charge, just give a phone enough juice to pop on data & check BC Hydro repair updates on Day 3.
November 25, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Help?
I’m looking for a solar charger for a phone.
Use case is frequent power outages in a remote location. It doesn’t need to be fast or powerful or store charge, just give a phone enough juice to pop on data & check BC Hydro repair updates on Day 3.
I’m looking for a solar charger for a phone.
Use case is frequent power outages in a remote location. It doesn’t need to be fast or powerful or store charge, just give a phone enough juice to pop on data & check BC Hydro repair updates on Day 3.
Reposted by Mika McKinnon
Guess who just got out of bed to update our toilet stats.
Thanks to a Chinese launch, the current count is 10 toilets in space:
International Space Station: 4
Crew Dragon Docked at ISS: 1
Soyuz Docked at ISS: 1
Tiangong Space Station: 2
Tianzhou Docked at TSS: 1
Tianzhou headed to TSS: 1
Thanks to a Chinese launch, the current count is 10 toilets in space:
International Space Station: 4
Crew Dragon Docked at ISS: 1
Soyuz Docked at ISS: 1
Tiangong Space Station: 2
Tianzhou Docked at TSS: 1
Tianzhou headed to TSS: 1
November 25, 2025 at 5:44 AM
Guess who just got out of bed to update our toilet stats.
Thanks to a Chinese launch, the current count is 10 toilets in space:
International Space Station: 4
Crew Dragon Docked at ISS: 1
Soyuz Docked at ISS: 1
Tiangong Space Station: 2
Tianzhou Docked at TSS: 1
Tianzhou headed to TSS: 1
Thanks to a Chinese launch, the current count is 10 toilets in space:
International Space Station: 4
Crew Dragon Docked at ISS: 1
Soyuz Docked at ISS: 1
Tiangong Space Station: 2
Tianzhou Docked at TSS: 1
Tianzhou headed to TSS: 1
Small things I mourn:
“Vibe” was one of my fav words for a long, long time, but the connotations & implications of using it have shifted so much that I just…
The vibe is off for saying “The vibe is off.” 😔
“Vibe” was one of my fav words for a long, long time, but the connotations & implications of using it have shifted so much that I just…
The vibe is off for saying “The vibe is off.” 😔
Someone is going to have the write the thing about how “vibe” has become a substitute for meaningful theory in a world where the theory is so clear — grift and power — but we collectively refuse if because it isn’t sophisticated enough to generate make work for empiricists.
November 23, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Small things I mourn:
“Vibe” was one of my fav words for a long, long time, but the connotations & implications of using it have shifted so much that I just…
The vibe is off for saying “The vibe is off.” 😔
“Vibe” was one of my fav words for a long, long time, but the connotations & implications of using it have shifted so much that I just…
The vibe is off for saying “The vibe is off.” 😔
My child would like to lodge a complaint with the city that our local drainage is too good & we lack sufficient puddles.
We’re having to hunt way too hard to splash. We’re under rain warning! Why aren’t the drains blocked with leaves? Who graded such smooth slopes?? This competency is unacceptable.
We’re having to hunt way too hard to splash. We’re under rain warning! Why aren’t the drains blocked with leaves? Who graded such smooth slopes?? This competency is unacceptable.
November 22, 2025 at 6:09 PM
My child would like to lodge a complaint with the city that our local drainage is too good & we lack sufficient puddles.
We’re having to hunt way too hard to splash. We’re under rain warning! Why aren’t the drains blocked with leaves? Who graded such smooth slopes?? This competency is unacceptable.
We’re having to hunt way too hard to splash. We’re under rain warning! Why aren’t the drains blocked with leaves? Who graded such smooth slopes?? This competency is unacceptable.
I have a truly ludicrous amount of Brussels sprouts courtesy of my farmshare.
I like Brussels sprouts, but I have exactly one prep style which is not going to get me through this pile.
Suggested recipes?
I like Brussels sprouts, but I have exactly one prep style which is not going to get me through this pile.
Suggested recipes?
November 22, 2025 at 5:12 PM
I have a truly ludicrous amount of Brussels sprouts courtesy of my farmshare.
I like Brussels sprouts, but I have exactly one prep style which is not going to get me through this pile.
Suggested recipes?
I like Brussels sprouts, but I have exactly one prep style which is not going to get me through this pile.
Suggested recipes?
Reposted by Mika McKinnon
Two evenly-matched males spent the afternoon lazily sparring while waiting for the bay to freeze. #BearSeason2025 #Mammals 🌿
November 21, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Two evenly-matched males spent the afternoon lazily sparring while waiting for the bay to freeze. #BearSeason2025 #Mammals 🌿
Relevant to your science-bracket habits:
We're getting to the end of 2025, so why not: We made a bracket. VOTE on our best science photos. These scientists ... man, are they doin' some wild stuff! #CENChempics @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/education/sc...
Our first-ever Chempics Bracket is here. Vote for your favorite science photo
Only one photo will emerge victorious
cen.acs.org
November 18, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Relevant to your science-bracket habits:
Reposted by Mika McKinnon
Good news!!
The deadline to apply for this job has been extended to November 24. 🗓️
Get your applications in soon!
The deadline to apply for this job has been extended to November 24. 🗓️
Get your applications in soon!
🚨JOB ALERT : ENGINEERING SEISMOLOGIST 🚨
Come and work with us in the Seismic Hazards Program at the California Geological Survey!
💰 $6,488 - $12,215 / month
📆 Application due: 11/17/2025
calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/...
Come and work with us in the Seismic Hazards Program at the California Geological Survey!
💰 $6,488 - $12,215 / month
📆 Application due: 11/17/2025
calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/...
Engineering Seismologist
Looking to make a difference? Join our strong and mighty workforce. We offer benefits and growth opportunities and impact the lives of millions of Californians.
calcareers.ca.gov
November 14, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Good news!!
The deadline to apply for this job has been extended to November 24. 🗓️
Get your applications in soon!
The deadline to apply for this job has been extended to November 24. 🗓️
Get your applications in soon!
Reposted by Mika McKinnon
👇 the website will be creaking a bit now, but especially if you have observations from low latitudes (<45⁰N) save this site and submit your observations later!
Submit them to Aurorasaurus!!! They're an NSF funded project out of University of New Mexico that takes crowdsourced aurora observations for research purposes:
www.aurorasaurus.org
www.aurorasaurus.org
Aurorasaurus - Reporting Auroras from the Ground Up
Friends, see my real-time #aurora report on the aurorasaurus.org map! Follow us on www.facebook.com/aurorasaurus.org. Reporting #northernlights and #citizenscience from the ground up since 2012!
www.aurorasaurus.org
November 12, 2025 at 6:37 AM
👇 the website will be creaking a bit now, but especially if you have observations from low latitudes (<45⁰N) save this site and submit your observations later!
#Copper has been holding on to an 8% lead most of the match. It’s a lot, but #Molybdenite could catch up.
What topics should we cover in the #OreCup victory post?
What topics should we cover in the #OreCup victory post?
#OreCup finals are between a pair of bewitching ore minerals that glitter and gleam. But only one can have your vote.
Will it be native copper or molybdenite? You’re running out of time to choose!
Vote:
Will it be native copper or molybdenite? You’re running out of time to choose!
Vote:
Vote in Ore Cup FINALS — Mineral Cup & Ore Cup
Pick the Ore Mineral of the Year! Voting for Copper vs Molybdenite will remain open for 48 hours. Credit: David M. Maietta and Harold Moritz
www.mineralcup.org
November 10, 2025 at 6:47 PM
#Copper has been holding on to an 8% lead most of the match. It’s a lot, but #Molybdenite could catch up.
What topics should we cover in the #OreCup victory post?
What topics should we cover in the #OreCup victory post?
I knew the week-long mini-Cup would feel fast, but being in the final match already is BLAZING. 😳
#OreCup Finals:
It’s copper ore native #Copper vs molybdenum (& rhenium) ore #Molybdenite. Both are shiny, but only one can be the Ore Mineral of the Year
Vote:
It’s copper ore native #Copper vs molybdenum (& rhenium) ore #Molybdenite. Both are shiny, but only one can be the Ore Mineral of the Year
Vote:
Vote in Ore Cup FINALS — Mineral Cup & Ore Cup
Pick the Ore Mineral of the Year! Voting for Copper vs Molybdenite will remain open for 48 hours. Credit: David M. Maietta and Harold Moritz
www.mineralcup.org
November 9, 2025 at 5:16 PM
I knew the week-long mini-Cup would feel fast, but being in the final match already is BLAZING. 😳
It’s still a painfully tight match, close enough that I’m going to be hiding in a corner during a child’s birthday party to frantically finalize which mineral will compete against native copper for Ore Mineral of the Year.
Nothing but elegance and grace! 😂
Nothing but elegance and grace! 😂
Only a few hours left to vote in the #OreCup semifinals of #Molybdenite vs #Bornite!
vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
results:
vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
results:
www.mineralcup.org
November 8, 2025 at 9:22 PM
It’s still a painfully tight match, close enough that I’m going to be hiding in a corner during a child’s birthday party to frantically finalize which mineral will compete against native copper for Ore Mineral of the Year.
Nothing but elegance and grace! 😂
Nothing but elegance and grace! 😂
#Copper is very, very neat, but I am forlorn that #Ilmenite is getting trounced so soundly in the #OreCup semifinals.
I mean. It's a titanium oxide ore, which is body-safe and not water soluble so it's not on the Do No Lick list, just on the Do Not Rub Into Your Eyes list.
📸 Gerhard Brandstetter
I mean. It's a titanium oxide ore, which is body-safe and not water soluble so it's not on the Do No Lick list, just on the Do Not Rub Into Your Eyes list.
📸 Gerhard Brandstetter
November 7, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Today I learned (& it made my happy):
Just a reminder, that possibly the oldest piece of palaeoart dates to the Neolithic. The petroglyphs of horned characters with trumpets, recorded on the same rock as a ornithischian footprints (Zagaje Formation) in Poland, might be an early reconstruction of the Jurassic tracemaker.
November 7, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Today I learned (& it made my happy):
Phew, this is going fast!
Ilmenite won & will face cooper in the semifinals tomorrow.
Today is the last match in round 1 (quarterfinals! 😂) to pick which ore mineral is up against molybdenite.
Hint: they’re both pretty!
Ilmenite won & will face cooper in the semifinals tomorrow.
Today is the last match in round 1 (quarterfinals! 😂) to pick which ore mineral is up against molybdenite.
Hint: they’re both pretty!
#OreCup R1M4: This match is coming hot from a hydrothermal vein as #Carrollite competes with #Bornite. Both are copper ores with a beautiful tarnish. You have 24 hours to decide!
vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
results:
vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
results:
www.mineralcup.org
November 6, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Phew, this is going fast!
Ilmenite won & will face cooper in the semifinals tomorrow.
Today is the last match in round 1 (quarterfinals! 😂) to pick which ore mineral is up against molybdenite.
Hint: they’re both pretty!
Ilmenite won & will face cooper in the semifinals tomorrow.
Today is the last match in round 1 (quarterfinals! 😂) to pick which ore mineral is up against molybdenite.
Hint: they’re both pretty!
Reposted by Mika McKinnon
One of my favourite polar bear photos I've taken to date. It was a weird, misty evening with just a sliver of sunlight coming through the fog, lighting up this bear on the rocks just outside of town. #mammals 🌿 #BearSeason2025
November 1, 2025 at 10:18 PM
One of my favourite polar bear photos I've taken to date. It was a weird, misty evening with just a sliver of sunlight coming through the fog, lighting up this bear on the rocks just outside of town. #mammals 🌿 #BearSeason2025
Reposted by Mika McKinnon
There’s passive-aggressive data viz, and there’s “putting a teeeeeeeeny weeny 0.7-point-shift arrow on Mecklenburg County” passive-aggressive.
November 5, 2025 at 2:52 AM
There’s passive-aggressive data viz, and there’s “putting a teeeeeeeeny weeny 0.7-point-shift arrow on Mecklenburg County” passive-aggressive.
I am called out.
But in my defence, the adjectives for describing the texture of a mineral so slippery that it’s one of the best lubricants on the planet veer into nsfw or at least giggle-inducing territory very quickly.
But in my defence, the adjectives for describing the texture of a mineral so slippery that it’s one of the best lubricants on the planet veer into nsfw or at least giggle-inducing territory very quickly.
November 4, 2025 at 7:48 AM
I am called out.
But in my defence, the adjectives for describing the texture of a mineral so slippery that it’s one of the best lubricants on the planet veer into nsfw or at least giggle-inducing territory very quickly.
But in my defence, the adjectives for describing the texture of a mineral so slippery that it’s one of the best lubricants on the planet veer into nsfw or at least giggle-inducing territory very quickly.
My #scicomm win for the day? Writing a mostly-coherent definition of mineral subgroups without lies of oversimplification or ending up deep in the weeds.
I hope.
I hope.
#OreCup R1M2 is a matchup of extremely shiny and geometrically-distinctive ore minerals for #Molybdenite vs #Tetrahedrite.
Vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
Results:
Vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
Results:
www.mineralcup.org
November 4, 2025 at 2:22 AM
My #scicomm win for the day? Writing a mostly-coherent definition of mineral subgroups without lies of oversimplification or ending up deep in the weeds.
I hope.
I hope.
Psst. Did you see?
After years of asking us for mini-cups, we have a week-long race through the blend of economics and geology that are ore minerals.
Go, learn, share, vote!
After years of asking us for mini-cups, we have a week-long race through the blend of economics and geology that are ore minerals.
Go, learn, share, vote!
The first match in #OreCup is on now as #Galena and #Copper battle for your vote. Do you favour the lead ore or the native metal?
Vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
Results:
Vote: www.mineralcup.org/vote-results...
Results:
www.mineralcup.org
November 3, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Psst. Did you see?
After years of asking us for mini-cups, we have a week-long race through the blend of economics and geology that are ore minerals.
Go, learn, share, vote!
After years of asking us for mini-cups, we have a week-long race through the blend of economics and geology that are ore minerals.
Go, learn, share, vote!
Geo help?
We’re drafting our “What is a mineral?” and “What is an ore?” & related blurbs for #OreCup
Anyone have fav examples of things that are ores but not minerals, ores that don’t contain the same-named minerals, and other weirdness we should include?
We’re drafting our “What is a mineral?” and “What is an ore?” & related blurbs for #OreCup
Anyone have fav examples of things that are ores but not minerals, ores that don’t contain the same-named minerals, and other weirdness we should include?
October 30, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Geo help?
We’re drafting our “What is a mineral?” and “What is an ore?” & related blurbs for #OreCup
Anyone have fav examples of things that are ores but not minerals, ores that don’t contain the same-named minerals, and other weirdness we should include?
We’re drafting our “What is a mineral?” and “What is an ore?” & related blurbs for #OreCup
Anyone have fav examples of things that are ores but not minerals, ores that don’t contain the same-named minerals, and other weirdness we should include?
Reposted by Mika McKinnon
I've made a brand new prompt list for #Nudivember this year with all kinds of fun and obscure species to draw or paint or write poems about.
Spend November thinking about nudis instead of everything else.
Spend November thinking about nudis instead of everything else.
Welcome to the 2025 #Nudivember art challenge!
Like last year, here is a list of some lesser known, yet always fabulous, nudibranch species.
Participate as much or as little as you want in any art form you like.
Make sure to use #Nudivember and use alt text!
Like last year, here is a list of some lesser known, yet always fabulous, nudibranch species.
Participate as much or as little as you want in any art form you like.
Make sure to use #Nudivember and use alt text!
October 29, 2025 at 7:54 PM
I've made a brand new prompt list for #Nudivember this year with all kinds of fun and obscure species to draw or paint or write poems about.
Spend November thinking about nudis instead of everything else.
Spend November thinking about nudis instead of everything else.
What’s the word for being excited yet utterly unprepared?
October 22, 2025 at 2:17 AM
What’s the word for being excited yet utterly unprepared?