What happens when hard science fiction collides with big-budget cinema? The latest episode of Physics World Stories delves into the ideas within Project Hail Mary – a new film about a science teacher (portrayed by Ryan Gosling) who finds himself alone on a spacecraft with the job of saving humanity from a star-dimming threat.

Host Andrew Glester talks to science-fiction author Andy Weir, whose 2021 novel inspired the production. Weir, also known for The Martian and Artemis – both adapted for the screen – has built a reputation for scientific rigour, sometimes spending days perfecting calculations for the smallest plot details. In the interview, he reflects on how his writing has evolved over time, with a growing focus on character development alongside the hardcore science.

Also in the episode is astrophysicist and science communicator Becky Smethurst, who gives her take on the film’s science. From the treatment of relativity to its refreshingly plausible take on alien life, Smethurst loves how Project Hail Mary avoids many familiar sci-fi clichés. She also shares some of her favourite recent science fiction.

Smethurst, who runs the popular YouTube channel Dr Becky, recently released a series about Project Hail Mary. It’s well worth checking out the entertaining interviews with Weir, Gosling and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller – all grappling with the challenge of bringing complex physics to the screen.

https://youtu.be/lYHCTEnYOr4?si=ZLwG_2VfQMeEFOzZ

On 26 April 2026, it will be 40 years since the explosion at Unit 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant – the worst nuclear accident the world has known. In the early hours of 26 April 1986, a badly designed reactor, operated under intense pressure during a safety test, ran out of control. A powerful explosion and prolonged fire followed, releasing radioactive material across Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, with smaller quantities spewing across Europe.

In this episode of Physics World Stories, host Andrew Glester speaks with Jim Smith, an environmental physicist at the University of Portsmouth. Smith began his academic life studying astrophysics, but always had an interest in environmental issues. His PhD in applied mathematics at Liverpool focused on modelling how radioactive material from Chernobyl was transported through the atmosphere and deposited as far away as the Lake District in north-western England.

Smith recounts his visits to the abandoned Chernobyl plant and the 1000-square-mile exclusion zone, now home to roaming wolves and other thriving wildlife. He wants a rational debate about the relative risks, arguing that the accident’s social and economic consequences have significantly outweighed the long-term impacts of radiation itself.

The discussion ranges from the politics of nuclear energy and the hierarchical culture of the Soviet system, to lessons later applied during the Fukushima accident. Smith makes the case for nuclear power as a vital complement to renewables.

He also shares the story behind the Chernobyl Spirit Company – a social enterprise he has launched with Ukrainian colleagues, producing safe, high-quality spirits to support Ukrainian communities. Listen to find out whether Andrew Glester dared to try one.

In this episode of Physics World Stories, host Andrew Glester explores the fascinating hunt for pristine comets – icy bodies that preserve material from the solar system’s beginnings and even earlier. Unlike more familiar comets that repeatedly swing close to the Sun and transform, these frozen relics act as time capsules, offering unique insights into our cosmic history.

The first guest is Tracy Becker, deputy principal investigator for the Ultraviolet Spectrograph on NASA’s Europa Clipper mission. Becker describes how the Jupiter-bound spacecraft recently turned its gaze to 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar visitor that appeared last July. Mission scientists quickly reacted to this unique opportunity, which also enabled them to test the mission’s instruments before it arrives at the icy world of Europa.

Michael Küppers then introduces the upcoming Comet Interceptor mission, set for launch in 2029. This joint ESA–JAXA mission will “park” in space until a suitable comet arrives from the outer reaches of the solar system. They will deploy two probes to study it from multiple angles – offering a first-ever close look at material untouched since the solar system’s birth.

From interstellar wanderers to carefully orchestrated intercepts, this episode blends pioneering missions and cosmic detective work. Keep up to date with all the latest space and astronomy developments in the dedicated section of the Physics World website.