NYCF: Science, Tonight - A peer-reviewed comedy talkshow

PRESENTED BY NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL

Science, Tonight is a late-night comedy talk show with guests scientists who are prepared, and improvisers who are not, to talk about science. Host Dr. Mark Popinchalk and the Science, Tonight reporting team are going to have their hands full keeping the show on the road as scientists and literal forces of nature have their turn in the hot seat.

Science, Tonight is like if Conan O’Brien met Charles Darwin, Eric Andre met Marie Curie, and John Oliver met the greatest, underrated scientists of our time, all to answer the universe’s biggest questions like: What has the speed of light been doing since college? When is my sleep paralysis demon’s new bedtime product line dropping? Has Betelgeuse heard the ending of Romeo and Juliet? The show is packed full of interviews, audience "peer-review", learning, laughs, and an escalating sense of wonder and doom as our cast of experts and improvisers bring each topic to life. It’s science today, tomorrow, and Tonight!

Mark Popinchalk is an astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History who guesses how old stars are by looking at how quickly they spin; old stars spin slow, young stars spin fast. He hosts the comedy talk show Science Tonight, and is also a planetarium presenter, ultimate frisbee player, and bread maker. His favorite color is sky-blue-pink. He releases short form videos on socials every week, and a new video every new moon on YouTube (@markpopinchalk).

Kristina Gustovich is an Earth scientist, performer, and educator. When she's not puttin' on the Ritz in live shows like Yesterday's Horoscope, she's a doctoral student at Columbia's Teachers College studying science education in informal settings like museums (and Caveat!). Find her on socials at @K_Gustovich on X and @mucho_gustovich on Instagram.

Noah Guiberson is a neuroscientist who studies how brain cells try (and sometimes fail) to communicate with each other. When he’s not pipetting, he co-hosts Facts Machine – a science comedy show (and science trivia showdown) by and for people who are curious about everything, but especially the things that make them laugh! Insta/TikTok/Bluesky: @ArksAndSciences.

Iman Behbehani (she/her) is a masters student at the CUNY Graduate Center studying stellar explosions, from dwarf novae to supernovae. Iman is a producer for Astro on Tap, and started an affinity group for women of color in stem, as she strives to make science more fun and inclusive. Outside of astro, Iman enjoys boxing and riding her bike along riverside park. (Insta: @astroontapnyc)

Daniel Babin is a Louisiana-born, NYC-hardened PhD geochemist and "rock influencer." Maybe it's the bayou in his blood or maybe it's deep ocean paleoclimate secrets, but he's obsessed with mud. Right now, he's locking away carbon in sediments to fight coastal erosion as Chief Science Officer of SinkCo Labs and telling awe inspiring earth science stories online as "@geoknowledgy." You might catch him on a Sunday afternoon in the park bringing the city's climate and tectonic history to hordes of sweating tourists.