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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Monthly Archives: September 2011
Science careers: rough today, rough in 1886
Science has changed a lot over the past hundred years or so, but the lives and problems of scientists have, in many ways, remained surprisingly constant. In a previous post, I described how, in 1804, a mathematician was already lamenting … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
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Weird science facts, September 21 — September 27
This week’s Twitter #weirdscifacts are here! 557. Sep 21: At 22 km tall, the Martian volcano Olympus Mons is the tallest mountain in the solar system. (Everest is 9 km.) Technically, it is the “tallest known”, but it is hard … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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T.C. McCarthy’s “Germline”
I’m not particularly well-versed in science fiction — at least current science fiction — but occasionally I see something that really intrigues me. I’ve always found novels about future warfare particularly compelling, such as Robert Heinlein’s famous/infamous Starship Troopers (1959), John … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
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The Giant’s Shoulders #39 is out! (Part one!)
Part one of The Giant’s Shoulders #39 history of science blog carnival, which was delayed for a few days, is up at the blog Mammoth Tales!* Thanks to John McKay for posting and hosting, despite having some serious work to … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
8 Comments
The universe ripped me off!
Yesterday, Dr. Matthew Francis (of the very interesting and worth-checking-out physics blog Galileo’s Pendulum) pointed me to NASA’s astronomy picture of the day, Arp 272, which consists of two colliding galaxies (center and upper right) with a third likely interacting … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, General science, Silliness
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Weird science facts, September 14 — September 20
Been a busy week for me, and posting has been light. I haven’t neglected the Twitter #weirdscifacts, however! 550. Sep 14: Have you ever heard of a turtle without a shell? Cantor’s giant softshell turtle is a real oddity: the … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Weird science facts, September 7 — September 13
Here are the week’s Twitter #weirdscifacts! 543. Sep 07: The “massacre of Monkey Hill“. In this insightful post by @ericmjohnson on the evolutionary origins of collective violence, the massacre is described. In 1930, a newly-installed colony of 140 baboons had been … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Two ghost stories: “The Man in the Picture” and “Isis”
It seems that ghost stories have been told since the beginning of speech itself, and have held a special place in the imagination of people for just as long. It is hard to characterize what sets a “ghost story” apart … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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New post: Weird science facts, August 31 — September 06
Here are this week’s Twitter #weirdscifacts! Due to a death in the family, I was traveling and had a difficult time finding facts on some days, but thankfully others stepped in to help me out, and we have two for … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Ancient swords, modern nanotechnology
Though science and technology in the modern era have accomplished things that our ancestors couldn’t even dream of, it is still worth remembering that the ancients weren’t dummies. Through a combination of ingenuity, observation, determination, and probably a lot of … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Physics
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Skulls in the Stars 