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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. -
Yearly Archives: 2011
Weird science facts, May 4 — May 10
Still going strong with the Twitter #weirdscifacts! Here are this week’s facts. 417. May 04: Aerogel: lowest-density solid with density almost as low as air: 1.9 mg/cm^3 for gel, 1.2 mg/cm^3 for air! Aerogel is an amazing substance — it … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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6 days until the deadline for The Giant’s Shoulders #35!
This is your monthly reminder to finish off those history of science blog posts! The deadline for the 35th edition of The Giant’s Shoulders blog carnival is May 15th, only six days away. The carnival will be hosted by Fëanor … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Weird science facts, April 27 — May 3
Whenever I think I’m running out of weird science facts, I stumble across a set of bizarre things that refills my queue! Anyway, here are this week’s Twitter #weirdscifacts! 410. Apr 27: S. Morse (1791-1872), an art professor, built the … Continue reading
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Rosa Praed’s Fugitive Anne (1902)
Since nearly the beginning of my blog, I’ve been a fan of Valancourt Books, which publishes a lot of wonderful and neglected works from the 19th and early 20th centuries. I’ve blogged about a lot of them, some of which … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction
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Weird science facts, April 20 — April 26
Here are the Twitter #weirdscifacts for the previous week! 403. Apr 20: 150 yrs ago today, the government gave muskets to the Smithsonian for protection against the Confederacy! (h/t @smithsonian) 404. Apr 21: Largest genome belongs to plant Paris japonica — … Continue reading
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The spinthariscope — see atoms decay before your eyes!
Last week heralded the long-awaited arrival of a package I had ordered, the content of which seems rather unimpressive at first glance. It consists of a small metal cylinder, with an adjustable lens on one end and a screw on … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
27 Comments
Weird science facts, April 13 — April 19
Here are the previous week’s Twitter #weirdscifacts! A lot of interesting facts appeared on Twitter, and I didn’t have to do a lot of searching for once. 395. Apr 12: “Sex with wife leads to scientific breakthrough“ (via @stevesilberman) This … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Foster kittens in the house!
While I’m working on my next physics/optics blog post (I keep taking on challenging topics that require lots of research), I thought I’d share some pictures of our newest houseguests: momma kitty Snuggles and her five newborn baby kittens! Here … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal
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The Giant’s Shoulders #34: The Existentialist Edition!
It’s a little delayed due to illness, but The Giant’s Shoulders #34 is out! It is an Existentialist Edition, with an emphasis on the meaning and future of the history of science, though it also includes plenty more! A great thanks to … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Holly Tucker’s Blood Work
One of the joys of studying the history of science is finding an amazing story tucked away and forgotten in the historical documents, and bringing it to the attention of a larger community. The real challenge, however, is making that … Continue reading
Posted in General science, History of science
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Skulls in the Stars 