Yearly Archives: 2011

Weird science facts, April 6 — April 12

Posted on April 13, 2011 by skullsinthestars

Here are the previous week’s Twitter #weirdscifacts! 389. Apr 06: Wasps airlift competitor ants away from food source. (h/t @katewong @BoraZ) 390. Apr 07: Actual medical condition: “The Jumping Frenchman of Maine Disorder“. 391. Apr 08: Common wombats have *cube-shaped* … Continue reading →

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Invisibility talk in the Critical Wit podcast!

Posted on April 7, 2011 by skullsinthestars

For those who aren’t tired yet of hearing me talk about science, you can now hear me in the second installment of the Critical Wit Podcast, hosted by Chris Lindsay!  I pontificate on the topic of invisibility cloaks and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Invisibility, Personal | 1 Comment

Weird science facts, March 30 — April 5

Posted on April 7, 2011 by skullsinthestars

Whoops — forgot to post the week’s Twitter #weirdscifacts yesterday!  Here they are, in all their odd glory: 382. Mar 30: Ergotism — when eating grain can drive you insane! (and kill you!) The fungus Claviceps purpurea can infect the grain … Continue reading →

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9 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #34!

Posted on April 6, 2011 by skullsinthestars

This is your monthly reminder that there are only nine days left until the deadline for the 34th edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, the history of science blog carnival!  This month’s edition will be held by Jai Virdi at From … Continue reading →

Posted in General science, Science news | Leave a comment

Thomas Berger’s Neighbors

Posted on April 5, 2011 by skullsinthestars

The fiction that I read and discuss on this blog falls under the broad but relatively unknown category of “weird fiction”, which can include fantasy, sci-fi and horror as well as plenty of stories that are genuinely unclassifiable.  Most of … Continue reading →

Posted in Weird fiction | 3 Comments

The birth of electromagnetism (1820)

Posted on April 3, 2011 by skullsinthestars

It is oddly fitting that the birth of electromagnetism, and an entirely new direction in physics, started with the tiniest twitch of a compass needle.  In the year 1820, Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851) observed the twitch of said … Continue reading →

Posted in History of science, Physics | 11 Comments

Weird science facts, March 23 — March 29

Posted on March 30, 2011 by skullsinthestars

Here are the Twitter #weirdscifacts for the past week! 375. Mar 23: What do walruses use their tusks for?  Pulling their chubby selves out of the water onto ice, for one. 376. Mar 24: Non-Newtonian fluids — solid or liquid, … Continue reading →

Posted in Weirdscifacts | 1 Comment

What did Robert E. Howard think of women?

Posted on March 28, 2011 by skullsinthestars

In reading classic weird fiction of the 1930s an earlier, one must always keep in mind that the authors were a product of their time.  Racism and sexism are sadly common in reading older stories, and the depiction of negative … Continue reading →

Posted in Robert E. Howard | 14 Comments

My interview on Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour (guest-hosted by ScienceComedian)!

Posted on March 25, 2011 by skullsinthestars

Last night I did an interview on The Twit Netcast Network, on Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour, about a variety of science topics!  Brian Malow, aka the Science Comedian, guest-hosted the episode and was the one to invite me on. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Optics, Personal | 3 Comments

Weird science facts, March 16 — March 22

Posted on March 23, 2011 by skullsinthestars

I’m still going!  Here are the Twitter #weirdscifacts for March 16th to March 22nd. 368. Mar 16:  Elephants — coordinating their efforts and cheating at it, too! (Story by @rkrulwich at @npr) 369. Mar 17: Early treatment of Syphilis: cut … Continue reading →

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