-
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
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is for quasicrystals!
I just learned that the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2011 was awarded to Dan Shechtman “for the discovery of quasicrystals”! The Nobel site has a good explanation of the background. I should also point out that I did a … Continue reading
Posted in Science news
Leave a comment
Weird science facts, September 28 — October 4
Somewhere along the way, I failed to notice that I passed the 1 1/2 year mark of #weirdscifacts on Twitter! Enjoy them while you can — I’ll be definitely stopping at 2 years! 564. Sep 28: The psychedelic frogfish moves … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
Leave a comment
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
3 Comments
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
Leave a comment
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
Leave a comment
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
4 Comments
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
1 Comment
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
2 Comments
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
Leave a comment
Skulls in the Stars 