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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. -
Author Archives: skullsinthestars
The Saga of the Scientific Swindler! (1884-1891)
When reading of the achievements of a giant of scientific thought such as Einstein, Feynman or Darwin, it is far too easy to envision the person, and scientists in general, as some sort of being above the worries of daily … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
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Weird science facts, February 16 — February 22
I’ve been working on another history of science post, but it is taking quite a bit of effort, so I haven’t posted anything on the blog since last week’s Twitter #weirdscifacts! Sorry if it seems like I’m all weird science … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Weird science facts, Feb 09 — Feb 15
Here are the Twitter #weirdscifacts for the past week, delayed a day due to the publication of The Giant’s Shoulders yesterday! 333. Feb 09: The sucker-footed bat! (Actually stick to things via sweat, not suction.) Animal appendages come in an … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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The Giant’s Shoulders #32
Welcome to the 32nd edition of the History of Science blog carnival, The Giant’s Shoulders! We had an incredibly large number of entries this month, not all of which could be accommodated, so without further ado let’s get to them! … Continue reading
Posted in General science, History of science
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“Why is water considered ghost-proof?” (1884)
Did the title of this post catch your attention? It caught mine immediately when I came across the identically titled “letter to the editor” in an 1884 issue of Science. As regular readers know, I occasionally like to browse the … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
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Jennifer Ouellette’s The Calculus Diaries
Calculus plays a rather paradoxical role in modern society: much of our modern technology and science depends upon it, but amongst the general public it is feared, even despised, and treated almost as magic. This is really a problem, as … Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Physics
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Weird science facts, February 2 — February 8
Below are the Twitter #weirdscifacts for the previous week! 326. Feb 02: Daguerre’s photographic process was made “free to the world” in 1839 — w/ exception of Great Britain. Daguerre was competing with British scientist Talbot to perfect the photographic … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Madness on canvas: art in horror fiction
When you read enough horror fiction, certain themes recur consistently in the wonderful chaos of ideas. Among these, I was recently struck by how often the visual arts appear as the centerpiece of horror stories. This primarily involves paintings, but … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Weird science facts, January 26 — February 1
Here are the (slightly belated) Twitter #weirdscifacts for the previous week! 319. Jan 26: The 1927 Mississippi River flood: at some points, the river was 70 *miles* wide. This is a frightening testament to the destructive power of floods. 319a. … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Taking flight on light
On occasion, a scientific idea comes along that is so simple and elegant that one wonders that it hadn’t been done before! Such is the case with the results of an article published online in Nature Photonics in December, which … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Physics
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Skulls in the Stars 