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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
Re (not the sun god) hypothesizes a solar atom (1903)
It is fair to say that the decade surrounding the start of the 20th century was an amazingly perplexing time to be a physicist. Mounting experimental evidence strongly suggested that something was amiss with classical physics, especially in the understanding … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
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Weird science facts, November 24-November 30
Here are the Twitter #weirdscifacts for November 24 through November 30th! 256. Nov 24: Stubbins Ffirth (1784-1820) sought to prove yellow fever not contagious by drinking undiluted vomit from sufferers. Can I get an “eeeeew”? He actually began his experiments … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: wishing on a dinosaur, the 4th down odds, the town that went mad, dead star navigation and deep-water sand dunes
“Dr. SkySkull” selects several notable posts each week from a miscellany of ResearchBlogging.org categories. He blogs at Skulls in the Stars. Here in the U.S., we’re just coming off our Thanksgiving weekend; to celebrate, we’ve got a couple of Thanksgiving-themed … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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On scientists, cheerleaders, and rockstars
There’s been a lot of talk on scienceblogs over the past few weeks about the usefulness of a pair of science outreach programs: namely, “science cheerleaders” and “rockstars of science”. The original “science cheerleader is Darlene Cavalier, who was inspired … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, General science
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I pwned NaNoWriMo… again!
I’m a winner in National Novel Writing Month! For those who haven’t been following, I surrendered most of my free time in the month of November to write a 50,000 word novel. I finished my word count ahead of schedule, … Continue reading
Call for hosts for The Giant’s Shoulders!
I noticed recently that, after December, we have no hosts lined up for the history of science blog carnival! If you’re interested in hosting over the next few months, please leave a comment, or let one of the carnival managers, Dr. … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Weird science facts, November 7-November 23
I’ve been posting two weeks’ worth of #weirdscfacts every week to catch up with my rate of posting on twitter, and this week I finally did so! The facts are below the fold; Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: privilege and empathy, lunar lost and found, turtle hatchling locomotion, Louis XVI’s blood, and the animal connection
“Dr. SkySkull” selects several notable posts each week from a miscellany of ResearchBlogging.org categories. He blogs at Skulls in the Stars. Study: More Privilege Means Less Empathy. David Berreby at Mind Matters describes some interesting research that suggests that, the … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Laird Barron’s The Imago Sequence
Still working on my NaNoWriMo novel, though I hope to finish well before the end of the month. In the meantime, I’m trying to catch up on a few long-delayed posts! Last month, I had the pleasure of reading and … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Weird science facts, October 24-November 6
I’m still spending my evenings furiously writing for National Novel Writing Month, but here’s the Twitter #weirdscifacts for October 24 through November 6!
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Skulls in the Stars 