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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 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One of the joys of studying the history of science is finding an amazing story tucked away and forgotten in the historical documents, and bringing it to the attention of a larger community.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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Weird science facts, April 6 — April 12
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
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Invisibility talk in the Critical Wit podcast!
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
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Weird science facts, March 30 — April 5
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
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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9 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #34!
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
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Thomas Berger’s Neighbors
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
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The birth of electromagnetism (1820)
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
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Weird science facts, March 23 — March 29
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
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What did Robert E. Howard think of women?
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
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