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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 #29 is out!
The Giants’ Shoulders #29 is now up at Heterodoxolgy, and it is an “esoteric sciences special”! The carnival focuses on the strange, alien and counterintuitive in the history of the sciences. Thanks to Egil for putting together a lovely carnival! Giants’ … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: Maxwell’s demon, hairy crops, poison frogs and a copper conundrum
“Dr. SkySkull” selects several notable posts each week from a miscellany of ResearchBlogging.org categories. He blogs at Skulls in the Stars. The demon is out of the bottle. No, we haven’t regressed to a superstitious era of witches and demons … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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In the throes of National Novel Writing Month!
My regular readers* may have notice that I’ve been quite quiet over the past couple of weeks. As it turns out, I’m currently fighting my way through National Novel Writing Month! For those unfamiliar, NaNoWriMo is an annual novel-writing event, … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction
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Weird science facts, October 10-October 23
The weird science blog posts are getting close to catching up with my weekly tweets! Another week and everything will be in sync. The twitter #weirdscifacts for October 10-October 23 are below the fold…
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: life in the dark, a galaxy far, far away, jewelry box science, and Cookie Monster social science!
“Dr. SkySkull” selects several notable posts each week from a miscellany of ResearchBlogging.org categories. He blogs at Skulls in the Stars. Life in the dark. Most of us live in areas of near-endless light — night is filled with the … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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7 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #29!
There’s only 7 days left before the deadline of the next edition of The Giant’s Shoulders history of science blog carnival! It will be hosted by Egil Asprem at Heterodoxology, and will be another themed edition: To the layman, the natural sciences … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Weird science facts, September 26-October 9
Posting will likely be rather quiet for the next few weeks, as I’m taking another shot at National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo! In the meantime, I’ll be keeping up my usual features, such as my editor’s selections and my … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Brian Switek’s Written in Stone
To anyone who takes even the most cursory look at the natural world around them, it is obvious that life on earth is an amazing, interconnected system that is constantly changing and adapting. The theoretical cornerstone to understanding this system … Continue reading
Posted in General science, History of science
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ResearchBlogging editor’s selections, post-Halloween edition: Godzilla slime molds, fossil ghost hippos and a Venice vampire
“Dr. SkySkull” selects several notable posts each week from a miscellany of ResearchBlogging.org categories. He blogs at Skulls in the Stars. It’s the day after Halloween, but I can’t resist sharing a few posts that are of a more creepy … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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The Lady of the Lake… a scientific ghost story
Ghost stories are somewhat passé in our modern, technical world — many of the mysterious phenomena that used to fill people with fear in past eras have been demystified thanks to our better knowledge of science. The phantom lights in … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Horror
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Skulls in the Stars 