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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
Sabrina at rest!
I finally managed to get a picture of our cat Sabrina’s cute little habit! Sometimes, when she sleeps, she ends up sticking her tongue out: That is all for now; continue with your regularly scheduled day…
Posted in Animals
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Jeff VanderMeer’s Finch
I’ve had the good fortune to read many good works of weird fiction since starting this blog — in fact, one of the major motivations for starting the blog was to “force” myself to get back into reading strange and … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Science fiction, Weird fiction
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The Giant’s… ahem… Leviathan’s Shoulders #23 is up!
The special marine science edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, dubbed The Leviathan’s Shoulders, is up at Deep Sea News! Many thanks to Kevin Zelnio for putting together this lovely oceanic edition! What do you think of the idea of “special … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: Antikythera, sports fan anthropology, bad oil theories, and false memories
Planets and Anomalies in the Antikythera Mechanism. The Antikythera Mechanism is one of the fascinating relics of the ancient world — a 2000 year old clockwork “computer” that could be used to track the Sun, Moon, and calendar. In a … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Shocking: Michael Faraday does biology! (1839)
(This is my entry to the first “special edition” of The Giant’s Shoulders, dubbed “The Leviathan’s Shoulders”, with an emphasis on oceans and ocean life. The post is actually about a river creature, but, hey, it’s still aquatic!) I’ve spent … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
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5 days until The Leviathan’s Shoulders!
Here’s one last reminder: There’s 5 days left to submit entries for the 23rd installment of The Giant’s Shoulders, a special edition dubbed “The Leviathan’s Shoulders”! It will be hosted by Kevin Zelnio over at Deep Sea News, and will … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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A trip to Savannah, Georgia
Last weekend, the wife and I celebrated our first-year wedding anniversary by taking a 3-day trip to Savannah, Georgia. Savannah is one of those rare American cities that has maintained a significant portion of its historic neighborhood, and this neighborhood … Continue reading
Posted in Cemetery, Travel
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ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: bilingual animals, horse-hunting hyenas, the nature of dark matter and toiletology
Bilingualism as a preadaptation for language. Can animals other than humans be “bilingual”? This fascinating question is addressed in research described by Sean at The Adventures of Auck. The horse-hunting hyenas of Srbsko Chlum-Komin Cave. We can learn a lot … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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The Shadowy Thing, by H.B. Drake
I’ve been having a lot of good luck with my fiction reading lately, and have a backlog of really good (and weird) fiction to blog about. One that actually gave me a pleasant surprise is The Shadowy Thing (1928), by … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Lovecraft
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Singular Optics: Light chasing its own tail
(Title stolen shamelessly from my postdoctoral advisor, who I assume will forgive me.) As I’ve noted numerous times in previous posts, one of the fundamental properties that characterizes wave behavior (i.e. that makes a wave a wave) is wave interference. … Continue reading
Posted in Optics
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Skulls in the Stars 