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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
Rolling out the (optical) carpet: the Talbot effect
One of the wonderful things about having a career in science is that a deeper understanding of the science leads to a greater appreciation of its beauty. In physics, this usually requires a nontrivial amount of mathematics, but there are … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Physics
31 Comments
ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: archaeoacoustics, baboon friendships, and the teapot effect
Echoes of the past. We begin with teofilo at Gambler’s House, describing fascinating speculation that the former residents of Chaco Canyon may have chosen the site for their home based on its acoustic properties. (I’ve resolved to visit the site … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
3 Comments
Research Blog of the Year finalist!
Today I received a very pleasant surprise: this blog has been nominated as a finalist for Research Blog of the Year! This is the highest award of a new series of awards based on ResearchBlogging.org and sponsored by Seed Media … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
7 Comments
A WTF scientific paper from Edinburgh, 1884
I’m still quite busy finishing off my book, and a grant proposal in the meantime, but I thought I’d share a very odd paper from the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 13 (1884), 23-24, entitled, “Extraordinary occurrence at … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Physics
11 Comments
“The Wicker Tree?” (Updated)
This one was an immediate WTF moment for me: Robin Hardy, the writer/director of the original version of the film The Wicker Man (1973), is “reimagining” his film as The Wicker Tree, slated for release sometime this year: For those … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Entertainment, Horror, Robert E. Howard
2 Comments
“Supernatural Buchan”, by John Buchan
One of the truly fascinating things about writers of weird fiction is how many of them are remarkably accomplished in other aspects of their lives. We have folks such as A. Merritt, who had a very successful career as a … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Weird fiction
3 Comments
Tensor? Tensor? I’ve been getting tenser all week!
Whew! For those not following my Twitter account, let me declare that I finished the last major section of my textbook today! Now I’m going to do a bit of touching up of various sections that I worked on recently, … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
3 Comments
ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: giving climate scientists their due, “revolting” statistics, and a crystal controversy
Dammit, Jim, I’m a neurobiologist, not a climatologist! It isn’t his field (as he freely admits), but Björn Brembs at bjoern.brembs.blog does an excellent job clearly explaining why we should give climate scientists some credit, even if we don’t understand … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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The Giant’s Shoulders #20
Welcome to the February 1(7)th, 2010 edition of The Giant’s Shoulders! I seem to have had some shorted connections with the scheduled host, so I’ve ended up taking on the hosting myself this month. BOOK REVIEW: Emma Townshend’s Darwin’s Dogs. … Continue reading
Posted in General science, History of science
5 Comments
A little delay…
We seem to be having a little delay in the posting of The Giant’s Shoulders #20. I’m trying to figure out what’s up, and hopefully it’ll be published within the next day. In the meantime, this seems to be a … Continue reading
Posted in Science news
4 Comments
Skulls in the Stars 