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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
Mythbusters were scooped — by 130 years! (Archimedes death ray)
Searching through old journals results in wonderfully serendipitous moments. I originally started searching through the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh for articles by Lord Kelvin, but along the way have found all sorts of interesting and thought-provoking papers. … Continue reading
Posted in History of science
35 Comments
Now on Twitter!
I really vowed that I would never “tweet”, but I seem to have found myself with a Twitter account anyway! I can be found “tweeting” as drskyskull, if anyone is interested in following. I’ve been part of a group in … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
4 Comments
12 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #20!
There’s 12 days left until the deadline for The Giant’s Shoulders #20! It will be held at The Lay Scientist, and entries can be submitted through blogcarnival.com or directly to the host blog, as usual! On a related note, we … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
7 Comments
Which Winston Churchill wrote “Man Overboard!”?
Horror fiction is often burdened by the popular impression that it is the refuge of the anti-social, the unliterary, the morbid, and even the perverse. However, a surprising number of authors of classic literature have dabbled in macabre fiction, such … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Horror
9 Comments
ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: Doctor Who and the Silver Spiral, running wrong, un-natural disasters and ugly avatars
Doctor Who and the Silver Spiral. Via Megan at Rigel, follow Doctor Who as he travels to the Silver Spiral and explains the physics behind a supernova! Evo. Anthro. Study Suggests You Might Be Running Wrong. I always suspected something … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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To describe, or not to describe…
In a recent post, Chad at Uncertain Principles addresses an interesting criticism of one of his posts. In short, he attempted to summarize the essential features of quantum mechanics that set it apart from other, classical theories of physics. As … Continue reading
Posted in Physics
3 Comments
ResearchBlogging editor’s selections: Noble savages, dark materials, and artistic science
I’m a little delayed this week, because I’m at a science conference in San Francisco and, surprisingly, internet access is somewhat scarce. Nevertheless, here are this week’s selections: Were the Maya noble savages? Everyone knows that the Mayan civilization collapsed … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Visiting San Francisco!
This post chronicles two firsts: my first trip to San Francisco and my first iPhone-written post! I’m in town to attend Photonics West and meet with colleagues; today the wife and I were wandering around to see the sights. I’ll … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Travel
2 Comments
Richard Marsh’s A Spoiler of Men
I have yet to be really disappointed by the works of Richard Marsh (1857-1915)! Over the Christmas holiday, I spent some time reading A Spoiler of Men (1905) , which has recently been reprinted by the always great Valancourt Books, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror, Mystery/thriller
2 Comments
Scienceblogging-related news!
Back from ScienceOnline 2010, I’m currently suffering from a nasty cold and pretty much comatose. Partly from both of these factors, I’ve been remiss in noting a few bits of scienceblogging-related news: The Open Lab 2009 results are out! The … Continue reading
Posted in Science news
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Skulls in the Stars 