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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
ResearchBlogging Editor’s selections: False primates, hot jupiters, comet controversies and clever corvids
(Cross-posted at ResearchBlogging.org News.) Suminia getmanov: A false primate: Over the past few months, you have probably heard a lot about “Ida”, a magnificently-preserved fossil of a 47-million year old primate. You may not have heard about the fossils of … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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8 days until The Giant’s Shoulders #14!
Here it is: your monthly reminder that deadline for The Giant’s Shoulders is coming up, to be held at The Dispersal of Darwin! There are 8 days left to submit before this month’s deadline. Entries can be submitted through blogcarnival.com … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Animals keep getting smarter…
I’m totally fascinated by stories and research on animal intelligence. The closer researchers look at animal behavior, the more they’re surprised by unexpected cognitive abilities. A wonderful case in point: researchers have recently shown that rooks (a relative of crows) … Continue reading
Posted in Animals
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Marie Corelli’s Ziska
(I’ve had a backlog of fiction I’ve wanted to blog about, and a lack of energy for physics blogging thanks to heavy work on my book. I’ll get back to science-y posts in a few days.) 1897 was a very … Continue reading
Meet your new ‘content editor-at-large’ for ResearchBlogging.org!
If you ever browse through ResearchBlogging.org for posts about the latest state-of-the-art scientific research, you might be interested to know that there are now a collection of “content editors” who will be summarizing the most noteworthy posts in their field … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Personal
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The Time Axis by Henry Kuttner
The more I read of Henry Kuttner, the more ashamed I am that I didn’t read all of his works long ago! Henry Kuttner (1915-1958) was a versatile writer of pretty much every genre of weird fiction imaginable: science fiction, … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure fiction, Mathematics, Weird fiction
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Biltmore Estate… and Rick Springfield!
This weekend, the wife and I took a trip up to Asheville, NC, to see the historic Biltmore Estate… and see a Rick Springfield concert! The trip was an absolute blast, and I thought I’d share some pictures of the … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Travel
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The Linkin’ Log: August 2, 2009
Over the weekend, the wife and I went to Asheville, NC, to visit the Biltmore Estate and see a concert, which I will post about tomorrow. In the meantime, I thought I’d share a few tidbits from around the internet … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, General science
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Scientific cranks: Going strong since at least 1891
It is easy to assume that scientific crankery is a relatively new phenomenon, perhaps fueled by the completely non-intuitive, sometimes intimidating nature of many modern scientific theories. In physics, for instance, most cranks spend their time attacking Einstein’s theories of … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science, Physics
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Another short note — and goldfinches!
Just a quick note again — I’m still quite swamped with work, even after getting my proposal done. Now I’m working feverishly on my book, as I want to have a first draft completed by the end of August. I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal
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Skulls in the Stars 