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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
Twitter Weird Science Facts, Volume 4
Time for another summary of Twitter #weirdscifacts! Click below the fold to see how similar Steve Buscemi’s character in “Con Air” is to a particular species of caterpillar.
Posted in General science, Weirdscifacts
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Optics and infinity at American Scientist!
I’ve been kind of quiet here lately, partly due to my job and partly due to writing blog posts and essays for other venues. Happily, one of these blog posts is now available to read over at American Scientist, on … Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Optics, Personal
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Twitter Weird Science Facts, Volume 3
Here’s the latest summary of Twitter #weirdscifacts! Click through below the photo of Hedy Lamarr to learn about her contributions to science and technology, among many other surprising science and nature related facts.
Posted in General science, Weirdscifacts
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Coming soon! Science Blogging: The Essential Guide
Have you ever wanted to start a blog to write about science, but don’t know how to get started, or how to build an audience for your blog, or just how to survive the rough-and-tumble nastiness that the internet can often … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Personal
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Dead Reckonings #18 is available!
For those who are interested in reading thoughtful analyses of the latest tales of horror in literature and cinema, issue 18 of Dead Reckonings is now out! The newest edition includes reviews and commentary by some of the best authors and scholars … Continue reading
Hilda Hänchen and the Goos-Hänchen effect
Today, the United Nations declared February 11 to be the “International Day of Women and Girls in Science,” starting a new effort to get more women into science and keep them there. In honor of this new day, I thought … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Optics, Women in science
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While the Black Stars Burn, by Lucy A. Snyder
Though it has been almost a century since H.P. Lovecraft essentially invented and championed the genre of cosmic horror, it remains an incredibly popular source of inspiration for writers. I suspect this is the case because authors have taken Lovecraft’s … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Twitter Weird Science Facts, Volume 2
Continuing to post a #weirdscifacts a day on Twitter; here’s the latest summary since my last posting! 16. (January 16). Project A119, when the US almost nuked the Moon to boost domestic morale. The Cold War was a really scary time, … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Weirdscifacts
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Beautiful equations of math and physics: my picks
A few days ago, the BBC introduced a series of posts in which they asked mathematicians and physicists to share their favorite equations. It’s a fun list, and the original post can be found here. One of the equations selected … Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Physics
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The return of the “Weird science facts!”
Those who have been around this blog for a while will remember that I did a two year nonstop marathon of “weird science facts” (hashtag #weirdscifacts), with at least one fact a day. It got pretty darn hard to keep it up … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Weirdscifacts
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