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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
The mirror that (didn’t really) make it rain! (1713)
In my last post, I talked about the remarkable career of Etienne-Gaspard Robert aka “Robertson”, who became famous in debunking the supernatural by revealing how ghosts and phantoms could be faked. Remarkably, even today there are still places in the … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
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Phantasmagoria: How Étienne-Gaspard Robert terrified Paris for science
Scientists are so often imagined to be bland and unimaginative, slaving away at research and taking away the joy of nature. I’m no longer so irritated by this perception as I used to be, but rather surprised by it: going … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Horror, Optics
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His Wisdom The Defender: A Story, by Simon Newcomb (1900)
My explorations of the early history of science fiction and horror has turned up a surprising number of scientists or people with scientific training who have dabbled in speculative fiction. Optical scientist Robert Williams Wood coauthored a pair of science … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Science fiction
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A(nother) visit to the Duke Lemur Center!
One of the best-kept secrets that shouldn’t be a secret at all in North Carolina is the wonderful Duke Lemur Center, situated in Durham, NC. A research facility for the adorable but sadly endangered prosimians, it has the largest collection … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, General science
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Artologica at ScienceOnline (and online)!
Update: Michele will be showing off her work tonight, Friday the first of February, in the Marriott hotel lobby between 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm! This week I’m attending ScienceOnline 2013, the yearly online science communication conference in Raleigh, NC. … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, General science
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The Thing From the Lake, by Eleanor Ingram (1921)
I am continually astonished at the number of truly wonderful books that have been neglected and then forgotten as the years go by. Sometimes the books are simply ahead of their time, sometimes the authors die, leaving no one to … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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The Resurrection Men: when people would kill to get into cemeteries
Government has always played, and hopefully will continue to play, a necessary role in scientific and medical research. Many important discoveries have been made through the use of government funding and in government labs, and many of those would never … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
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The Giant’s Shoulders #55: Curiosities, Utility and Authority, is out!
The 55th edition of the history of science blog carnival The Giant’s Shoulders is up at The Sloane Letters Blog! In this carnival, you can read about: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the sea monster, 19th century advice on making … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Richard Sala’s The Hidden
I recently reviewed Richard Sala’s creepy horror graphic novel Delphine on this blog, a modern and dark retelling of the classic story of Snow White from the eyes of the Prince coming to save her. I enjoyed Delphine a lot, … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Optical wormholes: punching virtual tunnels in space via metamaterials!
Though the introduction of optical invisibility cloaks in 2006 caused a huge sensation around the world in both the media and the general public, arguably even more significant to the optical science community is the technique used to design cloaks. … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Optics
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Skulls in the Stars 