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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
Augustin-Jean Fresnel’s early years
I posted this on Google+ earlier, but it seemed worthwhile to expand it into a blog post. Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788-1827) is, in my opinion, one of the underappreciated giants in optical physics. Though Thomas Young’s double slit experiment was the … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Optics
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The Giant’s Shoulders #44 — The Grand Bazaar Edition — is now up!
The 44th edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, the history of science blog carnival, is up over at The Renaissance Mathematicus! In it, you can read about: The tale of the first woman to go around the world — in the … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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What a scientist looks like! (Also on Scientific American)
One of the neat things that has evolved out of the recently-concluded Science Online 2012 is the new site “This is What a Scientist Looks Like“. Founded by the excellent Allie Wilkinson, the site solicits photos and descriptions of scientists … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Personal
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Weird science facts, February 8 — February 14
This week was an eventful one! I was at Disney World with my wife, so one of our facts is about roller coaster history. In honor of the memory of Whitney Houston, I posted a musical fact. For Valentine’s Day, … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Weird science facts, February 1 — February 7
ATTACK OF THE ANOTHER WEEK OF TWITTER #WEIRDSCIFACTS!!! 690. Feb 01: Atolla wyvillei, the deep-sea jelly that use bioluminescence to “scream” for help when attacked! Bioluminescence is used in many different ways in the ocean, but the most unusual is … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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“The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The War of the Worlds”, by Manly and Wade Wellman
These days, there are countless “mashups” in fiction, in which two or more disparate genres, characters or series are brought together or into conflict. We’ve seen werewolves versus vampires, such as in the Underworld series of films; we’ve also seen … Continue reading
Posted in Mystery/thriller, Science fiction
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1813: Faraday learns about the politics of science
Those of us in science like to envision our profession as a noble (“Nobel”?) calling, above the petty squabbles that taint other endeavors. The reality, of course, is that science is susceptible to politics just like any other field. One … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
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Science Online 2012: The Music Video!
As you may have heard, two weeks ago I was attending Science Online 2012, a meeting of online science communicators and one of the most fun events I’ve ever attended! Period. To commemorate the event, Carin Bondar of PsiVid and … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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Weird science facts, January 25 — January 31
Time for another week of Twitter #weirdscifacts! This week I wrapped up some facts about the North Carolina Museum for Natural Sciences and started some facts gleaned from Discovery Place’s “Mummies of the World” exhibit! We also have a bonus … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Brian Keene’s “Earthworm Gods”
I haven’t blogged about horror fiction for a while — work, travel and holidays have conspired against me! This post is an attempt to catch up. A few years ago, I had a plan to do a blog post surveying … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Skulls in the Stars 