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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
Spiders and the electric light (1887)
(Digging through my archive of historical papers for short topics to blog about while I’m away on business.) In the modern era, we are very conscious of the impact of humanity on nature — even though we are often very … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Animals, History of science
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Weird science facts, July 6 — July 12
Currently out of town at a meeting in Toronto, as the following picture should hopefully demonstrate: Nevertheless, the Twitter #weirdscifacts must go on! Here are the previous week’s posted facts: 480. July 06: In 1875, William Lowthian Green, eventual Hawaiian … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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A short travel note…
I was hoping to queue up a few blog posts for the next week, but didn’t manage to find the time to do so. I’m traveling to Toronto for a meeting for the next few days, so the blog will … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Travel
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8 days until the deadline for The Giant’s Shoulders #37!
This is the regular monthly reminder that there’s only 8 days left until the deadline for the 37th edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, the history of science blog carnival! If you’ve got a history of science post you’ve been thinking about … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Weird science facts, June 29 — July 05
Been a crazy week and a holiday week, but the Twitter #weirdscifacts just keep on coming! 473. June 29: In 1897, J.J. Thomson introduced the electron as a particle; in the 1920s, his son G.P. helped prove the electron is … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Paris: City of Light and Cosmic Rays on Scientific American guest blog!
If you’ve been waiting for another in-depth blog post from me on physics and the history of science, wait no longer — just don’t look for it here! I’ve written a post for the Scientific American Guest Blog that went … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
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My day as a shark biologist!
(Alternate title: The old physicist and the sea) One of the wonderful things about being active in science communication is that you get to meet very interesting people who are involved in a variety of fascinating research activities. If you … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, General science
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“Visions of invisibility in fiction” in Optics & Photonics News!
I’m very excited — this morning my first popular science article written for a magazine appeared online! “Visions of invisibility in fiction” appears in the July/August issue of Optics & Photonics News, the news magazine of the Optical Society of … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Optics, Personal
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Weird science facts, June 22 — June 28
Things have been quiet on the blog this past week — I’ve been traveling and planning a couple of big, tricky posts! In the meantime, here are the Twitter #weirdscifacts for the past week. 466. June 22: A fungus named … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Weird science facts, June 15 — June 21
Here, as always, are the Twitter #weirdscifacts for the past week! 459. June 15: The horrific 1983 Byford Dolphin decompression accident. Warning: the text description alone is grisly and awful. When a pressurized chamber is opened suddenly, terrible things happen. … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
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Skulls in the Stars 