-
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 Giant’s Shoulders #36 is out: The ABC’s of the history of science!
The 36th edition of The Giant’s Shoulders is up at The Dispersal of Darwin! For this 3rd anniversary of the carnival, Darwin’s Bulldog has assembled a nice collection categorized by topic and by letter! Go check it out — lots of … Continue reading
Posted in General science
Leave a comment
Weird science facts, June 8 — June 14
Here are the week’s Twitter #weirdscifacts! 452. June 08: The cookiecutter shark — it gouges round plugs from its prey like, well, a cookiecutter! 453. June 09: Cotard’s syndrome: strangely, some folks believed they were zombies even b4 “Night of … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
Leave a comment
DIEHL research grant services blog!
Just a short note today — I’ve been meaning to draw people’s attention to a recent blog started by my friend and colleague Damon Diehl, who has started a business providing grant-writing assistance. As a researcher in optical science for … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Optics, Personal
2 Comments
H.G. Wells’ The World Set Free (1914)
Mention the name “H.G. Wells” to anyone, and they’ll almost certainly be able to name a few of his books. Most of us know The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The … Continue reading
Posted in Science fiction
6 Comments
Weird science facts, June 1 — June 7
Once again, the Twitter #weirdscifacts for the previous week! 445. June 01: “17th c. Archimedes”, Étienne-Gaspard Robert, suggested using mirrors to burn ships in 1796 war of France vs. Britain! I’ve written before about the Archimedes “death ray”, and numerous … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
4 Comments
A David Brooks meme update!
A couple of weeks ago, I described my participation in a very silly internet meme about conservative pundit David Brooks. In short: Joshua Green, senior editor at The Atlantic, saw the following picture of excited telephoning Brooks and thought it was worth … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Personal
Leave a comment
13 days until the deadline for The Giant’s Shoulders #36!
This is the regular monthly reminder that there’s only 13 days left until the deadline for the 36th 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 … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
Leave a comment
Weird science facts, May 25 — May 31
Here are the Twitter #weirdscifacts for the past week! 438. May 25: Halomonas titanicae, a new species of bacteria found in 2010 to be eating the Titanic! This is doubly odd, in that the bacteria eats iron oxide and also … Continue reading
Posted in Weirdscifacts
1 Comment
Mpemba’s baffling discovery: can hot water freeze before cold? (1969)
“My name is Erasto B Mpemba, and I am going to tell you about my discovery, which was due to misusing a refrigerator.” With those words, Tanzanian student Erasto Mpemba entered scientific history, and also sparked a scientific mystery and … Continue reading
Posted in Physics
164 Comments
Water has properties that are positively electrifying!
Most people certainly understand how important water is for our survival, but we often overlook how weird it can be. I can compile a short, though not exhaustive, list off the top of my head: Water is less dense in … Continue reading
Posted in Physics
49 Comments
Skulls in the Stars 