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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. -
Category Archives: Animals
Me on the “6 Degrees of Cats” podcast!
Hey folks! I’ve appeared on yet another podcast! Fortunately, for those who are tired of me talking about invisibility, this one is about cats, and related to my previous book on Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics. I’m part of an … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal, Physics
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RIP Sasha, 2004-2023
I knew Sasha was special from the moment I saw her. She was not only an absolutely beautiful feline, but she somehow radiated a calmness and wisdom to me in general that I have rarely seen in cats. Sasha passed … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal
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Pests, by Bethany Brookshire
I’ve been meaning to read a lot more popular science books outside of my field lately, in order to broaden my knowledge and just get back in the habit of reading that I fell out of during the Dark Times … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Science news
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Why is the polar bear white? The optics of polar bear pelts
You can find amazing and wonderful things when you browse old science journals. And when I say “old,” I don’t mean that you even have to go back very far. While I was tracking down an article in the journal … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Optics
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A hare-y puzzle solved!
One of the really neat things about diving deep into a scientific problem is that you start to spot surprising things in images or videos that nobody else would see! My book on Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics got me … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Physics
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Consider the Platypus, by Maggie Ryan Sandford
As I’ve said a number of times, the pandemic really destroyed my ability to read, and now that I’ve achieved some sense of mental stability again I’m working to catch up on a bunch of the books that I just … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, General science
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The oldest falling cat explanation
So when writing my book Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics, on the history and science of how cats land on my feet, I attempted to track down the oldest explanation in print that attempted to explain why cats seem to … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, History of science
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From “The Fireside Sphinx”
My apologies for my relative quietness on the blog lately — I’ve been quite busy with work, which has left me little energy for detailed blogging! However, I rediscovered a small story about cats that amused me, and that I … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Silliness
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RIP Mandarin, 2010-2021
This past Friday, a beloved member of my extended kitty family, Mandarin, was helped on his way to the next life. Mandarin was diagnosed early this year with a rare and untreatable brain tumor. Beth did everything possible to make … Continue reading
The oldest cat selfie? (1904)
I’ve said before that old illustrated magazines are a treasure trove of fascinating stuff. From the same 1904 issue of The Strand where I found the vintage math puzzle in my previous post, I found this amazing reader-submitted photograph: In … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Animals, History of science
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Skulls in the Stars 