-
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
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
Leave a comment
Presentation on “Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics!”
Okay, so I did a video presentation at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences tonight on “Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics!” Due to COVID restrictions, it’s the closest thing to a book event I’ll be doing for a while, so … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, History of science, Personal, Physics
Leave a comment
Presentation tonight on “Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics!”
Hi all! For those who might be interested in watching, I’ll be doing a live presentation about the history of falling cats and science, based on my Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics book, as a Science Cafe for the North … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal, Physics
Leave a comment
About a cat flip video!
Okay, even though my book is now out in the world and I spent years working on it, I still manage to come across new things that surprise me about the problem of the falling cat! A good example of … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Physics
4 Comments
A few more Falling Felines bits of news!
If you’re still not tired of Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics news, yesterday was a good day for new posts, which I thought I’d compile here, along with some earlier stuff I forgot to share! The Curiosity Daily Podcast interviewed … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, History of science, Personal
Leave a comment
Falling Felines at BBC Science Focus!
In case you’re not tired yet of hearing about my book on Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics, I wrote a post for BBC Science Focus Magazine about the falling cat phenomenon, which you can read here. A sample of the … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal, Physics
Leave a comment
Edweard Muybridge’s grand achievement (1873)
So, now that my book Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics is available for purchase, I’ve been answering questions for editors working on the translated editions that will appear. These questions led me back to doing a little historical research, and … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, History of science
1 Comment
Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics, available now!!!
Unexpectedly, it turns out that my new popular science book, Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics, has been released earlier than expected! Folks are already getting their copies in the mail! So if you’ve been waiting to order it until it … Continue reading
Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics in Five Languages!
Some exciting news to share: it turns out that my upcoming book on Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics will be translated into five languages so far! In case you missed the lovely cover image before, here it is again, for … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal, Physics
Leave a comment
Available for pre-order: Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics!
Big news from about my upcoming book, Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics: we have a release date — October 22nd — and a cover!!! Furthermore, and perhaps most important, the book is now available for pre-order! You can order it … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal, Physics
2 Comments
