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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: General science
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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Science Online 2012: A visit to the North Carolina Museum for Natural Sciences
The second of a series of posts chronicling my observations and experiences at Science Online 2012, which I attended last week. I love museums! My parents, especially my father, started taking me to science museums and zoos in the Chicago … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Travel
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The Giant’s Shoulders #43 is out — People, places & things!
The 43rd edition of the history of science blog carnival The Giant’s Shoulders is out today over at The Dispersal of Darwin! Go there to read about the people, places and things of the history of science, including: Victorian poet scientists Legends … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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The Giant’s Shoulders #42 is out!
The 42nd edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, the history of science blog carnival, is up at PACHSmörgåsbord! In it, you can see maps of the Moon that date back to the 17th century, how to write the square root of 2 in … Continue reading
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Mireya Mayor’s “Pink Boots and a Machete”
In my studies of historical figures, I’ve reserved a special spot in my heart for those people whose lived their lives, for lack of a better word, “awesomely”. My criterion for such “awesome” people is to imagine them arriving … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Women in science
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A Brief History of Stephen Hawking!
In September of this year, the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada opened their new Stephen Hawking Centre to provide more space for more researchers to investigate the foundations of physics. As part of their opening celebration, they … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Physics
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The Giant’s Shoulders #41 is out!
The 41st edition of The Giant’s Shoulders history of science blog carnival has been posted over at Early Modern Experimental Philosophy! It includes discussions of vampires, ghosts, and armies of ape-warriors (yes, this is still a history of science blog carnival!), … Continue reading
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The Giant’s Shoulders #40 is out!
I’m a day late to the announcement, but I should mention that the 40th edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, history of science blog carnival, is posted at Stranger in an Even Stranger Land! As always, it is a fascinating collection … Continue reading
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9 days until the deadline for The Giant’s Shoulders #40!
We had a bit of a delay in the posting of TGS #39, but don’t forget that this means that the deadline for the 40th edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, the history of science blog carnival, is coming up quickly! You … Continue reading
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