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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: History of science
The spinthariscope — see atoms decay before your eyes!
Last week heralded the long-awaited arrival of a package I had ordered, the content of which seems rather unimpressive at first glance. It consists of a small metal cylinder, with an adjustable lens on one end and a screw on … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
27 Comments
Holly Tucker’s Blood Work
One of the joys of studying the history of science is finding an amazing story tucked away and forgotten in the historical documents, and bringing it to the attention of a larger community. The real challenge, however, is making that … Continue reading
Posted in General science, History of science
7 Comments
The birth of electromagnetism (1820)
It is oddly fitting that the birth of electromagnetism, and an entirely new direction in physics, started with the tiniest twitch of a compass needle. In the year 1820, Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851) observed the twitch of said … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
11 Comments
My interview on Peer Review Radio!
Those who follow me on Twitter have already heard this, but for those who haven’t: I was interviewed by Adrian Ebsary for an episode of Peer Review Radio that was broadcast on Tuesday! The episode is titled, “Go sing it … Continue reading
Posted in General science, History of science, Personal
8 Comments
The Saga of the Scientific Swindler! (1884-1891)
When reading of the achievements of a giant of scientific thought such as Einstein, Feynman or Darwin, it is far too easy to envision the person, and scientists in general, as some sort of being above the worries of daily … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
53 Comments
The Giant’s Shoulders #32
Welcome to the 32nd edition of the History of Science blog carnival, The Giant’s Shoulders! We had an incredibly large number of entries this month, not all of which could be accommodated, so without further ado let’s get to them! … Continue reading
Posted in General science, History of science
10 Comments
“Why is water considered ghost-proof?” (1884)
Did the title of this post catch your attention? It caught mine immediately when I came across the identically titled “letter to the editor” in an 1884 issue of Science. As regular readers know, I occasionally like to browse the … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, History of science
13 Comments
Which scientist would you most want to have a beer with?
I’m currently away from home at a meeting, so blogging is necessarily light. I’ve been thinking lately, however, about various scientists and people of reason throughout history that I just flat out admire, and got to wondering which of them … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Women in science
14 Comments
The first glimmer of a nuclear Sun: radium and solar energy (1903)
While researching a recent post on the history of nuclear physics (here), I happened across a short but rather fascinating letter written in 1903. It seems to be the first article in print that makes the connection between the processes … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
5 Comments
What scientists in 1903 wanted for Christmas!
For most scientists, the arrival of new equipment can feel a lot like getting toys on Christmas day. There’s the excitement of opening the package, the giddy thrill of discovery of what the equipment can do, followed by an almost … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
6 Comments
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