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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. -
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Category Archives: Physics
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
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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
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A decade of history of science!
I’ve picked up a significant number of new followers on the blog lately, and this combined with the wrap-up of the decade seems like a good time to share some of my favorite history of science posts of the past … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Personal, Physics
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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
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History of the Conservation of Energy: Booms, Blood, and Beer (Part 3)
The final long-awaited conclusion of a trilogy of posts describing the history of the discovery of conservation of energy, inspired by my research on “Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics.” Part 1 can be read here, and part 2 can be … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
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Vortices in beams of light and vortex coronagraphy
This past Friday, I was invited to give a talk at the monthly meeting of the Charlotte Amateur Astronomers Club, a lovely organization that has been around since 1954. As a theoretical physicist, I am not that well-versed on astronomy … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Personal, Physics
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Crookes and the puzzle of his radiometer
This blog post is based on some early experimental writing that was done for my Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics book that was cut from the final draft! As you will see, it was much too long and too much … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics, Physics demos
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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
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Last night’s “Super Blood Moon”: a photo essay
So last night was anopportunity for folks on the East Coast of the United States to see a relatively rare event: a lunar eclipse! Hyped as a “Super Blood Moon” (we’ll get to that in a moment), it took place … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Physics
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