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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: Science news
Jupiter and its moons
This past Monday turned out to be a rather rare event for skywatchers: the planet Jupiter’s closest point of approach to the Earth since 1963! This was the coincidence of two situations. The first is the planet being in opposition … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Science news
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Twitter Weird Science Facts, Volume 18
Getting soooo close to having done a full year of Twitter weirdscifacts! Read below to learn the amazing ability that this seemingly ordinary European robin possesses.
Posted in General science, Science news, Weirdscifacts
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Nobel Prize roundup: It’s all about the optics!
This week, the Nobel Prizes for Physics and Chemistry were announced, and it was a photonics two-fer! The physics prize went to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura “for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Science news
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Coming soon: The Complete Guide to Science Blogging!
It’s finally been officially announced, and I’m delighted to share the news here: in early 2015, The Complete Guide to Science Blogging will be published! Edited by amazing science communicators Christie Wilcox, Jason G. Goldman and Bethany Brookshire, this book will … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Science news
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Dr. SkySkull’s Monday Cavalcade of Interesting Science Stuff – September 15, 2014
While I’m working on more detailed blog posts, here’s a collection of interesting science-related stuff I came across over the past week! Buddhist singing bowls inspire new tandem solar cell design. A surprising amount of optics design is inspired by … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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Dr. SkySkull’s Monday Cavalcade of Interesting Science Stuff – September 8, 2014
In order to make my blogging a little more regular, I thought I would start doing a weekly roundup of interesting science-based posts from around the internet! Also, there’s so much good stuff out there that should be shared. With … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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How many quarks would a charm quark charm if a charm quark could charm quarks?
Fundamental physics is having quite a spectacular season. In mid-March, the collaborators of the BICEP2 telescope announced the first direct evidence of cosmic inflation, answering a long-standing question about the beginnings of the universe. Now, on the heels of that … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Science news
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The Open Laboratory 2013 is out!
While I was at ScienceOnline 2014 last week, I received some great news: the 2013 edition of “The Open Laboratory,” an anthology of the “best science writing online,” was published! It is available as an e-book from The Creativist, and … Continue reading
Posted in Personal, Science news
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The Giant’s Shoulders #60, part 1, is out!
The first part of the sixtieth edition of the history of science blog carnival The Giant’s Shoulders is up at The Renaissance Mathematicus! It is a look back at all 59 earlier carnivals (those that still exist!). Check it out! … Continue reading
Posted in General science, Science news
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The Giant’s Shoulders #59 is out!
I hereby declare that the 59th edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, the history of science blog carnival, is up at Something by Virtue of Nothing! This edition, centered around the theme of the Antikythera Mechanism, includes posts about: Did Isaac Newton … Continue reading
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