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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. -
Tag Archives: science
Quinine, dog pee, and… optics? (1852)
Every once in a while I come across an off-hand comment that immediately makes me need to know more. Recently, I’ve been researching the history of light polarizers, and turned to a paper1 by Edwin Land, the scientist who developed … Continue reading
Inverted World, by Christopher Priest
Book 10 for my 2025 goal of 30 books for the year! One third of the way through my goal for the year, even though it’s not even one sixth of the year! I am desperate for distractions these days. … Continue reading
Tau Zero, by Poul Anderson
Book 7 for my 2025 goal of 30 books for the year! I love a good science fiction story that really leans into one of the weird aspects of modern physics, and so as soon as I learned the premise … Continue reading
More on Mayer and Tyndall (1862)
I’ve previously written about the amazing story of Julius Robert Mayer, the physician — not physicist — who first conceived of the concept of conservation of energy, and how he was then discredited by the British scientific community in favor … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
Tagged climate, energy, History, Religion, science
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Godel’s Proof, by Ernest Nagel and James R. Newman
Book 2 for 2025! My goal is 30 this year. This is actually a book I read years ago but it was time for a reread to try to better understand the subject. I honestly wish more people would explore … Continue reading
Night of the Meteorites!
For those interested in astronomy and cool space phenomena, there’s a treat coming up tomorrow night: one of the best meteor showers of the year will have its peak on December 13th (h/t Americablog). The Geminid meteor shower will be … Continue reading
Making light follow a curve (updated)
I was sent a link today to an interesting article about some research done at the University of Central Florida. Researchers have concocted a class of optical beams which appear to follow a curved trajectory in free space propagation. A … Continue reading
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