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# Philip Ball | Science Writer One of our most versatile and gripping science writers

Philip Ball is a freelance science writer. He worked at Nature for over 20 years. His writings on science for the popular press include topics ranging from cosmology to the future of molecular biology

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://philipball.co.uk/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Revolutionary genetics research shows RNA may rule our genome](https://philipball.co.uk/revolutionary-genetics-research-shows-rna-may-rule-our-genome/) - Revolutionary genetics research shows RNA may rule our genome Scientific American 14 May 2024
- [Sources of all quotes in The Man Who Broke Reality by Philip Ball](https://philipball.co.uk/sources/) - Sources of all quotes used in The Man Who Broke Reality: Niels Bohr and the Making of Modern Physics, a book by author Philip Ball
- [The Man Who Broke Reality: Niels Bohr and the Making of Modern Physics by Philip Ball](https://philipball.co.uk/the-man-who-broke-reality-niels-bohr-and-the-making-of-modern-physics-by-philip-ball/) - The Man Who Broke Reality: Niels Bohr and the Making of Modern Physics by Philip Ball A thrilling biography of Nobel Prize–winning Danish physicist Niels Bohr, the most radical quantum mechanician of all. In the first half of the twentieth century, the tremendous energy locked up in the nuclei of atoms was discovered and then
- [20 years of Nature Materials](https://philipball.co.uk/20-years-of-nature-materials/) - A selection of my Material Witness columns for Nature Materials on its 20th anniversary. Available here.
- [LATEST snippets](https://philipball.co.uk/latest-snippets/) - Philip Ball now has a new weekly column in The New World. This joins his regular column in Chemistry World. No longer writes his monthly column in Nature Materials. Philip no longer uses X (Twitter) you can now find him on Bluesky.
- [Water activity in Venus’s uninhabitable clouds and other planetary atmospheres](https://philipball.co.uk/water-activity-in-venuss-uninhabitable-clouds-and-other-planetary-atmospheres/) - J. E. Hallsworth et al., Nature Astronomy 5, 665 (2021). Available here.
- [What distinguishes the elephant from E. coli: Causal spreading and the biological principles of metazoan complexity](https://philipball.co.uk/what-distinguishes-the-elephant-from-e-coli-causal-spreading-and-the-biological-principles-of-metazoan-complexity/) - Journal of Biosciences 48, 14 (2023). Available here.
- [Journey of the Mind](https://philipball.co.uk/journey-of-the-mind/) - Review of a book by Ogi Ogas & Sai Gaddam. Nature 603, 221 ( 2022). Available here.
- [Economists win Nobel prize for showing why banks fail](https://philipball.co.uk/economists-win-nobel-prize-for-showing-why-banks-fail/) - Nature online news, 10 Oct 2022. Available here.
- [New maths formula answers long-standing party problem](https://philipball.co.uk/new-maths-formula-answers-long-standing-party-problem/) - Nature online news, 21 March 2023. Available here.
- [Imperialism’s long shadow: the UK universities grappling with a colonial past](https://philipball.co.uk/imperialisms-long-shadow-the-uk-universities-grappling-with-a-colonial-past/) - Nature 610, 593 (2022). Available here.
- [Human embryo science: can the world’s regulators keep pace?](https://philipball.co.uk/human-embryo-science-can-the-worlds-regulators-keep-pace/) - Nature 617, 242 (2023). Available here.
- [Most advanced synthetic human embryo models yet spark controversy](https://philipball.co.uk/most-advanced-synthetic-human-embryo-models-yet-spark-controversy/) - Nature 618, 653 (2023). Available here.
- [What is an embryo? Scientists say definition needs to change](https://philipball.co.uk/what-is-an-embryo-scientists-say-definition-needs-to-change/) - Nature 620, 928 (2023). Available here.
- [Is AI leading to a reproducibility crisis in science?](https://philipball.co.uk/is-ai-leading-to-a-reproducibility-crisis-in-science/) - Nature 624, 22-25 (2023). Available here.
- [If the Nobel Prizes were designed today, what would change?](https://philipball.co.uk/if-the-nobel-prizes-were-designed-today-what-would-change/) - Nature 634, 763-764 (2024). Available here.
- [Mathematicians discover new class of shape seen throughout nature](https://philipball.co.uk/mathematicians-discover-new-class-of-shape-seen-throughout-nature/) - Nature 634, 13-14 (2024). Available here.
- [Economics Nobel prize won by researchers who showed how science boosts growth](https://philipball.co.uk/economics-nobel-prize-won-by-researchers-who-showed-how-science-boosts-growth/) - Nature 646, 782-783 (2025). Available here.
- [How the Royal Institution made science a seasonal spectacle](https://philipball.co.uk/how-the-royal-institution-made-science-a-seasonal-spectacle/) - Nature 648, 267-269 (2025). Available here.
- [Why England's Covid "Freedom Day" alarms researchers](https://philipball.co.uk/why-england-s-covid-freedom-day-alarms-researchers/) - Nature 14 July 2021. Available here.
- [Nobel-winning 'natural experiments' approach made economics more robust](https://philipball.co.uk/nobel-winning-natural-experiments-approach-made-economics-more-robust/) - Nature 13 October 2021. Available here.
- [Surprise dip in UK Covid cases baffles researchers](https://philipball.co.uk/surprise-dip-in-uk-covid-cases-baffles-researchers/) - Nature 3 August 2021. Available here.
- [Bullying and harassment are rife in astronomy, poll suggests](https://philipball.co.uk/bullying-and-harassment-are-rife-in-astronomy-poll-suggests/) - Nature 23 July 2021. Available here.
- [First quantum computer to pack 100 qubits enters crowded race](https://philipball.co.uk/first-quantum-computer-to-pack-100-qubits-enters-crowded-race/) - Nature 19 November 2021. Available here.
- [The chase for fusion energy](https://philipball.co.uk/the-chase-for-fusion-energy/) - Nature 17 November 2021. Fabulously interactive version available here. The ancient village of Culham, nestled in a bend of the River Thames west of London, seems an unlikely launching pad for the future. But next year, construction will start here on a gleaming building of glass and steel that could house what many people consider
- [Archive of wonders](https://philipball.co.uk/archive-of-wonders/) - Review of an exhibition on John Dee, in Nature 529, 464; 28 January 2016. Available here.
- [Radiant realms](https://philipball.co.uk/radiant-realms/) - Reviews of two new books on light. Nature 530, 278; 18 February 2016. Available here.
- [A new system of chemical philosophy](https://philipball.co.uk/a-new-system-of-chemical-philosophy/) - In retrospect: on John Dalton's seminal book. Nature 537, 32; 1 September 2016. Available here.
- [World of webs](https://philipball.co.uk/world-of-webs/) - Review of an exhibition by artist Tomas Saraceno. Nature 543, 314; 16 March 2017. Available here.
- [World of webs](https://philipball.co.uk/world-of-webs-2/) - A review of an exhibition by Tomás Saraceno in Buenos Aires, Nature 543, 314 (2017). Available here.
- [Decoding deep similarities](https://philipball.co.uk/decoding-deep-similarities/) - Review of Scale by Geoffrey West, Nature 545, 154 (2017). Available here.
- [Under Mona Lisa's smile](https://philipball.co.uk/under-mona-lisa-s-smile/) - Review of Mona Lisa: The People and the Painting by Martin Kemp & Giuseppe Pallanti, Nature 546, 32 (2017). Available here.
- [How quantum trickery can scramble cause and effect](https://philipball.co.uk/how-quantum-trickery-can-scramble-cause-and-effect/) - A feature article on quantum causality, Nature 546, 590 (2017). Available here.
- [Useless versus useful knowledge](https://philipball.co.uk/useless-versus-useful-knowledge/) - Editorial (unsigned), Nature Materials 16, 963 (2017). Available here.
- [Heisenberg's uncertain legacy](https://philipball.co.uk/heisenberg-s-uncertain-legacy/) - Editorial (unsigned), Nature Physics 13, 1143 (2017). Available here.
- [India: a turbulent tale of rivers, floods and monsoons](https://philipball.co.uk/india-a-turbulent-tale-of-rivers-floods-and-monsoons/) - Review of Sunil Amrith's Unruly Waters, Nature 564, 186 (2018). Available here.
- [Two slits and one hell of a quantum conundrum](https://philipball.co.uk/two-slits-and-one-hell-of-a-quantum-conundrum/) - Review of Anil Ananthaswamy's Through Two Doors at Once, Nature 560, 165 (2018). Available here.
- [Extreme chemistry: experiments at the edge of the periodic table](https://philipball.co.uk/extreme-chemistry-experiments-at-the-edge-of-the-periodic-table/) - Nature 565, 522, 30 January 2019. Available here.
- [Measure for measure](https://philipball.co.uk/measure-for-measure/) - Editorial on the redefinition of the kilogram, Nature Materials 18, 299, April 2019. Available here.
- [Lessons from cold fusion, 30 years on](https://philipball.co.uk/lessons-from-cold-fusion-30-years-on/) - Nature 569, 601 (2019). Available here.
- [Artist of deep time](https://philipball.co.uk/artist-of-deep-time/) - An interview with Katie Paterson. Nature 568, 457 (2019). Available here.
- [Science must move with the times](https://philipball.co.uk/science-must-move-with-the-times/) - Essay commissioned for the 150th anniversary of Nature: 575, 29-31 (2019). Available here.
- [Anti-vaccine movement could undermine efforts to end coronavirus pandemic](https://philipball.co.uk/anti-vaccine-movement-could-undermine-efforts-to-end-coronavirus-pandemic/) - Nature 581, 251 (2020). Available here.
- [The epic battle aganist coronavirus misinformation and conspiracy theories](https://philipball.co.uk/the-epic-battle-aganist-coronavirus-misinformation-and-conspiracy-theories/) - With Amy Maxmen, Nature 581, 371-374 (2020). Available here.
- [The lightning-fast quest for Covid vaccines](https://philipball.co.uk/the-lightning-fast-quest-for-covid-vaccines/) - Nature 589, 16-18 (2021). Available here.
- [More than a bystander](https://philipball.co.uk/more-than-a-bystander/) - P. Ball, "More than a bystander", Nature 478, 467-468 (2011). Available here.
- [Why synthesize?](https://philipball.co.uk/why-synthesize/) - "Why synthesize?", Nature 528, 327-329 (2015). Available here.
- [How human sacrifice propped up the social order](https://philipball.co.uk/how-human-sacrifice-propped-up-the-social-order/) - "How human sacrifice propped up the social order", Nature online news, 4 April 2016. Available here.
- [Lab's labour lost](https://philipball.co.uk/lab-s-labour-lost/) - "Lab's labour lost" (theatre review), Nature 525, 454 (2015). Available here.
- [Knowledge and know-how](https://philipball.co.uk/knowledge-and-know-how/) - "Knowledge and know-how" (book review), Nature 521, 420-421 (2015). Available here.
- [The aided eye](https://philipball.co.uk/the-aided-eye/) - "The aided eye" (book review), Nature 520, 156 (2015). Available here.
- [The crucible of change](https://philipball.co.uk/the-crucible-of-change/) - "The crucible of change" (book review), Nature 524, 412-413 (2015). Available here.
- [Atomic tragedian](https://philipball.co.uk/atomic-tragedian/) - "Atomic tragedian" (theatre review), Nature 518, 301 (2015). Available here.
- [Obituary: Carl Djerassi (1923-2015)](https://philipball.co.uk/obituary-carl-djerassi-1923-2015/) - "Obituary: Carl Djerassi (1923-2015)", Nature 519, 34 (2015). Available here.
- [Silt, dams and hydraulic heroes](https://philipball.co.uk/silt-dams-and-hydraulic-heroes/) - "Silt, dams and hydraulic heroes", Nature 517, 144 (2015). Available here.
- [When the music ends](https://philipball.co.uk/when-the-music-ends/) - "When the music ends", Nature 515, 458 (2014). Available here.
- [Words into gold](https://philipball.co.uk/words-into-gold/) - "Words into gold", Nature 517, 269 (2015). Available here.
- [Artistic alchemy](https://philipball.co.uk/artistic-alchemy/) - "Artistic alchemy", Nature 512, 26-27 (2015). Available here.
- [Forgotten prophet of the Internet](https://philipball.co.uk/forgotten-prophet-of-the-internet/) - "Forgotten prophet of the Internet" (book review), Nature 509, 425 (2014). Available here.
- [Crowdsourcing: Strength in numbers](https://philipball.co.uk/crowdsourcing-strength-in-numbers/) - "Crowdsourcing: Strength in numbers", Nature 506, 26 February 2014. Available here.
- [The hidden structure of liquids](https://philipball.co.uk/the-hidden-structure-of-liquids/) - "The hidden structure of liquids", Nature Materials 13, 758-759 (2014). Available here.
- [David and Goliath](https://philipball.co.uk/david-and-goliath/) - Review of "David and Goliath" (Malcolm Gladwell), Nature 502, 34 (2013). Available here. (£)
- [Quantum quest](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-quest/) - "Quantum quest", Nature 501, 154 (2013). Available here.
- [Celebrate the unknowns](https://philipball.co.uk/celebrate-the-unknowns/) - "Celebrate the unknowns", Nature 496, 419–420 (2013). Available here.
- [Reinventing Galileo](https://philipball.co.uk/reinventing-galileo/) - "Reinventing Galileo" [review of the RSC’s ‘Life of Galileo’], Nature 494, 428–429 (2013). Available here.
- [In retrospect: On Growth and Form](https://philipball.co.uk/in-retrospect-on-growth-and-form/) - "In retrospect: On Growth and Form" [retrospective on D’Arcy Thompson’s book], Nature 494, 32–33 (2013). Available here.
- [Feeling the heat](https://philipball.co.uk/feeling-the-heat/) - "Feeling the heat", Nature 492, 174–176 (2012). Available here.
- [Symmetry wars](https://philipball.co.uk/symmetry-wars/) - "Symmetry wars" [review of I Died For Beauty by Marjorie Senechal], Nature 492, 37-38 (2012). Available here.
- [Martin Fleischmann: Obituary](https://philipball.co.uk/martin-fleischmann-obituary/) - "Martin Fleischmann: Obituary", Nature 489, 34 (2012). Available here.
- [Algorithmic rapture](https://philipball.co.uk/algorithmic-rapture/) - "Algorithmic rapture", Nature 488, 458 (2012). Available here.
- [In Retrospect: On the Six-Cornered Snowflake](https://philipball.co.uk/in-retrospect-on-the-six-cornered-snowflake/) - "In Retrospect: On the Six-Cornered Snowflake", Nature 480, 455 (2011). Available here.
- [Impractical magic](https://philipball.co.uk/impractical-magic/) - "Impractical magic" [review of Glyn Parry’s biography of John Dee, The Arch-Conjuror of England], Nature 482, 160 (2012). Available here.
- [Crisis response: The new history](https://philipball.co.uk/crisis-response-the-new-history/) - "Crisis response: The new history", Nature 480, 447-448 (2011). Available here.
- [The dawn of quantum biology](https://philipball.co.uk/the-dawn-of-quantum-biology/) - "The dawn of quantum biology", Nature 474, 272-274 (2011). Available here.
- [Musical intelligence](https://philipball.co.uk/musical-intelligence/) - "Musical intelligence" [interview with composer Eduardo Reck Miranda], Nature 474, 35 (2011). Available here.
- [A monstrous tale](https://philipball.co.uk/a-monstrous-tale/) - "A monstrous tale" [review of "Frankenstein"], Nature 471, 447 (2011). Available here
- [The chief designer](https://philipball.co.uk/the-chief-designer/) - "The chief designer" [review of the play "Little Eagles"], Nature 473, 282 (2011). Available here.
- [Attack of the killer fungi](https://philipball.co.uk/attack-of-the-killer-fungi/) - "Attack of the killer fungi", [review of Spiral by Paul McEuen], Nature 471, 163 (2011). Available here.
- [Smart stuff: R.I. Christmas Lectures](https://philipball.co.uk/smart-stuff-r-i-christmas-lectures/) - Smart stuff: the text for the booklet accompanying the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2002.
- [Awards and Appointments received by Philip Ball](https://philipball.co.uk/awards-and-appointment-received-by-philip-ball/) - Awarded the 2025 NAT Award for science communication by the Museum of Natural Sciences, Barcelona. And in 2023 the Special Award by the Complex Systems Society
- [Philip Ball - Science Writer](https://philipball.co.uk/philip-ball-science-writer/) - Philip Ball is a freelance science writer. He worked previously at Nature for over 20 years, first as an editor for physical sciences, then as Consultant Editor
- [THE MODERN MYTHS: Adventures in the Machinery of the Popular Imagination](https://philipball.co.uk/the-modern-myths-adventures-in-the-machinery-of-the-popular-imagination/) - Myths are usually seen as stories from the depths of time—fun and fantastical, but no longer believed by anyone. Yet as Philip Ball shows, we are still writing
- [How Life Really Works](https://philipball.co.uk/how-life-really-works/) - How Life Really Works Nautilus 6 November 2023
- [AI is the Black Mirror](https://philipball.co.uk/ai-is-the-black-mirror/) - AI is the Black Mirror Nautilus 11 December 2024
- [Talks and Presentations 2024](https://philipball.co.uk/talks-and-presentations-2024/) - A user’s guide to the new biology. The Royal Institution. 12 February 2024, 2 pm. More details here. 18 December - “The Space of Possible Minds” Trillion Parameter Consortium seminar, Argonne National Laboratory 15 December - Nine Lessons and Carols for Curious People The Cosmic Shambles, King’s Place, London 16 November - “How Life Works”
- [Podcasts](https://philipball.co.uk/podcasts/) - 4 September 2024 - Conversations with Tyler, presented by Tyler Cowen 7 August 2024 - The Dissenter, presented by Ricardo Lopes 11 April 2024 - “What is Life?” A Conversation with Iain McGilchrist Hosted by Marginalia Review of Books Part 1 Part 2 7 April 2024 - “How Life Works” A conversation hosted by Machine
- [LATEST AWARD / APPOINTMENT](https://philipball.co.uk/latest-award-appointment-2/) - Philip was awarded the 2025 NAT Award for science communication by the Museum of Natural Sciences in Barcelona.
- [(Toda) A Ciência em Três Grandes Perguntas](https://philipball.co.uk/toda-a-ciencia-em-tres-grandes-perguntas/) - (Toda) A Ciência em Três Grandes Perguntas by Philip Ball Science (all of it) in only three questions (Portuguese edition) A book for children Illustrated by Bernardo P. Carvalho What’s Science really about? Having all the answers? Memorising a whole load of information? Discovering stuff in order to solve specific problems? Philip Ball, the author
- [BRIGHT EARTH: Art and the Invention of Colour](https://philipball.co.uk/bright-earth-art-and-the-invention-of-colour/) - Bright Earth investigates how the invention of new pigments and colouring materials since times of antiquity have affected the course of Western art.
- [Reviews: BRIGHT EARTH: Art and the Invention of Colour](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-bright-earth-art-and-the-invention-of-colour/) - "If the intimate workings of molecules seem invisible, through Philip Ball's lively prose we see them - coming to life, helping us live. A special delight of this excellent book is the tie that emerges between the wondrous molecules of nature and those that chemists make in the laboratory." Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry,
- [Reviews: ALCHEMY: An Illustrated History of Elixirs, Experiments, and the Birth of Modern Science](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-alchemy-an-illustrated-history-of-elixirs-experiments-and-the-birth-of-modern-science/) - Ball’s eclectic knowledge of chemistry, his insatiable curiosity and his willingness to collections … Alchemy, This captivating guide is sumptuously decorated
- [HOW LIFE WORKS: A User's Guide to the New Biology](https://philipball.co.uk/how-life-works-a-users-guide-to-the-new-biology/) - Several aspects of the standard picture of how life works. The idea of the genome as a blueprint, of genes as instructions for building an organism, of proteins
- [Reviews: HOW LIFE WORKS: A User's Guide to the New Biology](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-how-life-works-a-users-guide-to-the-new-biology/) - How Life Works - There is so much that is amazing. When Ball tackles issues, any textbook chalkiness gets blown away… For Ball, the possession of agency — and
- [Why Darwin admired the humble earthworm](https://philipball.co.uk/why-darwin-admired-the-humble-earthworm/) - Excerpt from my book Beautiful Experiments. Nautilus, 14 Aug 2023. Available here.
- [What is a beautiful experiment?](https://philipball.co.uk/what-is-a-beautiful-experiment/) - Excerpt from my book Beautiful Experiments. Nautilus, 11 Aug 2023. Available here.
- [The Day Oppenheimer Feared He Might Blow Up the World](https://philipball.co.uk/the-day-oppenheimer-feared-he-might-blow-up-the-world/) - Nautilus, 21 July 2023. Available here.
- [ChatGPT Is a Mirror of Our Times](https://philipball.co.uk/chatgpt-is-a-mirror-of-our-times/) - Nautilus, 17 Jan 2023. Available here.
- [The Big Thinker: profile of Nick Lane](https://philipball.co.uk/the-big-thinker-profile-of-nick-lane/) - Nautilus, 7 Sept 2022. Available here.
- [Complex Systems Society Special Award](https://philipball.co.uk/complex-systems-society-special-award/) - Philip was awarded the 2023 Special Award by the Complex Systems Society for "personalities who, through their activity in society in general, contributed in some way to the development of the field of complex systems."
- [Éloge: Evelyn Fox Keller and the new biology](https://philipball.co.uk/eloge-evelyn-fox-keller-and-the-new-biology/) - Éloge: Evelyn Fox Keller and the new biology Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 49, 165 (2024)
- [Response to “A new view on biology and some philosophical perspectives”](https://philipball.co.uk/new-view-on-biology-some-philosophical-perspectives/) - Response to “A new view on biology and some philosophical perspectives” by Emil Toescu and Daniel Bardos Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 49, 574 (2024)
- [Science hasn’t gone ‘woke’](https://philipball.co.uk/science-hasnt-gone-woke/) - Science hasn’t gone ‘woke’ – the only people meddling with it are the Tories The Guardian, 4 October 2023
- [The Final Ethical Frontier](https://philipball.co.uk/the-final-ethical-frontier/) - The Final Ethical Frontier Aeon 24 October 2023
- [What lies beneath: Review of Deep Water](https://philipball.co.uk/what-lies-beneath-review-of-deep-water/) - What lies beneath: Review of Deep Water by James Bradley The Guardian, 7 March 2024
- ['We’re trying to find the shape of space'](https://philipball.co.uk/were-trying-to-find-the-shape-of-space/) - 'We’re trying to find the shape of space’: scientists wonder if the universe is like a doughnut The Observer, 9 June 2024
- [We Are Not Machines](https://philipball.co.uk/we-are-not-machines/) - We Are Not Machines Aeon 12 July 2024
- [Animal magic: Review of Living on Earth](https://philipball.co.uk/animal-magic-review-of-living-on-earth/) - Animal magic: Review of Living on Earth by Peter Godfrey Smith The Guardian, 10 August 2024
- [Many of many myths: Review of The Many Lives of James Lovelock](https://philipball.co.uk/many-of-many-myths-review-of-the-many-lives-of-james-lovelock/) - Many of many myths: Review of The Many Lives of James Lovelock by Jonathan Watts The Guardian, 14 September 2024
- [The biology of human frailty: Review of Seven Deadly Sins](https://philipball.co.uk/the-biology-of-human-frailty-review-of-seven-deadly-sins/) - The biology of human frailty: Review of Seven Deadly Sins by Guy Leschziner The Guardian 10 December 2024
- [The science of imagination: Review of The Shape of Things Unseen](https://philipball.co.uk/the-science-of-imagination-review-of-the-shape-of-things-unseen/) - The science of imagination: Review of The Shape of Things Unseen by Adam Zeman The Guardian 3 January 2025
- [Luca is the progenitor of all life on Earth. But...](https://philipball.co.uk/luca-is-the-progenitor-of-all-life-on-earth/) - Luca is the progenitor of all life on Earth. But its genesis has implications far beyond our planet The Observer 19 January 2025
- [The Case for Kicking the Stone](https://philipball.co.uk/the-case-for-kicking-the-stone/) - The Case for Kicking the Stone: Review of Superbloom by Nicholas Carr LA Review of Books 28 January 2025
- [Science as culture and the science of meaning](https://philipball.co.uk/science-as-culture-and-the-science-of-meaning/) - Science as Culture and the Science of Meaning Marginalia Review of Books 23 June 2023
- [J Robert Oppenheimer and the social responsibility of science](https://philipball.co.uk/j-robert-oppenheimer-and-the-social-responsibility-of-science/) - J Robert Oppenheimer and the social responsibility of science: Review of Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan The Lancet 402, 441, 5 August 2023
- [Mirror-Image Life](https://philipball.co.uk/mirror-image-life/) - Mirror-Image Life Nautilus 9 October 2023
- [Phage stories: Review of The Good Virus by Tom Ireland](https://philipball.co.uk/phage-stories-review-of-the-good-virus-by-tom-ireland/) - Phage stories: Review of The Good Virus by Tom Ireland The Lancet 402, 1824, 18 November 2023
- [How excited should we be by signs of life spotted on alien worlds?](https://philipball.co.uk/how-excited-should-we-be-by-signs-of-life-spotted-on-alien-worlds/) - How excited should we be by signs of life spotted on alien worlds? New Scientist 21 November 2023
- [Robots made from human cells](https://philipball.co.uk/robots-made-from-human-cells/) - Robots made from human cells can move on their own and heal wounds Scientific American 1 December 2023
- [Small molecules that switch up cell development](https://philipball.co.uk/small-molecules-that-switch-up-cell-development/) - Small molecules that switch up cell development could transform medicine Chemistry World 19 February 2024
- [In search of sentience](https://philipball.co.uk/in-search-of-sentience/) - In search of sentience: Review of The Sentient Cell by Arthur Reber et al. Science 383, 1186, 14 March 2024
- [Entangled entities: Bohr, Einstein and the battle over quantum fundamentals](https://philipball.co.uk/entangled-entities-bohr-einstein-and-the-battle-over-quantum-fundamentals/) - Entangled entities: Bohr, Einstein and the battle over quantum fundamentals Review of Quantum Drama by John Heilbron and Jim Baggott Physics World 10 April 2024
- [The New Math of How Large-Scale Order Emerges](https://philipball.co.uk/the-new-math-of-how-large-scale-order-emerges/) - The New Math of How Large-Scale Order Emerges Quanta 10 June 2024
- [Heisenberg gets ‘let off the hook’](https://philipball.co.uk/heisenberg-gets-let-off-the-hook/) - Heisenberg gets ‘let off the hook’ in new historical drama based on the Farm Hall transcripts Review of Farm Hall, a play by Katherine Moar Physics World 16 August 2024
- [The history in our genes](https://philipball.co.uk/the-history-in-our-genes/) - The history in our genes: Review of The Genetic Book of the Dead by Richard Dawkins Science 385, 1050, 5 September 2024
- [Field work – the physics of sheep](https://philipball.co.uk/field-work-the-physics-of-sheep/) - Field work – the physics of sheep, from phase transitions to collective motion Physics World 26 September 2024
- [Mysterious blobs found inside cells](https://philipball.co.uk/mysterious-blobs-found-inside-cells/) - Mysterious blobs found inside cells are rewriting the story of how life works Scientific American 21 January 2025
- [Taking the temperature of humankind](https://philipball.co.uk/taking-the-temperature-of-humankind/) - Taking the temperature of humankind: Review of Empire of Climate by David Livingstone The Lancet 405, 290, 25 January 2025
- [The Tumultuous Birth of Quantum Mechanics](https://philipball.co.uk/the-tumultuous-birth-of-quantum-mechanics/) - The Tumultuous Birth of Quantum Mechanics APS Physics 4 February 2025
- [When Bohr got it wrong](https://philipball.co.uk/when-bohr-got-it-wrong/) - When Bohr got it wrong: the impact of a little-known paper on the development of quantum theory Physics World 28 January 2025
- [Talks and Presentations in 2025](https://philipball.co.uk/talks-and-presentations-in-2025/) - 13 February Centre for Personalised Medicine Annual Lecture Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford “How Life Works: Dealing with Biology’s Changing Narrative” Public talk, 17.30 https://cpm.ox.ac.uk/event/cpm-annual-lecture-2025/ 12 March “Communicating in a Crisis” Panel discussion with Jonathan Van-Tam, Susan Michie, Jack Stilgoe, Cath Haddon 5 pm, Kennedy Lecture Theatre, UCL, Guildford Street, London https://www.ucl.ac.uk/public-policy/events/2025/mar/communicating-crisis-lessons-learned-five-years-after-covid 13 March “The Music Instinct”,
- [Reviews: THE BOOK OF MINDS: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, from Animals to AI to Aliens](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-the-book-of-minds/) - With ambition and patience, in The Book of Minds British science writer Philip Ball explores the parameters and functions of actual, virtual, and possible minds
- [Reviews: THE BEAUTY OF CHEMISTRY: Art, Wonder, and Science](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-the-beauty-of-chemistry-art-wonder-and-science/) - Philip Ball offers a lively illustrated conversation centered on the beauty of chemistry rather than its oft-examined utility. His observations meander grace..
- [Reviews: BEAUTIFUL EXPERIMENTS: An Illustrated History of Experimental Science](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-beautiful-experiments-an-illustrated-history-of-experimental-science/) - Beautiful Experiments, which outlines sixty investigations carried out from antiquity to the present day. Ball groups the experiments into six chapters, each
- [THE BEAUTY OF CHEMISTRY: Art, Wonder, and Science](https://philipball.co.uk/the-beauty-of-chemistry-2/) - Chemistry is not just about microscopic atoms doing inscrutable things; it is the process that makes flowers and galaxies. We rely on it for bread-baking...
- [THE BOOK OF MINDS: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, from Animals to AI to Aliens](https://philipball.co.uk/the-book-of-minds/) - Understanding the human mind and how it relates to the world that we experience has challenged philosophers for centuries. The Book of Minds.
- [The quest to understand where atoms end](https://philipball.co.uk/the-quest-to-understand-where-atoms-end/) - Chemistry World 2 March 2026. Available here.
- [The challengers](https://philipball.co.uk/the-challengers/) - Review of Traversal by Maria Popova. Science 391, 876 (2026). Available here.
- [The death of ‘progress’](https://philipball.co.uk/the-death-of-progress/) - The New World 25 February 2026. Available here.
- [In the beginning was … what?](https://philipball.co.uk/in-the-beginning-was-what/) - Review of Battle of the Big Bang by Niayesh Afshordi and Phil Halper Times Literary Supplement 20 February 2026. Available here.
- [AlphaGenome: On the Promise and Limits of AI in Science](https://philipball.co.uk/alphagenome-on-the-promise-and-limits-of-ai-in-science/) - Marginalia Review of Books, 22 February 2026. Available here.
- [Is this the best lab in the world?](https://philipball.co.uk/is-this-the-best-lab-in-the-world/) - A profile of the Sanger Institute. The New World 20 February 2026. Available here.
- [Dreams of a synthetic genome](https://philipball.co.uk/dreams-of-a-synthetic-genome/) - Review of On the Future of Species by Adrian Woolfson. The Lancet 407, 666-667 (2026). Available here.
- [Are the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics Beginning To Dissolve?](https://philipball.co.uk/are-the-mysteries-of-quantum-mechanics-beginning-to-dissolve/) - Quanta 13 February 2026. Available here.
- [Crucibles: From Alchemy to Chemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/crucibles-from-alchemy-to-chemistry-2/) - Excerpt from my book Alchemy (2025). Chemistry World 22 December 2025. Available here.
- [Crucibles: From Alchemy to Chemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/crucibles-from-alchemy-to-chemistry/) - Excerpt from my book Alchemy (2025). Chemistry World 22 December 2025. Available here.
- [The allure of alchemy](https://philipball.co.uk/the-allure-of-alchemy-2/) - Interview with Bethany Halford in Chemical & Engineering News, about alchemy and more. Available here.
- [Theory, Metaphor, Narrative: How Science Creates the Stories it Tells](https://philipball.co.uk/theory-metaphor-narrative-how-science-creates-the-stories-it-tells/) - Marginalia Review of Books 8 December 2025. Available here.
- [James D Watson: a cautionary tale](https://philipball.co.uk/james-d-watson-a-cautionary-tale/) - The Lancet online first, 2 December 2025. Available here.
- [The troubled birth of aerobiology](https://philipball.co.uk/the-troubled-birth-of-aerobiology/) - Review of Air-Borne by Carl Zimmer The Lancet 406, 1939-1940 (2025). Available here.
- [Quantum computing on the verge II: correcting errors, developing algorithms and building up the user base](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-computing-on-the-verge-ii-correcting-errors-developing-algorithms-and-building-up-the-user-base/) - Physics World 31 October 2025. Available here.
- [Quantum computing on the verge I: a look at the quantum marketplace of today](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-computing-on-the-verge-i-a-look-at-the-quantum-marketplace-of-today/) - Physics World 14 October 2025. Available here.
- [Loops of DNA Equipped Ancient Life To Become Complex](https://philipball.co.uk/loops-of-dna-equipped-ancient-life-to-become-complex/) - Quanta 8 October 2025. Available here.
- [A Thermometer for Measuring Quantumness](https://philipball.co.uk/a-thermometer-for-measuring-quantumness/) - Quanta 1 October 2025. Available here.
- [Techno-pipe dreams](https://philipball.co.uk/techno-pipe-dreams/) - Aeon 2 September 2025. Available here.
- [The allure of alchemy](https://philipball.co.uk/the-allure-of-alchemy/) - Interview with Bethany Halford in Chemical & Engineering News, about alchemy and more. Available here.
- [Measles: The return of a killer](https://philipball.co.uk/measles-the-return-of-a-killer/) - The New World 23 August 2025. Available here.
- [Trump’s war on scientific truth](https://philipball.co.uk/trumps-war-on-scientific-truth/) - The New World 18 August 2025. Available here.
- [The Holy Land of Physics: Quantum Mechanics Turns One Hundred](https://philipball.co.uk/the-holy-land-of-physics-quantum-mechanics-turns-one-hundred/) - Marginalia Review of Books, 29 July 2025. Available here.
- [The dangers of so-called AI experts believing their own hype](https://philipball.co.uk/the-dangers-of-so-called-ai-experts-believing-their-own-hype/) - New Scientist 2 July 2025. Available here.
- [Searching for the past and future of quantum physics on a tiny island](https://philipball.co.uk/searching-for-the-past-and-future-of-quantum-physics-on-a-tiny-island/) - New Scientist 2 July 2025. Available here.
- [Benzene’s 200-year legacy of transformation](https://philipball.co.uk/benzenes-200-year-legacy-of-transformation/) - Chemistry World 16 June 2025. Available here.
- [Techno dystopia, libertarian hell](https://philipball.co.uk/techno-dystopia-libertarian-hell/) - Review of More Everything Forever by Adam Becker, and Hayek’s Bastards by Quinn Slobodian Times Literary Supplement 6 June 2025. Available here.
- [The rise of bombs: how physics lost its innocence](https://philipball.co.uk/the-rise-of-bombs-how-physics-lost-its-innocence/) - Review of Destroyer of Worlds by Frank Close The New World 5 June 2025. Available here.
- [You can’t look away](https://philipball.co.uk/you-cant-look-away/) - Review of The Siren’s Call by Chris Hayes Times Literary Supplement 11 April 2025. Available here.
- [Why Everything in the Universe Turns More Complex](https://philipball.co.uk/why-everything-in-the-universe-turns-more-complex/) - Quanta 2 April 2025. Available here.
- [River of life](https://philipball.co.uk/river-of-life/) - Review of an exhibition, Thirst, at the Wellcome Collection, London The Lancet 406, 122-123 (2025). Available here.
- [Uncertainty and proof](https://philipball.co.uk/uncertainty-and-proof/) - Review of Proof by Adam Kucharski The Lancet 405, 1044-1045 (2025). Available here.
- [Google's Willow and the Future of Quantum Computing](https://philipball.co.uk/googles-willow-and-the-future-of-quantum-computing/) - Marginalia Review of Books 13 December 2024. Available here.
- [The Best Qubits for Quantum Computing Might Just Be Atoms](https://philipball.co.uk/the-best-qubits-for-quantum-computing-might-just-be-atoms/) - Quanta 25 March 2024. Available here.
- [A ‘Lobby’ Where a Molecule Mob Tells Genes What to Do](https://philipball.co.uk/a-lobby-where-a-molecule-mob-tells-genes-what-to-do/) - Quanta 14 February 2024. Available here.
- [A Faustian fable](https://philipball.co.uk/a-faustian-fable/) - Review of Moral AI by Jana Schaich Borg, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong & Vincent Conitzer; The AI Mirror by Shannon Vallor; Robots and the People Who Love Them by Eve Herold; The Atomic Human by Neil D. Lawrence Times Literary Supplement 2 August 2024. Available here.
- [No solace in quantum](https://philipball.co.uk/no-solace-in-quantum/) - Review of Escape From Shadow Physics by Adam Forrest Kay Times Literary Supplement 28 June 2024. Available here.
- [Where there’s a will](https://philipball.co.uk/where-theres-a-will/) - Review of Determined by Robert Sapolsky and Free Agents by Kevin Mitchell Times Literary Supplement 13 October 2023. Available here.
- [Too many worlds](https://philipball.co.uk/too-many-worlds/) - "Too many worlds", Aeon 17 February 2015. Available here.
- [ALCHEMY: An Illustrated History of Elixirs, Experiments, and the Birth of Modern Science](https://philipball.co.uk/alchemy-an-illustrated-history-of-elixirs-experiments-and-the-birth-of-modern-science/) - In Alchemy, science journalist Philip Ball challenges long-held ideas about genes and DNA, revealing biology’s biggest mistake in an exclusive studio interview.
- [Reviews: ELEGANT SOLUTIONS: Ten Beautiful Experiments in Chemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-elegant-solutions-ten-beautiful-experiments-in-chemistry/) - "I cannot think of anyone else who is able to present this chemical history tour with such precision and clarity… Ball is witty, wise, and delightful." Pedro Cintas, Angewandte Chemie "The whole book is full of vivid characters, pointed anecdote and insightful comment, and is a delight to read." Martyn Berry, Chemistry & Industry "The
- [Midwife to science](https://philipball.co.uk/midwife-to-science/) - Book review of Magisteria by Nick Spencer. TLS, 3 March 2023. Available here.
- [Audible cheesecake](https://philipball.co.uk/audible-cheesecake/) - Book review of This Is What It Sounds Like by Susan Rogers. TLS, 25 Nov 2022. Available here.
- [Elusive particle in overlooked article](https://philipball.co.uk/elusive-particle-in-overlooked-article/) - Book review of Elusive by Frank Close. TLS, 15 July 2022. Available here.
- [Mapping the micro-universe](https://philipball.co.uk/mapping-the-micro-universe/) - Book review of The Matter of Everything by Suzie Sheehy TLS 3 June 2022. Available here.
- [BEAUTIFUL EXPERIMENTS: An Illustrated History of Experimental Science](https://philipball.co.uk/beautiful-experiments-an-illustrated-history-of-experimental-science/) - Beautiful Experiments - an illustrated history of experimental science, more than just a celebration of the ingenuity that scientists and natural philosophers
- [Reviews: THE MODERN MYTHS: Adventures in the Machinery of the Popular Imagination](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-the-modern-myths/) - “Ball does an impressive job with the literary histories behind each iconic title, assembling a set of origin stories rich in cultural history and imagination… To Ball, mythic writing is where the conditions of irrationality, superstition, and enchantment persist: forms of wonder that depend on the disconnect between what we know for sure and what
- [THE ELEMENTS: A Visual History of Their Discovery](https://philipball.co.uk/the-elements-a-visual-history-of-their-discovery/) - Elements offers a largely chronological illustrated guide to how the chemical elements were discovered over the past three millennia.
- [Servant or master?](https://philipball.co.uk/servant-or-master/) - Review of A Brief History of Motion by Tom Standage. Times Literary Supplement 17 December 2021. Available here.
- [Servant or master?](https://philipball.co.uk/servant-or-master-2/) - Book review of A Brief History of Motion by Tom Standage TLS, 17 December 2021. Available here.
- [Up and atom](https://philipball.co.uk/up-and-atom/) - Book reviews of Genesis by Guido Tonelli and A History of the Universe in 100 Stars by Florian Freistetter. Times Literary Supplement 2 July 2021. Available here.
- [Materials advances result from study of cold fusion](https://philipball.co.uk/materials-advances-result-from-study-of-cold-fusion/) - MRS Bulletin 44, 833-836 (2019). Available here. Podcast available here.
- [HOW TO GROW A HUMAN: Adventures in Who We Are and How We Are Made](https://philipball.co.uk/how-to-grow-a-human/) - On a swelteringly hot day during the summer of 2017, Philip Ball had a piece of his arm removed and turned into a rudimentary miniature brain. To grow a human..
- [Why the Many Worlds interpretation has many problems](https://philipball.co.uk/why-the-many-worlds-interpretation-has-many-problems/) - Quanta, 18 October 2018. Available here. (This is an adapted excerpt from my book Beyond Weird.)
- [BEYOND WEIRD: Why Everything You Thought You Knew About Quantum Physics Is Different](https://philipball.co.uk/beyond-weird/) - Quantum physics has come to be regarded as one of the most obscure and impenetrable subjects in all of science. Feynman said he didn’t understand quantum ...
- [Reviews: BEYOND WEIRD: Why Everything You Thought You Knew About Quantum Physics Is Different](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-beyond-weird/) - "Easily the best book I’ve read on the subject." Margaret Wertheim, Washington Post "A clear and deeply researched account of what’s known about the quantum laws of nature, and how to think about what they might really mean." Natalie Wolchover, Nature "the most original and interesting book on quantum physics for the general public in
- [The computational foundation of life](https://philipball.co.uk/the-computational-foundation-of-life/) - An article in Quanta, 26 January 2017. Available here.
- [THE WATER KINGDOM: A Secret History of China](https://philipball.co.uk/the-water-kingdom/) - The Water Kingdom takes us on a grand journey through China's past and present, offering a unique window through which we can begin to grasp the overwhelming..
- [Reviews: THE WATER KINGDOM: A Secret History of China](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-the-water-kingdom-a-secret-history-of-china-2/) - A History Book of the Year in The Times A History Book of the Year in The Economist “Philip Ball argues in this extraordinary book, water is key to understanding China. After reading The Water Kingdom, I’m inclined to agree.” Gerard DeGroot, The Times “The Water Kingdom traverses fascinating, endlessly fertile territory… It should make
- [PATTERNS IN NATURE: Why the Natural World Looks the Way it Does](https://philipball.co.uk/patterns-in-nature/) - The natural world may appear overwhelming in its diversity and complexity, but there are regularities running through it, patterns in nature...
- [Creepy, disturbing – and that’s just the composer: new era of music by machine](https://philipball.co.uk/creepy-disturbing-and-that-s-just-the-composer-new-era-of-music-by-machine/) - “Creepy, disturbing – and that’s just the composer: new era of music by machine”, Guardian, p.3, Monday 2 July 2012. Available here.
- [Reviews: DESIGNING THE MOLECULAR WORLD: Chemistry at the Frontier](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-designing-the-molecular-world/) - "Lucidly written, with an acute awareness of recent advances and an excellent understanding of their intrinsic scientific content." Sir Harold Kroto, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Physics World "Designing the Molecular World is a tour de force of popular science writing: nothing less than a survey, in considerable depth, of the frontiers of modern chemistry."John Postgate,
- [BBC Radio 4 - The Material World](https://philipball.co.uk/bbc-radio-4-the-material-world/) - "BBC Radio 4 - The Material World" 28 June 2007: Philip was one of the panellists discussing the genre of "science plays". Listen again at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science
- [Reviews: MADE TO MEASURE: New Materials for the 21st Century](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-made-to-measure-new-materials-for-the-21st-century/) - "Let me state upfront that Made to Measure is an outstanding book. It is beautifully written and illustrated. Ball has done his research extremely well and writes with deep understanding. If you buy no other science book this year, I suggest you buy this one."Colin Humphreys, New Scientist "It is refreshing to find a book
- [Fear of Music: A book review](https://philipball.co.uk/fear-of-music-a-book-review/) - Fear of Music: A book review for Prospect magazine, which discusses the alleged 'difficulty' of modern classical music. Download PDF
- [Facing the Music](https://philipball.co.uk/facing-the-music/) - An article published in Nature 453, 160 (2008).Download PDF
- [Harmonious minds: the hunt for universal music](https://philipball.co.uk/harmonious-minds-the-hunt-for-universal-music/) - "Harmonious minds: the hunt for universal music", New Scientist 10 May 2010. Link here.
- [Is music a language?](https://philipball.co.uk/is-music-a-language/) - "Is music a language?", King's Place Magazine, September-December 2011, p.34-35.
- [The brain is a musical time machine](https://philipball.co.uk/the-brain-is-a-musical-time-machine/) - Essay in the programme for the 2018 series "Time Unwrapped" at the King's Place, London. Details here.
- [Colour and art](https://philipball.co.uk/colour-and-art/) - Colour and Art. Aristotle believed that light is something transmitted from an object to the eye. The colour of the object is then an intrinsic property
- [The making of Cézanne's palette](https://philipball.co.uk/the-making-of-cezanne-s-palette/) - The making of Cézanne's palette: an article published in Helix X(2), 2001.Download PDF
- [The reign of light](https://philipball.co.uk/the-reign-of-light/) - The reign of light: unpublished article.Download Download PDF
- [Colour: Natural History](https://philipball.co.uk/colour-natural-history/) - Colour: an article published in Natural History, March 2002.Download PDF
- [Interview with The Atlantic magazine](https://philipball.co.uk/interview-with-the-atlantic-magazine/) - Interview with The Atlantic magazine, 2002.
- [Colour in art and science](https://philipball.co.uk/colour-in-art-and-science/) - Colour in art and science: a talk for sixth-formers delivered at Study Experiences, Poitiers, Feb 2003.Download PDF or Word Doc. + Powerpoint (ZIP file 3.7Mb)
- [Color Theory in Science and Art](https://philipball.co.uk/color-theory-in-science-and-art/) - Color Theory in Science and Art: Ostwald and the Bauhaus, an article written in collaboration with Mario Ruben in Angewandte Chemie International Edition 43, 4842 (2004). [pdf available for download]
- [Alchemy and colour](https://philipball.co.uk/alchemy-and-colour/) - Alchemy and colour: an article for the UCL chemistry departmental bulletin.Download PDF
- [Science in culture: Colouring it true](https://philipball.co.uk/science-in-culture-colouring-it-true/) - "Science in culture: Colouring it true", Nature 407, 946 (2000). AMAZON.co.uk - Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Colour - Philip Ball
- [The Invention of Colour](https://philipball.co.uk/the-invention-of-colour/) - "The Invention of Colour", Interfaces 33 (2012). Available here. AMAZON.co.uk - Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Colour - Philip Ball
- [Nineteenth Century Colour: Chemistry and the New Rainbow](https://philipball.co.uk/nineteenth-century-colour-chemistry-and-the-new-rainbow/) - "Nineteenth Century Colour: Chemistry and the New Rainbow", in Colour in the Making. Black Dog, 2013. AMAZON.co.uk - Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Colour - Philip Ball
- [The colourful science](https://philipball.co.uk/the-colourful-science/) - "The colourful science", Chemistry World 19 June 2014. Available here. AMAZON.co.uk - Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Colour - Philip Ball
- [Bright Earth: The Invention of Colour](https://philipball.co.uk/bright-earth/) - BRIGHT EARTH : THE INVENTION OF COLOUR : a talk about art delivered by Philip Ball as a Friday Discourse at the Royal Institution, London, March 2001.
- [INVISIBLE: The Dangerous Allure of the Unseen](https://philipball.co.uk/invisible-the-dangerous-allure-of-the-unseen/) - Invisible presents the first comprehensive survey of the roles that the idea of invisibility has played throughout time and culture. From medieval grimoires ...
- [Reviews: INVISIBLE: The Dangerous Allure of the Unseen](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-invisible-the-dangerous-allure-of-the-unseen/) - "Ball leads us on a very fun, largely chronological journey through invisibility, beginning with myth and early magicians, ending with quantum physics, and stopping along the way at Newton, Leibniz, microscopy, photography, spiritualism, B movies, and science fiction. He is lucid and interesting on every topic he touches, from the ghost in “Hamlet” to those
- [THE INGREDIENTS: A Guided Tour of the Elements](https://philipball.co.uk/the-ingredients-a-guided-tour-of-the-elements/) - Companion volume to Stories of the Invisible looks at how our ideas about the fundamental constitution of matter have evolved, from the four classical elements
- [Reviews: THE INGREDIENTS: A Guided Tour of the Elements](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-the-ingredients-a-guided-tour-of-the-elements/) - "A delight of a book· It could become a classic. Hold on to your first edition"New Scientist "This provocative book· is surely worth a read by both general readers and chemists."Nature "With [a] good-tempered twinkle Ball provides an extended essay on the culture, history, and nature of the chemical elements. His range is somewhat sweeping,
- [Live Bluesky posts, Helgoland quantum centenary meeting, June 2025](https://philipball.co.uk/live-bluesky-posts-from-the-helgoland-quantum-centenary-meeting-june-2025/) - Live Bluesky posts from the Helgoland quantum centenary meeting, June 2025 http://helgoland-on-bluesky.pdf
- [Preprint submitted to Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 2025](https://philipball.co.uk/preprint-submitted-to-journal-of-evolutionary-biology-2025/) - A response to ‘Biological agency: a concept without a research program’ Download PDF
- [Einstein and Nazi physics](https://philipball.co.uk/einstein-and-nazi-physics/) - Métode 10, 147-155 (2020).
- [Science and ideology](https://philipball.co.uk/science-and-ideology/) - The case of physics in Nazi Germany, Métode 7, 69 (2017).
- [What is the future of fusion energy?](https://philipball.co.uk/what-is-the-future-of-fusion-energy/) - Scientific American June 2023 issue. Available here: Requires sign-up
- [Synthetic biology lets scientists create new life forms](https://philipball.co.uk/synthetic-biology-lets-scientists-create-new-life-forms/) - Scientific American, May 2023 issue. Available here: Requires sign-up
- [Researchers use quantum ‘telepathy’ to win an ‘impossible’ game](https://philipball.co.uk/researchers-use-quantum-telepathy-to-win-an-impossible-game/) - Scientific American, 25 October 2022. Available here: Requires sign-up
- [‘Momentum computing’ pushes technology’s thermodynamic limits](https://philipball.co.uk/momentum-computing-pushes-technologys-thermodynamic-limits/) - Scientific American 29 March 2022. Available here: Requires sign-up
- [US project reaches major milestone toward practical fusion power](https://philipball.co.uk/us-project-reaches-major-milestone-toward-practical-fusion-power/) - Scientific American, 2 Feb 2022. Available here: Requires sign-up
- [Lessons from the UK’s handling of Covid-19 for the future of scientific advice to government: a contribution to the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry](https://philipball.co.uk/lessons-from-the-uks-handling-of-covid-19-for-the-future-of-scientific-advice-to-government-a-contribution-to-the-uk-covid-19-public-inquiry/) - Susan Michie, Philip Ball, James Wilsdon & Robert West, Contemporary Social Science 17, 418 (2022).
- [ART AND SCIENCE: a symposium at the Wellcome Collection, London](https://philipball.co.uk/postartandscience-a-symposium-at-the-wellcome-collection-london/) - A review in the special issue of Interdiscplinary Science Reviews on art and science, 42, 395-398 (2017).
- [Art and science: work in progress](https://philipball.co.uk/art-and-science-work-in-progress/) - Editorial (with Siân Ede) for a special issue of Interdisciplinary Science Reviews on art and science, 42, 309-312 (2017). Available here.
- [Demographics](https://philipball.co.uk/demographics/) - A chapter in What's Next?, edited by Jim Al-Khalili. Profile Books, 2017.
- [Reviews: UNIVERSE OF STONE: Chartres Cathedral and the Triumph of the Medieval Mind](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-universe-of-stone-chartres-cathedral-and-the-triumph-of-the-medieval-mind/) - UNIVERSE OF STONE - impressively erudite, refreshingly undogmatic, and delightfully discursive… It will make many readers rush to see its subject for themselves
- [Invisible Revolution](https://philipball.co.uk/invisible-revolution/) - "Invisible Revolution", Technology Review March/April. p.56 (2007).
- [Five ways to become invisible](https://philipball.co.uk/five-ways-to-become-invisible/) - "Five ways to become invisible", Observer 19 July 2014. Available here.
- [The Unseen - A History of the Invisible](https://philipball.co.uk/the-unseen-a-history-of-the-invisible/) - Radio 4 Broadcast June 2016 - Five episodes. Presenter: Philip Ball Producer: Max O'Brien A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4. Science writer and broadcaster Philip Ball sets out on a quest to explore the peculiar world of the invisible, a mysterious realm where magic and science meet. Episode One - Invisible Forces (11 minutes)
- [What does AI mean for chemistry?](https://philipball.co.uk/what-does-ai-mean-for-chemistry/) - Chemistry World, 6 Feb 2023. Available here.
- [A New Idea for How to Assemble Life](https://philipball.co.uk/a-new-idea-for-how-to-assemble-life/) - Quanta, 4 May 2023. Available here.
- [‘Embryo Models’ Challenge Legal, Ethical and Biological Concepts](https://philipball.co.uk/embryo-models-challenge-legal-ethical-and-biological-concepts/) - Quanta, 13 June 2023. Available here.
- [Book review: In a Flight of Starlings by Giorgio Parisi](https://philipball.co.uk/book-review-in-a-flight-of-starlings-by-giorgio-parisi/) - Physics World, 2 Aug 2023. Available here.
- [What the COVID-19 pandemic reveals about science, policy and society](https://philipball.co.uk/what-the-covid-19-pandemic-reveals-about-science-policy-and-society/) - Journal of the Royal Society Inferface Focus 11, 20210022 (2021).
- [Water structure and chaotropicity: their uses and abuses](https://philipball.co.uk/water-structure-and-chaotropicity-their-uses-and-abuses/) - P. Ball & J. E. Hallsworth, "Water structure and chaotropicity: their uses and abuses", Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 17, 8297-8305 (2015). Available here.
- [Forging patterns and making waves from biology to geology](https://philipball.co.uk/forging-patterns-and-making-waves-from-biology-to-geology/) - "Forging patterns and making waves from biology to geology: a commentary on Turing (1952) 'The chemical basis of morphogenesis", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 370, special issue to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the journal.
- [Water is an active matrix of life for cell and molecular biology](https://philipball.co.uk/water-is-an-active-matrix-of-life-for-cell-and-molecular-biology/) - PNAS 114, 13327-13335 (2017).
- [Using artificial intelligence to accelerate materials development](https://philipball.co.uk/using-artificial-intelligence-to-accelerate-materials-development/) - MRS Bulletin 44, 335-344 (2019). Available here.
- [The quest for materials solutions to the coronavirus pandemic](https://philipball.co.uk/the-quest-for-materials-solutions-to-the-coronavirus-pandemic/) - MRS Bulletin 45, 609-613 (2020). Available here.
- [BBC.co.uk](https://philipball.co.uk/bbc/) - EARTH 20160107 these are the discoveries that made stephen hawking famous 20160115 how many more chemical elements are there for us to find 20160229 the place where you can walk through the universe FUTURE 20120217 how genetic origami shapes us all 20120302 body shock the energy inside 20120316 the soundtrack of our emotions 20120329 can
- [Reviews: H2O: A Biography of Water](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-h2o-a-biography-of-water/) - "Ball engages fearlessly with all the questions most non-scientists can never answer: how hydrogen and oxygen came to combine following the Big Bang; why water freezes from the top down; why snowflakes have six points; and how water came to cover two-thirds of our planet. He writes clearly, humorously and with an enviable range of
- [Reviews: STORIES OF THE INVISIBLE: A Guided Tour of Molecules](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-stories-of-the-invisible-a-guided-tour-of-molecules/) - "If the intimate workings of molecules seem invisible, through Philip Ball's lively prose we see them - coming to life, helping us live. A special delight of this excellent book is the tie that emerges between the wondrous molecules of nature and those that chemists make in the laboratory." Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry,
- [Reviews: CRITICAL MASS: How One Thing Leads to Another](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-critical-mass-how-one-thing-leads-to-another/) - "Ball delves far beyond today's headlines... substantial, impeccably researched and generally persuasive. For anyone who would like to learn about the intellectual ferment at the surprising junction of physics and social science, Critical Mass is the place to start." Steven Strogatz, Nature "Philip Ball makes physics sexy again in Critical Mass." Vanity Fair "Lively and
- [Reviews: THE DEVIL'S DOCTOR: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-the-devils-doctor-paracelsus/) - "Ball brings to light a largely forgotten phase of human understanding. It is a considerable achievement."Peter Ackroyd, Times "Wonderfully rich… Ball does an excellent job of recreating this strange and wonderful age, with its wandering wizards and its magical worldview. [He] succeeds in convincing us that, despite [Paracelsus’s] arcane ideas, his vision of the ‘strangeness
- [Reviews: NATURE'S PATTERNS: A Tapestry in Three Parts](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-nature-s-patterns-a-tapestry-in-three-parts/) - "wide-ranging, intelligent and non-dogmatic... a lucid and companionable guide to some of the big issues in science, past and present." Martin Kemp, Times Literary Supplement "Ball is capable of making us gasp at worlds both tiny and huge." Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian (on Flow) "Extremely high-end popular science, with constant reference to the
- [Reviews: THE MUSIC INSTINCT : How music works and why we can't live without it](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-the-music-instinct-how-music-works/) - "[A] wonderful account of why music matters, why it wrenches our souls and satisfies our minds and sometimes drives us crazy... I defy anyone to read this book without coming away better informed about why music affects us in such a profound way… His passion for music is evident on every page." Sunday Times "Learned
- [Reviews: CURIOSITY: How Science Became Interested in Everything](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-curiosity-how-science-became-interested-in-everything/) - “Curiosity is a wonderful book that revises popular assumptions about the Scientific Revolution with great wit and insight. But ultimately it is both a cogent and vigorously argued reflection on what drives modern experimental science… Philip Ball distinguishes himself as unquestionably one of our finest – and most curious – writers on the history and
- [Reviews: SERVING THE REICH: The Struggle for the Soul of Physics Under Hitler](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-serving-the-reich-the-struggle-for-the-soul-of-physics-under-hitler/) - Selected for science books of the year in the Observer and Times Higher Education. Shortlisted for the 2014 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books. "The story is intriguing for it reveals the lack of insight of many of the world's greatest physicists."Robin McKie, Observer "Ball's book shows what can happen to morality when cleverness
- [MADE TO MEASURE: New Materials for the 21st Century](https://philipball.co.uk/made-to-measure-new-materials-for-the-21st-century/) - New materials from synthetic skin, blood and bone to substances that repair themselves and adapt to the environment, that swell and flex like muscles, that ...
- [DESIGNING THE MOLECULAR WORLD: Chemistry at the Frontier](https://philipball.co.uk/designing-the-molecular-world-chemistry-at-the-frontier/) - Many of the most exciting developments in modern science come not from particle accelerators, astronomical observatories or biotechnology companies but from ..
- [THE SELF-MADE TAPESTRY: Pattern Formation in Nature](https://philipball.co.uk/the-self-made-tapestry-pattern-formation-in-nature/) - Why do similar patterns and forms appear in settings that seem to bear no relation to one another? The windblown ripples of desert sand follow a sinuous ...
- [H2O: A Biography of Water](https://philipball.co.uk/h2o-a-biography-of-water/) - In the Old Testament, the God of the Hebrews hovers over the primeval waters and brings forth the world from the infinite ocean. H2O A Biography of Water
- [CRITICAL MASS: How One Thing Leads to Another](https://philipball.co.uk/critical-mass-how-one-thing-leads-to-another/) - Tired of the civil war ravaging England, Thomas Hobbes decided in the seventeenth century that he would work out how society should be governed.
- [THE DEVIL'S DOCTOR: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science](https://philipball.co.uk/the-devils-doctor-paracelsus/) - Philip Theophrastus Aureolus Bombast von Hohenheim – known to later ages as Paracelsus – stands on the borderline between medieval and modern: a name that ...
- [SERVING THE REICH: The Struggle for the Soul of Physics Under Hitler](https://philipball.co.uk/serving-the-reich-the-struggle-for-the-soul-of-physics-under-hitler/) - Dutch physicist and Nobel laureate Peter Debye, formerly one of the leading physicists in Hitler’s Germany, sailed to the United States. Serving the Reich ...
- [UNNATURAL: The Heretical Idea of Making People](https://philipball.co.uk/unnatural-the-heretical-idea-of-making-people/) - Can we make a human being? That question has been asked for many centuries, and has produced recipes ranging from the homunculus of the medieval alchemists and
- [Reviews: UNNATURAL: The Heretical Act of Making People](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-unnatural-the-heretical-act-of-making-people/) - "A beautifully written, deeply intelligent book that will force every reader to rethink at least some of their preconceptions." Jim Endersby, Daily Telegraph "A fascinating and impressive cultural history."Manjit Kumar, The Guardian "Labelling Ball a science writer sells his writing short, for its value lies above all in a range that dissolves the awkward silences
- [UNIVERSE OF STONE: Chartres Cathedral and the Triumph of the Medieval Mind](https://philipball.co.uk/universe-of-stone-chartres-cathedral-and-the-triumph-of-the-medieval-mind/) - In the twelfth century, Christians in Europe began to build a completely new kind of church – not the squat, gloomy buildings we now call Romanesque, but ...
- [THE SUN AND MOON CORRUPTED](https://philipball.co.uk/the-sun-and-moon-corrupted/) - Karl Neder – physicist, Communist and all-round maverick – thinks he has made a discovery that will offer mankind energy for free. The Sun and Moon Corrupted
- [Reviews: THE SUN AND MOON CORRUPTED: A novel](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-the-sun-and-moon-corrupted-a-novel/) - "How do you write a novel about science? Many people do it badly, but with 'The Sun and Moon Corrupted', Philip Ball succeeds at his first attempt. Six steps lead to a good read, and Ball has aced them all." Nature "Ball has still written a fine novel which achieves a kind of well-wrought luminescence
- [CURIOSITY: How Science Became Interested in Everything](https://philipball.co.uk/curiosity-how-science-became-interested-in-everything/) - Curiosity is dangerous. Curiosity was the original sin. In Christian tradition, all the ills of the world follow from the attempt to consume forbidden knowledge
- [Quantum computing: state of the art](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-computing-state-of-the-art/) - Protocol, 4 May 2020.
- [Quantum computing: supremacy](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-computing-supremacy/) - Protocol, 4 May 2020.
- [Led by the Science](https://philipball.co.uk/led-by-the-science/) - Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic the UK government has stated that its decisions have been “led by the science”. This pithy phrase implies there is a fixed body
- [The Burning Question](https://philipball.co.uk/the-burning-question/) - Ahead of a huge year for climate change policy that will culminate in COP 26 in Glasgow, Philip Ball explores how the fight against climate change can move ...
- [Science (All of It) in Three Questions](https://philipball.co.uk/science-all-of-it-in-three-questions/) - When I was home-educating my children, I thought carefully about what science I wanted them to know and how to deliver it concisely. Free PDF download.
- [THE MUSIC INSTINCT: How music works, and why we can't do without it](https://philipball.co.uk/the-music-instinct-how-music-works/) - The Music Instinct offers the first comprehensive, accessible survey of what is known – and what remains unknown – about how music works: why we can comprehend
- [STORIES OF THE INVISIBLE: A Guided Tour of Molecules](https://philipball.co.uk/stories-of-the-invisible-a-guided-tour-of-molecules/) - From a community of molecules, life somehow emerges. It seems miraculous, for molecules have no intrinsic life of their own. Life is a result of their ...
- [ELEGANT SOLUTIONS: Ten Beautiful Experiments in Chemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/elegant-solutions-ten-beautiful-experiments-in-chemistry/) - Where does beauty reside for experiments in chemistry? Is it in the clarity of the experiment’s conception? The design of the instrumentation? The nature of ...
- [NATURE'S PATTERNS: A Tapestry in Three Parts](https://philipball.co.uk/natures-patterns-a-tapestry-in-three-parts/) - Nature's patterns are everywhere – in the clouds, the stripes of an angelfish, the arrangement of petals. Where does this order and regularity come from?
- [Review of The Reason Why by John Gribbin](https://philipball.co.uk/review-of-the-reason-why-by-john-gribbin/) - Review of The Reason Why by John Gribbin, The National (UAE), 3 June 2011.
- [Chemistry and power in recent American fiction](https://philipball.co.uk/chemistry-and-power-in-recent-american-fiction/) - "Chemistry and power in recent American fiction" published in Hyle 12(1), 45 (2006). Available at www.hyle.org/journal/issues/12-1/ball.htm
- [Reviews: THE SELF-MADE TAPESTRY: Pattern Formation in Nature](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-the-self-made-tapestry-pattern-formation-in-nature/) - "Philip Ball has produced a superb book about patterns in nature. From the ribbed desert sands to tree-form streaks of lightning, countless examples give rise to fascinating reflections on the astounding order that exists amid chaos. Lavishly illustrated, this is a stunning book." John Cornwell, The Times "You will find no better guide than Ball.
- [Talks and Presentations 2023](https://philipball.co.uk/talks-and-presentations-2023/) - Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Science and Magic. Royal Society of Chemistry History Group, online. 24 January, 2 pm. Details here. Why Water Is Weird. 800th anniversary celebrations of the University of Padua, Italy. 6 February. How To Build a Replicant (chairing). Science Museum, London. 12 March. Can Science Be Neutral? Panel, Jermyn Theatre, Jermyn
- [COOKIE / PRIVACY STATEMENT](https://philipball.co.uk/cookies/) - In short: * Personal information is not collected when you visit the web site. * A cookie is used to create the online contact email form. This is for security to reduce the amount of spam we receive. * Ironically, the 'Cookie-accept' bar and message uses the only other cookie implemented on this site. You
- [Meet the renegades building a nuclear fusion reactor in your neighbourhood](https://philipball.co.uk/meet-the-renegades-building-a-nuclear-fusion-reactor-in-your-neighbourhood/) - BBC Focus magazine, December 2018. Available here.
- [Cooking up alien atmospheres](https://philipball.co.uk/cooking-up-alien-atmospheres/) - BBC Focus magazine, August 2019. Available here.
- [Man made: a history of synthetic life](https://philipball.co.uk/man-made-a-history-of-synthetic-life/) - From the homunculus to synthetic biology. An article in Distillations, Spring 2016. Available here.
- [Shedding light on the dark proteome](https://philipball.co.uk/shedding-light-on-the-dark-proteome/) - A feature article in Chemistry World, March 2017. Available to subscribers here.
- [Ooops, something went wrong](https://philipball.co.uk/404/) - Reaching this 404 error page means that you followed an old or incorrect link which no longer exists or has changed, and you were not redirected automatically to the latest website page or article. This may also have been from your own favourites bookmark or a result in a search engine. Try starting from the
- [The Covid inquiry will take a very long time. Is that a problem?](https://philipball.co.uk/the-covid-inquiry-will-take-a-very-long-time-is-that-a-problem/) - Prospect 22 June 2023. Available here.
- [Can machines think?](https://philipball.co.uk/can-machines-think/) - Prospect, Aug/Sept issue 2023. Available here.
- [From time crystals to wormholes: When is a quantum simulation real?](https://philipball.co.uk/from-time-crystals-to-wormholes-when-is-a-quantum-simulation-real/) - New Scientist, 8 Aug 2023. Available here.
- [John Goodenough obituary](https://philipball.co.uk/john-goodenough-obituary/) - The Guardian, 10 July 2023. Available here.
- [The big idea: should we colonise other planets?](https://philipball.co.uk/the-big-idea-should-we-colonise-other-planets/) - The Guardian, 21 Aug 2023. Available here.
- [There’s no room-temperature superconductor yet, but the quest continues](https://philipball.co.uk/theres-no-room-temperature-superconductor-yet-but-the-quest-continues/) - The Observer, 2 Sept 2023. Available here.
- [A Roman solution to Raac’s ruin – is self-healing concrete the answer?](https://philipball.co.uk/a-roman-solution-to-raacs-ruin-is-self-healing-concrete-the-answer/) - The Observer, 24 Sept 2023. Available here.
- [Are human embryo models a cause for hope or alarm?](https://philipball.co.uk/are-human-embryo-models-a-cause-for-hope-or-alarm/) - The Observer, 2 July 2023. Available here.
- [Can we use quantum computers to make music?](https://philipball.co.uk/can-we-use-quantum-computers-to-make-music/) - Physics World, 28 Feb 2023. Available here.
- [It’s time to let British scientists rejoin the Horizon Europe programme](https://philipball.co.uk/its-time-to-let-british-scientists-rejoin-the-horizon-europe-programme/) - Prospect, 22 March 2023. Available here.
- [Three years on, Covid lab-leak theories aren’t going away. This is why](https://philipball.co.uk/three-years-on-covid-lab-leak-theories-arent-going-away-this-is-why/) - Prospect, March 2023 issue. Available here.
- [Imagine you could select your future child based on likely intelligence. Would you?](https://philipball.co.uk/imagine-you-could-select-your-future-child-based-on-likely-intelligence-would-you/) - Prospect, 6 March 2023. Available here.
- [What on earth is a xenobot?](https://philipball.co.uk/what-on-earth-is-a-xenobot/) - Aeon, 30 Aug 2022. Available here.
- [The big idea: will fusion power save us from the climate crisis?](https://philipball.co.uk/the-big-idea-will-fusion-power-save-us-from-the-climate-crisis/) - The Guardian, 3 April 2023. Available here.
- [Immunity debt: does it really exist?](https://philipball.co.uk/immunity-debt-does-it-really-exist/) - The Observer, 15 Jan 2023. Available here.
- [The big idea: could you have made different choices in life?](https://philipball.co.uk/the-big-idea-could-you-have-made-different-choices-in-life/) - The Guardian, 2 Jan 2023. Available here.
- [How to beat your family at board games with quantum tricks](https://philipball.co.uk/how-to-beat-your-family-at-board-games-with-quantum-tricks/) - New Scientist, 14 December 2022. Available here.
- [The exotic quantum effects found hiding inside ultra-thin materials](https://philipball.co.uk/the-exotic-quantum-effects-found-hiding-inside-ultra-thin-materials/) - New Scientist, 30 November 2022. Available here.
- [Inside a controversial new idea about consciousness](https://philipball.co.uk/inside-a-controversial-new-idea-about-consciousness/) - Book review of Sentience by Nicholas Humphrey. New Scientist, 9 November 2022. Available here.
- [How quantum weirdness shapes our universe](https://philipball.co.uk/how-quantum-weirdness-shapes-our-universe/) - Stroy about the 2022 physics Nobel prize. Prospect, 11 October 2022. Available here.
- [Experiments Spell Doom for Decades-Old Explanation of Quantum Weirdness](https://philipball.co.uk/experiments-spell-doom-for-decades-old-explanation-of-quantum-weirdness/) - Quanta, 20 October 2022. Available here.
- [The threat of Covid isn’t over – so why does Britain have a conspiracy of silence about it?](https://philipball.co.uk/the-threat-of-covid-isnt-over-so-why-does-britain-have-a-conspiracy-of-silence-about-it/) - The Guardian, 15 Aug 2022. Available here.
- [Animal magic: why intelligence isn’t just for humans](https://philipball.co.uk/animal-magic-why-intelligence-isnt-just-for-humans/) - The Guardian, 11 June 2022. Available here.
- [Is particle physics at a dead end?](https://philipball.co.uk/is-particle-physics-at-a-dead-end/) - Prospect, 29 August 2022. Available here.
- [DeepMind has predicted the shape of every protein known to science. How excited should we be?](https://philipball.co.uk/deepmind-has-predicted-the-shape-of-every-protein-known-to-science-how-excited-should-we-be/) - Prospect, 8 Aug 2022. Available here.
- [Physicists Rewrite the Fundamental Law That Leads to Disorder](https://philipball.co.uk/physicists-rewrite-the-fundamental-law-that-leads-to-disorder/) - Quanta, 26 May 2022. Available here.
- [Are mRNA vaccines really a “miracle cure”?](https://philipball.co.uk/are-mrna-vaccines-really-a-miracle-cure/) - Prospect 21 July 2022. Available here.
- [The virus doesn’t care whether you think the pandemic is over](https://philipball.co.uk/the-virus-doesnt-care-whether-you-think-the-pandemic-is-over/) - Prospect 1 April 2022. Available here.
- [How my book on China and water was censored in China](https://philipball.co.uk/how-my-book-on-china-and-water-was-censored-in-china/) - Prospect, 15 March 2022. Available here.
- [Will we get a single, variant-proof vaccine for Covid?](https://philipball.co.uk/will-we-get-a-single-variant-proof-vaccine-for-covid/) - The Observer, 27 Feb 2022. Available here.
- [How nature is adapting to climate change](https://philipball.co.uk/how-nature-is-adapting-to-climate-change/) - Review of Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid by Thor Hanson. The Guardian, 17 Feb 2022. Available here.
- [Materials of the future](https://philipball.co.uk/materials-of-the-future/) - Materials of the future: an article for the UNESCO Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems (2001).Download PDF
- [Homunculus Theatre Company](https://philipball.co.uk/homunculus-theatre-company/) - Homunculus Theatre Company is a figment of the imagination that materializes, from time to time, to bring strange visions into the theatre at an intimate scale. Here you will find a blend of physical and visual theatre, music, puppetry, story telling - and explosive chemistry. Homunculus is about engaging all the senses, about the potential
- [Science Stories - Series Three](https://philipball.co.uk/science-stories-series-three/) - Two episodes by Philip Ball. Radio 4 Broadcast 2016 Chaucer's Astrolabe - The Medieval GPS Maxwell's Demon Episode Two - Chaucer's Astrolabe - The Medieval GPS (28 minutes) Philip Ball tells the story of Chaucer's Astrolabe and why the famed poet came to write the world's first scientific instruction manual. In the Middle Ages, no
- [Science Stories - Series Five](https://philipball.co.uk/science-stories-series-five/) - Two episodes by Philip Ball. Radio 4 Broadcast 2017 The Medieval Bishop's Big Bang Theory The Man Who Found Physics in Shells, Seeds and Bees Episode Three - The Medieval Bishop's Big Bang Theory (28 minutes) How a dying man's book demoted the earth and reconstructed the universe. Philip Ball on a very modern medieval
- [Beyond words](https://philipball.co.uk/beyond-words/) - Beyond words - science and visual theatre: an article published in Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 27, 169 (2002).Download PDF
- [Chemistry in soft focus](https://philipball.co.uk/chemistry-in-soft-focus/) - Chemistry in soft focus: an article published in Chemistry in Britain 38(9), 32 (2002). Download PDF
- [Uncertainty](https://philipball.co.uk/uncertainty/) - Uncertainty: an article published in Frontiers 03 (Atlantic Books, 2003). Download PDF
- [Portrait of a molecule](https://philipball.co.uk/portrait-of-a-molecule/) - Portrait of a molecule: an article published in a supplement for the 50th anniversary of DNA, Nature 421, 421-422 (2003). Download PDF
- [How on earth did we get here?](https://philipball.co.uk/how-on-earth-did-we-get-here/) - How on earth did we get here?: introduction to the science section of A Very Short Introduction to Everything (OUP, 2003).Download PDF
- [The physical modelling of society](https://philipball.co.uk/the-physical-modelling-of-society/) - The physical modelling of society - a historical perspective: a talk presented at Messina, Sicily (2001) and subsequently published in Physica A 314, 1-14 (2002). Download PDF
- [The physics of society](https://philipball.co.uk/the-physics-of-society/) - The physics of society: a talk delivered at the London School of Economics, March 2003. Download PDF or download Word Doc.+ Powerpoint (ZIP file 907Kb)
- [Patterns in art and nature](https://philipball.co.uk/patterns-in-art-and-nature/) - Patterns in art and nature: a talk delivered at Dulwich Picture Gallery, May 2003.Download PDF or Word Doc.+ Powerpoint (ZIP file 8.4Mb)
- [Making Stuff: From Bacon to Bakelite](https://philipball.co.uk/making-stuff-from-bacon-to-bakelite/) - "Making Stuff: From Bacon to Bakelite", chapter in Seeing Further: The Story of Science and the Royal Society, ed. Bill Bryson (HarperPress, 2010). Amazon Bestseller (Sales Rank 56 - at time of writing)
- [The unsung theory](https://philipball.co.uk/the-unsung-theory/) - Review of Einstein's Fridge by Paul Sen. Physics World 6 August 2021. Available here. Taken from the August 2021 issue of Physics World where it first appeared under the headline "Hot topic". Members of the Institute of Physics can enjoy the full issue via the Physics World app
- [The Radio 3 Documentary](https://philipball.co.uk/the-radio-3-documentary/) - One episode by Philip Ball Radio 3 Broadcast 01/07/2015 Why Music? Episode Four - Why Music? (1 hour) Philip Ball asks scientists and musicians why music is such a universal human trait. LISTEN NOW with Radio 3 iPlayer
- [Science Stories - Series One](https://philipball.co.uk/science-stories-series-one/) - One episode by Philip Ball Radio 4 Broadcast 01/07/2015 How Perkin brought purple to the people Episode Four - How Perkin brought purple to the people Philip Ball tells how William Perkin brought purple to the people in Victorian London. In 1856, a teenager experimenting at home accidentally made a colour that was more gaudy
- [Science Stories - Series Two](https://philipball.co.uk/science-stories-series-two/) - Three episodes by Philip Ball. Radio 4 Broadcast 2016 Einstein's Fridge The Meteorite and the Hidden Hoax Submarine for a Stuart King Einstein's Fridge (28 minutes) Radio 4 broadcast 03/01/2016 What do you do when you've described the nature of the universe? In the late 1920s Einstein was working on a grand unified theory of
- [Science Stories - Series Four](https://philipball.co.uk/science-stories-series-four/) - Four episodes by Philip Ball. Radio 4 Broadcast 2017 The Day the Earth Stopped standing Still The man who predicted deforestation and climate change 200 years ago Mesmerism Jumping Genes Episode One - The Day the Earth Stopped standing Still (28 minutes) How a dying man's book demoted the earth and reconstructed the universe. Prior
- [Science fictions](https://philipball.co.uk/science-fictions/) - “Science fictions”, Aeon 29 October 2012. Available here.
- [Hits, Misses and Close Calls](https://philipball.co.uk/hits-misses-and-close-calls-2/) - "Hits, Misses and Close Calls: An Image Essay on Pattern Formation in On Growth and Form", Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 38.1, 74-88 (2013). See here.
- [BBC Radio 4 – Frontiers](https://philipball.co.uk/bbc-radio-4-frontiers/) - "BBC Radio 4 – Frontiers" 28 November 2007: Philip presented a programme on digital medicine. Listen again at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science
- [BBC World Service – Science in Action](https://philipball.co.uk/bbc-world-service-science-in-action/) - "BBC World Service – Science in Action" 21 December 2007: Philip was one of the panellists reviewing the past year in science. Listen again at http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice
- [The strange link between the human mind and quantum physics](https://philipball.co.uk/the-strange-link-between-the-human-mind-and-quantum-physics/) - ... Well, maybe. An article for BBC Earth, 16 February 2017. Available here.
- [The beauty of chemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/the-beauty-of-chemistry/) - The beauty of chemistry, a preview of my book Elegant Solutions, published in Chemistry World April 2005, p. 33. Available at www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2005/April/Thebeautyofchemistry.asp
- [Claiming Einstein for chemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/claiming-einstein-for-chemistry/) - "Claiming Einstein for chemistry" an article asking 'was Einstein a chemist?', published in Chemistry World September 2005, p. 38. Available at www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Features/2005/September/ClaimingEinsteinforchemistry.asp
- [Chancing upon chemical wonders](https://philipball.co.uk/chancing-upon-chemical-wonders/) - "Chancing upon chemical wonders" an article about serendipity in chemistry, published in Chemistry World June 2006, p. 32. Available at www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2006/June/ChancingUponChemicalWonders.asp
- [Feynman's fancy](https://philipball.co.uk/feynman-s-fancy/) - "Feynman's fancy", Chemistry World 58-62 (January 2009). Full article here.
- [Flowing rivers of mercury](https://philipball.co.uk/flowing-rivers-of-mercury/) - "Flowing rivers of mercury", Chemistry World 7 January 2015. Available here.
- [Alchemy on the page](https://philipball.co.uk/alchemy-on-the-page/) - "Alchemy on the page", Chemistry World 5 March 2015. Available here.
- [All set for chemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/all-set-for-chemistry/) - "All set for chemistry", Chemistry World 15 May 2015. Available here.
- [Scientists got it wrong on gravitational waves. So what?](https://philipball.co.uk/scientists-got-it-wrong-on-gravitational-waves-so-what/) - "Scientists got it wrong on gravitational waves. So what?" Guardian 26 September 2014. Available here.
- [When science plays God? It's only natural](https://philipball.co.uk/when-science-plays-god-it-s-only-natural/) - "When science plays God? It's only natural", Guardian 26 February 2015. Available here.
- [Navigating chemical space](https://philipball.co.uk/navigating-chemical-space/) - "Navigating chemical space", Chemistry World 29 September 2015. Available here.
- [The dream of invisibility](https://philipball.co.uk/the-dream-of-invisibility/) - "The dream of invisibility", Guardian 26 July 2014. Available here.
- [The Breakthrough Prizes will have a distorting effect on science](https://philipball.co.uk/the-breakthrough-prizes-will-have-a-distorting-effect-on-science/) - "The Breakthrough Prizes will have a distorting effect on science", Guardian 24 June 2014. Available here.
- [Make your own memories: replace the bad ones with good ones](https://philipball.co.uk/make-your-own-memories-replace-the-bad-ones-with-good-ones/) - "Make your own memories: one day you'll be able to replace the bad ones with good ones", Observer 12 October 2014. Available here.
- [The dangers of Disney's film about Charles Darwin](https://philipball.co.uk/the-dangers-of-disney-s-film-about-charles-darwin/) - "The dangers of Disney's film about Charles Darwin", Guardian 29 June 2015. Available here.
- [Philae is boldly going where no man should go](https://philipball.co.uk/philae-is-boldly-going-where-no-man-should-go/) - "Philae is boldly going where no man should go - let's leave space to the robots", Guardian 15 June 2015. Available here.
- [Review of MEL chemistry sets](https://philipball.co.uk/review-of-mel-chemistry-sets/) - "Review of MEL chemistry sets", Chemistry World online, December 2015. Available here.
- [The science of the inconceivable](https://philipball.co.uk/the-science-of-the-inconceivable/) - On quantum entanglement, and what it really means. Prospect, July 2016. Available here.
- [Is the notion of a cure for cancer too simplistic?](https://philipball.co.uk/is-the-notion-of-a-cure-for-cancer-too-simplistic/) - An article in Prospect, February 2016. Available here.
- [Roger Penrose and the vision thing](https://philipball.co.uk/roger-penrose-and-the-vision-thing/) - An interview with the legendary physicist in Prospect, February 2017. Available here.
- [Love, Literature and the Quantum Atom](https://philipball.co.uk/love-literature-and-the-quantum-atom/) - Review of "Love, Literature and the Quantum Atom", ed. F. Aaserud & J. L. Heilbron, in New Scientist 12 August 2013. See here.
- [Nanoplumbing: more than just a pipe dream](https://philipball.co.uk/nanoplumbing-more-than-just-a-pipe-dream/) - "Nanoplumbing: more than just a pipe dream", New Scientist, 17 January 2009, p.33-35. Online here.
- [For sustainable architecture, think bug](https://philipball.co.uk/for-sustainable-architecture-think-bug/) - "For sustainable architecture, think bug", New Scientist 22 February 2010. Link here.
- [Model citizens: building SimEarth](https://philipball.co.uk/model-citizens-building-simearth/) - "Model citizens: building SimEarth", New Scientist 4 November 2010. Link here.
- [Impossible reactions](https://philipball.co.uk/impossible-reactions/) - “Impossible reactions”, New Scientist, p30-34, 21 January 2012. Available here.
- [Riddled with irregularity](https://philipball.co.uk/riddled-with-irregularity/) - “Riddled with irregularity”, Prospect, p.58-60, September 2012. Available here.
- [The elusive element 113](https://philipball.co.uk/the-elusive-element-113/) - “The elusive element 113”, Prospect, November 2012. Available here.
- [Pull an image from nowhere](https://philipball.co.uk/pull-an-image-from-nowhere/) - “Pull an image from nowhere”, New Scientist 5 February 2013. Available here.
- [Curse of cursive handwriting](https://philipball.co.uk/curse-of-cursive-handwriting/) - “Curse of cursive handwriting”, Prospect, March 2013. Available here.
- [Gene machines](https://philipball.co.uk/gene-machines/) - "Gene machines", Prospect, July 2013. Available here.
- [If you were a mathematician, which problems would you set out to solve?](https://philipball.co.uk/if-you-were-a-mathematician-which-problems-would-you-set-out-to-solve/) - "If you were a mathematician, which problems would you set out to solve?", Prospect February 2014. Available here.
- [There is no gene "for" everything](https://philipball.co.uk/there-is-no-gene-for-everything/) - "There is no gene for everything", Prospect December 2014. Available here.
- [Harvesting heat](https://philipball.co.uk/harvesting-heat/) - "Harvesting heat", Chemistry World 27 October 2014. Available here.
- [The chemistry of inaction](https://philipball.co.uk/the-chemistry-of-inaction/) - "The chemistry of inaction", Chemistry World 27 May 2014. Available here.
- [What is a bond?](https://philipball.co.uk/what-is-a-bond/) - "What is a bond?", Chemistry World 30 January 2014. Available here.
- [A fat lot of good](https://philipball.co.uk/a-fat-lot-of-good/) - "A fat lot of good", Chemistry World 2 May 2014. Available here.
- [The God quest: why humans long for immortality](https://philipball.co.uk/the-god-quest-why-humans-long-for-immortality/) - "The God quest: why humans long for immortality", New Statesman 30 July 2015. Available here.
- [Diffract, then destroy](https://philipball.co.uk/diffract-then-destroy/) - A profile of the forthcoming European X-ray Free Electron Laser, published in Physics World, September 2016. pdf
- [Futurology gets a little more exact](https://philipball.co.uk/futurology-gets-a-little-more-exact/) - "Futurology gets a little more exact" The Guardian 29 January 2004, Life supplement p.11. www.guardian.co.uk/
- [Honey, I shrank the motor](https://philipball.co.uk/honey-i-shrank-the-motor/) - "Honey, I shrank the motor" The Guardian, 10 June 2004, Life supplement, p.6. http://www.guardian.co.uk/
- [A touch of Frankenstein](https://philipball.co.uk/a-touch-of-frankenstein/) - "A touch of Frankenstein" The Guardian, 29 July 2004, Life supplement. www.guardian.co.uk/life/
- [Going with the flow](https://philipball.co.uk/going-with-the-flow/) - "Going with the flow" The Guardian, 9 September 2004, Life supplement. www.guardian.co.uk
- [Notes on the brain](https://philipball.co.uk/notes-on-the-brain/) - "Notes on the brain", Financial Times 4 June 2010. Link here.
- [In pursuit of neuroscience](https://philipball.co.uk/in-pursuit-of-neuroscience/) - "In pursuit of neuroscience" (interview with Yo-Yo Ma), FT Weekend Magazine 17-18 September 2011, pp44-46. Available here.
- [What it means to be human](https://philipball.co.uk/what-it-means-to-be-human/) - "What it means to be human" (book review of a book of that title by Joanna Bourke), The Observer 7 October 2011. Available here.
- [The Critical Scientist](https://philipball.co.uk/the-critical-scientist/) - The Critical Scientist, Guardian column, December 2011-January 2012. Available here.
- [Don’t expect graphene to perform miracles](https://philipball.co.uk/don-t-expect-graphene-to-perform-miracles/) - “Don’t expect graphene to perform miracles”, Guardian 29 December 2012. Available here.
- [We might live in a computer program, but it may not matter](https://philipball.co.uk/we-might-live-in-a-computer-program-but-it-may-not-matter/) - Why you shouldn't waste too much time fretting over this question. An article for BBC Earth, September 2016. Available here.
- [Asteroids are not the only threat to life from space](https://philipball.co.uk/asteroids-are-not-the-only-threat-to-life-from-space/) - How space events might affect evolution on Earth. An article for BBC Earth, November 2016. Available here.
- [The place where you can walk through the universe](https://philipball.co.uk/the-place-where-you-can-walk-through-the-universe/) - The Crawick Multiverse. An article for BBC Earth 1 March 2016. Available here.
- [Throwing the book at bad ideas](https://philipball.co.uk/throwing-the-book-at-bad-ideas/) - "Throwing the book at bad ideas", Physics World December 2015. Available here.
- [The power of the blackboard](https://philipball.co.uk/the-power-of-the-blackboard/) - Physics World, 1 June 2017. Available here.
- [Does hot water freeze first?](https://philipball.co.uk/does-hot-water-freeze-first/) - "Does hot water freeze first?", a review of the mysterious Mpemba effect, published in Physics World April 2006, p. 19. Available at physicsweb.org/articles/world/19/4/4/1
- [The future of physics](https://philipball.co.uk/the-future-of-physic/) - "The future of physics", Research Professional Funding Insight, 7 January 2014. See here.
- [Scientific controversies: three articles in La Recherche](https://philipball.co.uk/scientific-controversies-three-articles-in-la-recherche/) - Scientific controversies: three articles in La Recherche, August 2013. In French: but see here.
- [A stark reminder that physics still struggles with its gender problem](https://philipball.co.uk/a-stark-reminder-that-physics-still-struggles-with-its-gender-problem/) - Prospect, 8 April 2019. Available here.
- [Natural strategies for the molecular engineer](https://philipball.co.uk/natural-strategies-for-the-molecular-engineer/) - Natural strategies for the molecular engineer: a paper published in Nanotechnology (2002). Download PDF
- [Nanotechnology in fact and fiction](https://philipball.co.uk/nanotechnology-in-fact-and-fiction/) - Nanotechnology in fact and fiction: a talk delivered for the Founders' Day address, Union College, NY, February 2003.Download PDF
- [Nanotechnology in fact and fiction: (different talk!)](https://philipball.co.uk/nanotechnology-in-fact-and-fiction-different-talk/) - Nanotechnology in fact and fiction: a (different!) talk for sixth-formers delivered at the University of Oxford, March 2003. Download PDF or Word Doc.+ Powerpoint (ZIP file 1.35Mb)
- [Nanoethics](https://philipball.co.uk/nanoethics/) - Nanoethics: a talk delivered at the Royal Society for the Arts, London, March 2003. Download PDF
- [BBC - Radio 4 - Small World](https://philipball.co.uk/bbc-radio-4-small-world/) - A series of three programmes presented by Philip, which explore the emerging science of nanotechnology. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/
- [Nanotechnology in the firing line](https://philipball.co.uk/nanotechnology-in-the-firing-line/) - Nanotechnology in the firing line: a talk delivered at the International Conference on Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing held at The Royal Society, London, on 15-16 December 2003.
- [Synthetic biology for nanotechnology](https://philipball.co.uk/synthetic-biology-for-nanotechnology/) - Synthetic biology for nanotechnology, a review in Nanotechnology 16, R1 (2005).Download PDF
- [Putting the nano into nanochemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/putting-the-nano-into-nanochemistry/) - Putting the nano into nanochemistry, a 20-year review of fullerenes in Chemistry World December 2005, p. 28. Available at http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/
- [Welcome to the machine](https://philipball.co.uk/welcome-to-the-machine/) - Welcome to the machine, extended version of a feature article on molecular machines in Chemistry World January 2010 Download PDF
- [Schoenberg, Serialism and Cognition](https://philipball.co.uk/schoenberg-serialism-and-cognition/) - Schoenberg, Serialism and Cognition - Whose Fault If No One Listens?: a paper to be published in Interdisciplinary Science Reviews in 2011. Download PDF
- [A capacity for change](https://philipball.co.uk/a-capacity-for-change/) - Extended version, with references, of an article on supercapacitors in MRS Bulletin 37, 798 (2012). Download PDF.
- [Introduction to: The New Science of Strong Materials](https://philipball.co.uk/introduction-to-the-new-science-of-strong-materials/) - Introduction to the new edition of The New Science of Strong Materials by J. E. Gordon (Princeton University Press, 2005). Download PDF
- [Smart materials](https://philipball.co.uk/smart-materials/) - Smart materials: a talk delivered at the University of Oxford, 2002.Download PDF or Word Doc + PowerPoint Presentation (ZIP file 8.5Mb)
- [Alchemy and colour](https://philipball.co.uk/alchemy-and-colour-2/) - Alchemy and colour: an article for the UCL chemistry departmental bulletin. Download PDF
- [Philip discusses his book Critical Mass on Radio 4](https://philipball.co.uk/philip-discusses-his-book-critical-mass-on-radio-4/) - Philip discusses his book Critical Mass with science presenter Quentin Cooper and economist Paul Ormerod. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/
- [Putting the nano into nanochemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/putting-the-nano-into-nanochemistry-2/) - "Putting the nano into nanochemistry", a 20-year review of fullerenes in Chemistry World December 2005, p. 28. Available at www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2005/December/nano.asp
- [BBC - Radio 4 - The Cosmic Ocean](https://philipball.co.uk/bbc-radio-4-the-cosmic-ocean/) - BBC - Radio 4 - The Cosmic Ocean 18/03/2004 Water in the universe - with contributions from Philip.
- [Your DNA doesn't write your destiny](https://philipball.co.uk/your-dna-doesn-t-write-your-destiny/) - Quartz, 10 November 2017. Available here.
- [Quantum chemistry on quantum computers](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-chemistry-on-quantum-computers/) - Chemistry World, August 2017. Available here.
- [Two sharp teeth](https://philipball.co.uk/two-sharp-teeth/) - Review of several recent books on Dracula and vampires, London Review of Books 25 October 2018. Available here.
- [What The War of the Worlds means now](https://philipball.co.uk/what-the-war-of-the-worlds-means-now/) - New Statesman, 18 July 2018. Available here.
- [Chernobyl's political fallout](https://philipball.co.uk/chernobyl-s-political-fallout/) - New Statesman, 22 May 2019. Available here.
- [The gene delusion](https://philipball.co.uk/the-gene-delusion/) - Review of Charles Murray's book Human Diversity, in New Statesman, 10 June 2020. Available here.
- [The many afterlives of Robinson Crusoe](https://philipball.co.uk/the-many-afterlives-of-robinson-crusoe/) - New Statesman, 1 May 2019. Available here.
- [Ten lessons of the pandemic](https://philipball.co.uk/ten-lessons-of-the-pandemic/) - New Statesman 21 October 2020. Available here.
- [Muted and deferential, the UK's scientists have failed the pandemic test](https://philipball.co.uk/muted-and-deferential-the-uk-s-scientists-have-failed-the-pandemic-test/) - New Statesman 12 January 2022. Available here.
- [The silence of the chief scientists is worrying and deeply political](https://philipball.co.uk/the-silence-of-the-chief-scientists-is-worrying-and-deeply-political/) - New Statesman, 31 May. Available here.
- [How mask-wearing became a new culture war](https://philipball.co.uk/how-mask-wearing-became-a-new-culture-war/) - New Statesman, 15 July 2020. Available here.
- [The dangerous legacy of the Cummings affair](https://philipball.co.uk/the-dangerous-legacy-of-the-cummings-affair/) - New Statesman, 11 August 2020. Available here.
- [How quantum computing will change the world](https://philipball.co.uk/how-quantum-computing-will-change-the-world/) - New Statesman 19 December 2017. Available here.
- [Can machines create?](https://philipball.co.uk/can-machines-create/) - Review of Marcus du Sautoy's The Creativity Code, Prospect, 4 March 2019. Available here.
- [Where has all the sperm gone?](https://philipball.co.uk/where-has-all-the-sperm-gone/) - Prospect, August 2018. Available here.
- [Does DNA really define destiny?](https://philipball.co.uk/does-dna-really-define-destiny/) - Prospect, December 2018. Review of Robert Plomin's book Blueprint. Available here.
- [Covid-19: the unofficial inquiry](https://philipball.co.uk/covid-19-the-unofficial-inquiry/) - With Tom Clark and Gaby Hinsliff. Prospect 26 January 2021. Available here.
- [How the human got his [sic] paintbrush](https://philipball.co.uk/how-the-human-got-his-sic-paintbrush/) - Review of E O Wilson's The Origins of Creativity, Prospect 9 October 2017. November print issue, available here.
- [The government must respect the autonomy of science](https://philipball.co.uk/the-government-must-respect-the-autonomy-of-science/) - Prospect, 11 August 2020. Available here.
- [New pursuit of Schrödinger's cat](https://philipball.co.uk/new-pursuit-of-schroedinger-s-cat-2/) - "New pursuit of Schrödinger's cat", Prospect October 2011. Available here.
- [Replotting the human: the thorny ethics of growing babies outside the womb](https://philipball.co.uk/replotting-the-human-the-thorny-ethics-of-growing-babies-outside-the-womb/) - Prospect 7 June 2021. Available here.
- [Roger Penrose and the vision thing](https://philipball.co.uk/roger-penrose-and-the-vision-thing-2/) - Prospect, 13 February 2017. Available here.
- [The mind of God? The problem with deifying Stephen Hawking](https://philipball.co.uk/the-mind-of-god-the-problem-with-deifying-stephen-hawking/) - Prospect 1 March 2021. Available here.
- [A compelling manifesto for optimism](https://philipball.co.uk/a-compelling-manifesto-for-optimism/) - Review of Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now, Prospect March 2018. Available here.
- [A compelling manifesto for optimism](https://philipball.co.uk/a-compelling-manifesto-for-optimism-2/) - Review of Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now, Prospect March 2018. Available here.
- [The AI delusion: why humans trump machines](https://philipball.co.uk/the-ai-delusion-why-humans-trump-machines/) - Prospect, 25 January 2020. Available here.
- [The hunt for dark matter](https://philipball.co.uk/the-hunt-for-dark-matter/) - Prospect, May 2019. Available here.
- [The long shadow of Covid-19](https://philipball.co.uk/the-long-shadow-of-covid-19/) - Prospect 29 October 2021. Available here.
- [They came from outer space - and Europe](https://philipball.co.uk/they-came-from-outer-space-and-europe/) - On Dracula, Brexit and War of the Worlds. Prospect, 18 May 2017. Available here.
- [What you need to know about the coronavirus vaccine](https://philipball.co.uk/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-coronavirus-vaccine/) - Prospect 4 December 2020. Available here.
- [Shot of hope:inside the race for a coronavirus vaccine](https://philipball.co.uk/shot-of-hope-inside-the-race-for-a-coronavirus-vaccine/) - Prospect, 24 March 2020. Available here.
- [The school of mum and dad](https://philipball.co.uk/the-school-of-mum-and-dad/) - Why I believe in home schooling. Prospect 13 August 2017 (September print issue). Available here.
- [Why I'm growing a second brain](https://philipball.co.uk/why-i-m-growing-a-second-brain/) - Prospect April 2018. Available here.
- [How the Department for Education failed overseas adoptees](https://philipball.co.uk/how-the-department-for-education-failed-overseas-adoptees/) - Prospect, 21 February 2020. Available here.
- [A new golden age for space exploration?](https://philipball.co.uk/a-new-golden-age-for-space-exploration/) - Prospect, 8 January 2019. Available here.
- [Caution over [vaccine] blood-clotting is sensible. Panic is not](https://philipball.co.uk/caution-over-vaccine-blood-clotting-is-sensible-panic-is-not/) - Prospect 15 April 2021. Available here.
- [The statues wars, and Nazis on the moon](https://philipball.co.uk/the-statues-wars-and-nazis-on-the-moon/) - Prospect, 26 June 2020. Available here.
- [A clue to one of the greatest unexplained mysteries in physics](https://philipball.co.uk/a-clue-to-one-of-the-greatest-unexplained-mysteries-in-physics/) - Prospect, 25 June 2020. Available here.
- [Where is the evidence that early pub closures will lower infection rates?](https://philipball.co.uk/where-is-the-evidence-that-early-pub-closures-will-lower-infection-rates/) - Prospect 23 September 2021. Available here.
- [Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance must speak out against Dominic Cummings](https://philipball.co.uk/chris-whitty-and-patrick-vallance-must-speak-out-against-dominic-cummings/) - Prospect, 26 May 2020. Available here.
- [Why scientists are divided over the UK's coronavirus strategy](https://philipball.co.uk/why-scientists-are-divided-over-the-uk-s-coronavirus-strategy/) - Prospect, 16 March 2020. Available here.
- [Ten million shots a day? This moonshot is off course](https://philipball.co.uk/ten-million-shots-a-day-this-moonshot-is-off-course/) - Prospect 16 September 2020. Available here.
- [The two new vaccines give cause for hope - but not carelessness](https://philipball.co.uk/the-two-new-vaccines-give-cause-for-hope-but-not-carelessness/) - Prospect, 2 February 2021. Available here.
- [The epidemiology of misinformation](https://philipball.co.uk/the-epidemiology-of-misinformation/) - Prospect, 19 May 2020. Available here.
- [Frankenstein, a tale of scientific hubris? Don't be so sure](https://philipball.co.uk/frankenstein-a-tale-of-scientific-hubris-don-t-be-so-sure/) - Prospect 17 January 2018. Available here.
- [How dangerous is AI?](https://philipball.co.uk/how-dangerous-is-ai/) - Commentary on the Reith Lectures. Prospect 22 December 2021. Available here.
- [Human gene editing sounds like a big deal. Is it?](https://philipball.co.uk/human-gene-editing-sounds-like-a-big-deal-is-it/) - Prospect, 29 October 2019. Available here.
- [Variant B117: what we know about the new coronavirus mutation](https://philipball.co.uk/variant-b117-what-we-know-about-the-new-coronavirus-mutation/) - Prospect 4 January 2021. Available here.
- [What exactly is the R number?](https://philipball.co.uk/what-exactly-is-the-r-number/) - Prospect, 21 May 2020. Available here.
- [Should we vaccinate under-18s?](https://philipball.co.uk/should-we-vaccinate-under-18s/) - Prospect 30 July 2021. Available here.
- [The government is failing dismally to protect UK science](https://philipball.co.uk/the-government-is-failing-dismally-to-protect-uk-science/) - Prospect 2 April 2018. Available here.
- [The James Webb Telescope is one of the most exciting cosmic missions ever](https://philipball.co.uk/the-james-webb-telescope-is-one-of-the-most-exciting-cosmic-missions-ever/) - Prospect 20 December 2021. Available here.
- [The legendary inventiveness of Freeman Dyson](https://philipball.co.uk/the-legendary-inventiveness-of-freeman-dyson/) - Prospect, 4 March 2020. Available here.
- [The science of fake news](https://philipball.co.uk/the-science-of-fake-news/) - Prospect 13 March 2018. Available here.
- [The universality of music](https://philipball.co.uk/the-universality-of-music/) - Prospect, 24 December 2019. Available here.
- [Dominic Cummings is right: herd immunity was always the government's Plan A](https://philipball.co.uk/dominic-cummings-is-right-herd-immunity-was-always-the-government-s-plan-a/) - Prospect 26 May 2021. Available here.
- [A gloriously offbeat social experiment in China...](https://philipball.co.uk/a-gloriously-offbeat-social-experiment-in-china/) - Prospect 27 April 2018. Available here.
- [Would an earlier lockdown have halved the death toll?](https://philipball.co.uk/would-an-earlier-lockdown-have-halved-the-death-toll/) - Prospect, 12 June 2020. Available here.
- [Can we build a quantum computer?](https://philipball.co.uk/can-we-build-a-quantum-computer/) - "Can we build a quantum computer?", Prospect December 2013. See here.
- [Fueling physics envy?](https://philipball.co.uk/fueling-physics-envy/) - "Fueling physics envy?", Physics World, August 2013. See here.
- [The Wizard of Houston Street](https://philipball.co.uk/the-wizard-of-houston-street/) - "The Wizard of Houston Street" [review of Tesla by W. Bernard Carlson], Wall Street Journal, May 24 (2013). Available here.
- [Can graphene keep its promise?](https://philipball.co.uk/can-graphene-keep-its-promise/) - "Can graphene keep its promise?", National Science Review 2, 54-56 (2015). Available here.
- [From academic discovery to industrial applications](https://philipball.co.uk/from-academic-discovery-to-industrial-applications/) - "From academic discovery to industrial applications: innovation and success in materials science and engineering", MRS Bulletin 40(12), 1177-1187 (December 2015). Available here.
- [Four decades of materials developments transform society](https://philipball.co.uk/four-decades-of-materials-developments-transform-society/) - "Four decades of materials developments transform society", MRS Bulletin 38, 873 (2013). Available here.
- [How do machines think?](https://philipball.co.uk/how-do-machines-think/) - New Statesman, 11 December 2019. Available here.
- [Yes we have to live with Covid - but not such irresponsible ministers](https://philipball.co.uk/yes-we-have-to-live-with-covid-but-not-such-irresponsible-ministers/) - The Guardian 20 October 2021. Available here.
- [The battle against climate change denial](https://philipball.co.uk/the-battle-against-climate-change-denial/) - Review of Hot Air by Peter Stott. The Guardian 9 October 2021. Available here.
- [Polygenic screening of embryos is here, but is it ethical?](https://philipball.co.uk/polygenic-screening-of-embryos-is-here-but-is-it-ethical/) - The Observer 17 October 2021. Available here.
- [Reaching for military metaphors won't help Britain learn to live with Covid](https://philipball.co.uk/reaching-for-military-metaphors-won-t-help-britain-learn-to-live-with-covid/) - The Guardian 24 January 2022. Available here.
- [Homo imaginatus](https://philipball.co.uk/homo-imaginatus/) - Aeon 29 October 2021. Available here.
- [Should animals have the same rights as humans?](https://philipball.co.uk/should-animals-have-the-same-rights-as-humans/) - The Guardian 24 January 2022. Available here.
- [The past and present dangers of eugenics](https://philipball.co.uk/the-past-and-present-dangers-of-eugenics/) - Review of Control by Adam Rutherford. Financial Times 9 February 2022. Available here.
- [Why free will is beyond physics](https://philipball.co.uk/why-free-will-is-beyond-physics/) - Physics World January 2021. Available here.
- [Not everything that can happen does happen](https://philipball.co.uk/not-everything-that-can-happen-does-happen/) - Review of The Science of Can and Can't by Chiara Marletto. Physics World June 2021. Available here.
- [Major quantum computing strategy suffers serious setbacks](https://philipball.co.uk/major-quantum-computing-strategy-suffers-serious-setbacks/) - Quanta 29 September 2021. Available here.
- [Why physics is not a discipline](https://philipball.co.uk/why-physics-is-not-a-discipline/) - "Why physics is not a discipline", Nautilus 21 April 2016. Available here.
- [Will ET drink water?](https://philipball.co.uk/will-et-drink-water/) - "Will ET drink water?", Nautilus 14 June 2015. Available here.
- [The strange inevitability of evolution](https://philipball.co.uk/the-strange-inevitability-of-evolution/) - "The strange inevitability of evolution", Nautilus 8 January 2015. Available here.
- [The trouble with scientists](https://philipball.co.uk/the-trouble-with-scientists/) - "The trouble with scientists", Nautilus 14 May 2015. Available here.
- [Why physicists make up stories in the dark](https://philipball.co.uk/why-physicists-make-up-stories-in-the-dark/) - "Why physicists make up stories in the dark", Nautilus 6 March 2014. Available here.
- [Why physicists make up stories in the dark](https://philipball.co.uk/why-physicists-make-up-stories-in-the-dark-2/) - "Why physicists make up stories in the dark", Nautilus 6 March 2014. Available here.
- [How big can the quantum world be?](https://philipball.co.uk/how-big-can-the-quantum-world-be/) - Quanta 18 August 2021. Available here.
- [Biologist rethink the logic behind cells' molecular signals](https://philipball.co.uk/biologist-rethink-the-logic-behind-cells-molecular-signals/) - Quanta 16 September 2021. Available here.
- [The CRISPR wars](https://philipball.co.uk/the-crispr-wars/) - A review of The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson, The Lancet 397, 1340-1341 (2021). Available here.
- [The shambolic decision-making process of the vaccine committee](https://philipball.co.uk/the-shambolic-decision-making-process-of-the-vaccine-committee/) - Prospect 9 September 2021. Available here.
- [The cost of 'freedom'](https://philipball.co.uk/the-cost-of-freedom/) - Prospect 19 July 2021. Available here.
- [How we lost our vaccine advantage](https://philipball.co.uk/how-we-lost-our-vaccine-advantage/) - Prospect 8 July 2021. Available here.
- [Is Western scepticism of the Russian and Chinese vaccines fair?](https://philipball.co.uk/is-western-scepticism-of-the-russian-and-chinese-vaccines-fair/) - Prospect 15 May 2021. Available here.
- [Vaccines alone will not eliminate Covid](https://philipball.co.uk/vaccines-alone-will-not-eliminate-covid/) - Prospect 24 February 2021. Available here.
- [Extremes are often the best place to look for new physics](https://philipball.co.uk/extremes-are-often-the-best-place-to-look-for-new-physics/) - Prospect 22 February 2017. Available here.
- [A biography of Yves Meyer](https://philipball.co.uk/a-biography-of-yves-meyer/) - Written for the official announcement of the 2017 Abel Prize in mathematics. Available here.
- [Naming the victims of Nazi science](https://philipball.co.uk/naming-the-victims-of-nazi-science/) - Review of an exhibition at the Wiener Library, London, The Lancet 389, 2182 (2017). Available here.
- [Authenticity in the age of the fake](https://philipball.co.uk/authenticity-in-the-age-of-the-fake/) - An article in Nautilus, 24 November 2016. Available here.
- [Electric dreams](https://philipball.co.uk/electric-dreams/) - Review of Electricity, an exhibition at the Wellcome Collection, London. The Lancet 389, 999; 2017. Available here.
- [Celebrating cohort studies](https://philipball.co.uk/celebrating-cohort-studies/) - Review of The Life Project by Helen Pearson. The Lancet 387, 836; 2016. Available here.
- [Medical hackers](https://philipball.co.uk/medical-hackers/) - Review of an exhibition on DIY science at the Science Museum, London. The Lancet 388, 554; 2016. Available here.
- [Can we be better?](https://philipball.co.uk/can-we-be-better/) - Review of a How To Be Good, a book on the ethics of moral enhancement. The Lancet 388, 120; 2016. Available here.
- [At the forefront of gene editing in embryos](https://philipball.co.uk/at-the-forefront-of-gene-editing-in-embryos/) - An interview with Kathy Niakan. The Lancet 387, 935; 2016. Available here.
- [The fifth force of physics is hanging by a thread](https://philipball.co.uk/the-fifth-force-of-physics-is-hanging-by-a-thread/) - An article in Nautilus, 16 March 2017. Available here.
- [If not Darwin, who?](https://philipball.co.uk/if-not-darwin-who/) - An alternative history of the great ideas of science. Nautilus, December 2016. Available here.
- [Dr Nanotech vs. Cancer](https://philipball.co.uk/dr-nanotech-vs-cancer/) - "Dr Nanotech vs. Cancer", Technology Review February 2005. Available at www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/02/issue/feature_nano.php
- [The perils of the name game](https://philipball.co.uk/the-perils-of-the-name-game/) - "The perils of the name game", Research Fortnight 2 October 2013. Available here.
- [Newton's curse](https://philipball.co.uk/newton-s-curse/) - "Newton's curse", New Scientist, 8 April 2006, p.4. (The printed version contains errors and general ugliness introduced in editing: click here for a PDF of the corrected version.)
- [Troubled waters](https://philipball.co.uk/troubled-waters/) - "Troubled waters", Prospect August 2011. Available here.
- [Curiosier and curioser](https://philipball.co.uk/curiosier-and-curioser/) - “Curiosier and curioser”, New Humanist, May 2012. Available here.
- [Small things](https://philipball.co.uk/small-things/) - “Small things”, Aeon 15 February 2013. Available here.
- [Making good: the art of repair](https://philipball.co.uk/making-good-the-art-of-repair/) - “Making good: the art of repair”, Aeon 29 May 2013. Available here.
- [Nature’s color tricks](https://philipball.co.uk/nature-s-color-tricks/) - “Nature’s color tricks”, Scientific American, May 2012. Available here.
- [10 unsolved mysteries in chemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/10-unsolved-mysteries-in-chemistry/) - "10 unsolved mysteries in chemistry", Scientific American October 2011. Available here.
- [First waves create Nobel certainty](https://philipball.co.uk/first-waves-create-nobel-certainty/) - "First waves create Nobel certainty" [hah!], Prospect April 2014. Available here.
- [Were medieval magicians experimental scientists?](https://philipball.co.uk/were-medieval-magicians-experimental-scientists/) - "Were medieval magicians experimental scientists?" (essay book review), Prospect January 2016. Available here.
- [Time crystals: what are they?](https://philipball.co.uk/time-crystals-what-are-they/) - Prospect, 17 March 2017. Available here.
- [Homo naledi: our "decidedly strange" cousins](https://philipball.co.uk/homo-naledi-our-decidedly-strange-cousins/) - Prospect 11 May 2017. Available here.
- [Did Darwin miss something?](https://philipball.co.uk/did-darwin-miss-something/) - On D'Arcy Thompson and spiral honeycombs. Prospect 29 June 2017. Available here.
- [The genomic revolution is coming](https://philipball.co.uk/the-genomic-revolution-is-coming/) - Prospect, 5 July 2017. Available here.
- [Dawn of the designer baby? I don't think so](https://philipball.co.uk/dawn-of-the-designer-baby-i-don-t-think-so/) - Prospect, 4 August 2017. Available here.
- [The time for dismissing climate change as natrual variability is over](https://philipball.co.uk/the-time-for-dismissing-climate-change-as-natrual-variability-is-over/) - Prospect 30 August 2017. Available here.
- [Gravtiational wave astronomy turns a corner](https://philipball.co.uk/gravtiational-wave-astronomy-turns-a-corner/) - Prospect 3 October 2017. Available here.
- [The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment](https://philipball.co.uk/the-deep-underground-neutrino-experiment/) - Prospect 6 October 2017. Available here.
- [What's in Stephen Hawking's PhD thesis?](https://philipball.co.uk/what-s-in-stephen-hawking-s-phd-thesis/) - Prospect 8 November 2017. Available here.
- [The rare gene that helps one Amish community live longer](https://philipball.co.uk/the-rare-gene-that-helps-one-amish-community-live-longer/) - Prospect 21 November 2017. Available here.
- [The end of reproductive sex?](https://philipball.co.uk/the-end-of-reproductive-sex/) - Prospect, 2 January 2018. Available here.
- [Sergei Skripal poisoning: what is a nerve agent?](https://philipball.co.uk/sergei-skripal-poisoning-what-is-a-nerve-agent/) - Prospect 9 March 2018. Available here.
- [The neuroscience of the Neanderthal](https://philipball.co.uk/the-neuroscience-of-the-neanderthal/) - Prospect 17 May 2018. Available here.
- [The black hole picture is an astonishing achievement...](https://philipball.co.uk/the-black-hole-picture-is-an-astonishing-achievement/) - Prospect, 12 April 2019. Available here.
- [Genes, traits and the "gay gene"](https://philipball.co.uk/genes-traits-and-the-gay-gene/) - Prospect, 4 September 2019. Available here.
- [Pandemic science and politics](https://philipball.co.uk/pandemic-science-and-politics/) - Review of Covid-19 by Debora MacKenzie, The Lancet 396, 229-230 (2020). Available here.
- [Close-up views of tumors reveal a new cancer biology](https://philipball.co.uk/close-up-views-of-tumors-reveal-a-new-cancer-biology/) - Scientific American, 21 April 2020. Available here.
- [How to get smarter about medical intervention](https://philipball.co.uk/how-to-get-smarter-about-medical-intervention/) - The Lancet, 14 December 2019. Available here.
- [The new race for space](https://philipball.co.uk/the-new-race-for-space/) - New Statesman, 9 January 2019. Available here.
- [The new race for space](https://philipball.co.uk/the-new-race-for-space-2/) - New Statesman, 9 January 2019. Available here.
- [Machine envy](https://philipball.co.uk/machine-envy/) - "Machine envy", Aeon 7 January 2014. Available here.
- [From Symbol to Substance](https://philipball.co.uk/from-symbol-to-substance/) - An augmented version of an essay on light art and technology for the catalogue of the exhibition "Light Show" at the Hayward Gallery, London, Jan-Apr 2013Download PDF.
- [The molecular roots of evolution](https://philipball.co.uk/the-molecular-roots-of-evolution/) - Extended version of "Celebrate the Unknowns", published in Nature 496 419-420 (2013).Download PDF
- [Quantum Biology: an introduction](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-biology-an-introduction/) - The text of a talk given at the Royal Institution, London, January 2015.Download PDF.
- [Should scientists run the country?](https://philipball.co.uk/should-scientists-run-the-country/) - The Guardian 27 September 2021. Available here.
- [Xi Jinping should take the Zhengzhou floods as a warning from China's history](https://philipball.co.uk/xi-jinping-should-take-the-zhengzhou-floods-as-a-warning-from-china-s-history/) - The Guardian 23 July 2021. Available here.
- [The new wave of gravitational waves](https://philipball.co.uk/the-new-wave-of-gravitational-waves/) - The Observer 27 June 2021. Available here.
- [20 years after the human genome was sequenced, dangerous myths abound](https://philipball.co.uk/20-years-after-the-human-genome-was-sequenced-dangerous-myths-abound/) - The Guardian 9 June 2021. Available here.
- [Mixed messages: is research into human-monkey embryos ethical?](https://philipball.co.uk/mixed-messages-is-research-into-human-monkey-embryos-ethical/) - The Observer 15 May 2021. Available here.
- [Don't wait for government - UK scientists should conduct a Covid inquiry now](https://philipball.co.uk/don-t-wait-for-government-uk-scientists-should-conduct-a-covid-inquiry-now/) - The Guardian 13 May 2021. Available here.
- [Don't be fooled: Covid won't be cured by a panacea](https://philipball.co.uk/don-t-be-fooled-covid-won-t-be-cured-by-a-panacea/) - The Guardian, 26 March 2021. Available here.
- [After the Nobel, what next for Crispr gene-editing therapies?](https://philipball.co.uk/after-the-nobel-what-next-for-crispr-gene-editing-therapies/) - The Observer 21 February 2021. Available here.
- [The second lockdown buys us time. We must use it](https://philipball.co.uk/the-second-lockdown-buys-us-time-we-must-use-it/) - [Narrator: They did not.] Prospect 3 November 2021. Available here.
- [The magic of mushrooms forces us to rethink what intelligence means](https://philipball.co.uk/the-magic-of-mushrooms-forces-us-to-rethink-what-intelligence-means/) - Review of Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake. Prospect 7 October 2021. Available here.
- [The secret force revealed by muons?](https://philipball.co.uk/the-secret-force-revealed-by-muons/) - Financial Times 13 April 2021. Available here.
- [Rules of attraction: strange chemical bonds that defy the textbooks](https://philipball.co.uk/rules-of-attraction-strange-chemical-bonds-that-defy-the-textbooks/) - New Scientist 19 May 2021. Available here.
- [The day that Dominic Cummings finally came clean](https://philipball.co.uk/the-day-that-dominic-cummings-finally-came-clean/) - The Article 26 May 2021. Available here.
- [Herd immunity: a zombie idea and a lethal strategy](https://philipball.co.uk/herd-immunity-a-zombie-idea-and-a-lethal-strategy/) - The Article 21 January 2021. Available here.
- [Lighting fires in space is helping us make greener energy on Earth](https://philipball.co.uk/lighting-fires-in-space-is-helping-us-make-greener-energy-on-earth/) - New Scientist 16 September 2020. Available here.
- [Science is political, and we must deal with it](https://philipball.co.uk/science-is-political-and-we-must-deal-with-it/) - Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 12, 6336-6340 (2021). Available here.
- [Tiniest Turing patterns found](https://philipball.co.uk/tiniest-turing-patterns-found/) - Chemistry World 14 July 2021. Available here.
- [Race to understand Sars-CoV-2 variants](https://philipball.co.uk/race-to-understand-sars-cov-2-variants/) - Chemistry World 24 June 2021. Available here.
- [Learning from the impossible](https://philipball.co.uk/learning-from-the-impossible/) - A review of Chiara Marletto's The Science of Can and Can't, Physics World June 2021. Available here.
- [On physics and free will](https://philipball.co.uk/on-physics-and-free-will/) - Physics World January 2021. Available as a pdf here.
- [Life with purpose: the need for a theory of agency](https://philipball.co.uk/life-with-purpose-the-need-for-a-theory-of-agency/) - Aeon 13 November 2020. Available here.
- [Are aliens hiding in plain sight?](https://philipball.co.uk/are-aliens-hiding-in-plain-sight/) - The Observer, 5 September 2020. Available here.
- [Has England learnt any lessons from the first wave of coronavirus?](https://philipball.co.uk/has-england-learnt-any-lessons-from-the-first-wave-of-coronavirus/) - The Guardian, 25 August 2020. Available here.
- [Primary sources: A natural history of the artist's palette](https://philipball.co.uk/primary-sources-a-natural-history-of-the-artist-s-palette/) - Public Domain Review, 23 July 2020. Available here.
- [Why lockdown silence was golden](https://philipball.co.uk/why-lockdown-silence-was-golden/) - The Observer, 21 June 2020. Available here.
- [Coronavirus hits men harder. Here's what scientists know about it](https://philipball.co.uk/coronavirus-hits-men-harder-here-s-what-scientists-know-about-it/) - The Guardian, 7 April 2020. Available here.
- [What can Britain learn from other countries about containing Covid-19?](https://philipball.co.uk/what-can-britain-learn-from-other-countries-about-containing-covid-19/) - The Guardian, 12 March 2020. Available here.
- [Physics and imagination](https://philipball.co.uk/physics-and-imagination/) - An essay in Entangle: Physics and the Artistic Imagination ed. Ariane Koek. (Hatje Cantz Verlay, 2019). Available here.
- [Stigmatizing super-spreaders won't help the fight against coronavirus](https://philipball.co.uk/stigmatizing-super-spreaders-won-t-help-the-fight-against-coronavirus/) - The Guardian, 12 February 2020. Available here.
- [How astrology paved the way for predictive analytics](https://philipball.co.uk/how-astrology-paved-the-way-for-predictive-analytics/) - The Observer, 11 January 2020. Available here.
- [How a new twist on quantum theory could solve its biggest mystery](https://philipball.co.uk/how-a-new-twist-on-quantum-theory-could-solve-its-biggest-mystery/) - (aka The Demise of Quantum Collapse) New Scientist, 25 March 2020. Available here.
- [Vacuum airships: just a steampunk fantasy?](https://philipball.co.uk/vacuum-airships-just-a-steampunk-fantasy/) - New Scientist, 18 December 2019. Available here.
- [Wormholes reveal a way to manipulate black hole information in the lab](https://philipball.co.uk/wormholes-reveal-a-way-to-manipulate-black-hole-information-in-the-lab/) - Quanta, 27 February 2020. Available here.
- [Has the chemistry Nobel prize really become the biology prize?](https://philipball.co.uk/has-the-chemistry-nobel-prize-really-become-the-biology-prize/) - Chemistry World, January 2020. Available here.
- [Occult arts and sceptical sciences](https://philipball.co.uk/occult-arts-and-sceptical-sciences/) - A review of Physics and Psychics by Richard Noakes, Physics World December 2019. Available here.
- [A lightbulb moment for nuclear fusion?](https://philipball.co.uk/a-lightbulb-moment-for-nuclear-fusion/) - The Observer, 27 October 2019. Available here.
- [The quantum theory that peels away the mystery of measurement](https://philipball.co.uk/the-quantum-theory-that-peels-away-the-mystery-of-measurement/) - Quanta 3 July 2019. Available here.
- [Quantum jumps, long assumed to be instantaneous, take time](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-jumps-long-assumed-to-be-instantaneous-take-time/) - Quanta 5 June 2019. Available here.
- [Quantum Darwinism: an idea to explain objective reality](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-darwinism-an-idea-to-explain-objective-reality/) - Quanta 22 July 2019. Available here.
- [Primo Levi and the other periodic table](https://philipball.co.uk/primo-levi-and-the-other-periodic-table/) - Chemistry World, June 2019. Available here.
- [Book review: Superior by Angela Saini](https://philipball.co.uk/book-review-superior-by-angela-saini/) - The Guardian 3 July 2019. Available here.
- [Empty dreams of space colonies](https://philipball.co.uk/empty-dreams-of-space-colonies/) - (Ignore the title used in the newspaper...). The Guardian, 26 May 2019. Available here.
- [Seas and seeing](https://philipball.co.uk/seas-and-seeing/) - Catalogue essay for the exhibition When Red Disappears by artist Elspeth Diederix (Fw:Books, 2019). See here. (The book is gorgeous!)
- [Color and culture](https://philipball.co.uk/color-and-culture/) - Essay for the book The Genealogy of Color by artist Emilia Azcarate (Turner Editions, 2019).
- [Utopian City](https://philipball.co.uk/utopian-city/) - An essay for the exhibition The City is the City by the Dream Adoption Society, Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute, Warsaw, 2019. Available here.
- [Notre Dame has always been a work in progress](https://philipball.co.uk/notre-dame-has-always-been-a-work-in-progress/) - The Guardian, 17 April 2019. Available here.
- [What is an element?](https://philipball.co.uk/what-is-an-element/) - Chemistry World, 10 January 2019. Available here.
- [Does our immune system hold the key to beating Alzheimer's?](https://philipball.co.uk/does-our-immune-system-hold-the-key-to-beating-alzheimer-s/) - The Observer, 3 March 2019. Available here.
- [Neuroscience readies for a showdown over consciousness ideas](https://philipball.co.uk/neuroscience-readies-for-a-showdown-over-consciousness-ideas/) - Quanta, 6 March 2019. Available here.
- [The true story of the birth of the periodic table](https://philipball.co.uk/the-true-story-of-the-birth-of-the-periodic-table/) - New Scientist, 26 February 2019. Available here.
- [The nationalistic agendas of moon missions](https://philipball.co.uk/the-nationalistic-agendas-of-moon-missions/) - New Scientist, 18 December 2018. Available here.
- [Uterus transplants](https://philipball.co.uk/uterus-transplants/) - The Guardian, 6 December 2018. Available here.
- [Entries in Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire: The Biggest Ideas in Science from Quanta](https://philipball.co.uk/entries-in-alice-and-bob-meet-the-wall-of-fire-the-biggest-ideas-in-science-from-quanta/) - Contains my essays on the thermodynamics of life and on quantum reconstructions. MIT Press, November 2018.
- [Genetically edited babies](https://philipball.co.uk/genetically-edited-babies/) - Prospect, 27 November 2018. Available here.
- [Driverless cars and a new type of "trolley problem"](https://philipball.co.uk/driverless-cars-and-a-new-type-of-trolley-problem/) - Prospect, 16 November 2018. Available here.
- [This womb transplant breakthrough could open up pregnancy to all sexes](https://philipball.co.uk/this-womb-transplant-breakthrough-could-open-up-pregnancy-to-all-sexes/) - The Guardian, 6 December 2018. Available here. (Hm. don't pay too much attention to this title either...)
- [Super-smart designer babies could be on offer soon. But is that ethical?](https://philipball.co.uk/super-smart-designer-babies-could-be-on-offer-soon-but-is-that-ethical/) - The Guardian, 9 November 2018. Available here. (Don't pay too much attention to the title...)
- [Reproduction revolution: how our skin cells might be turned into sperm and eggs](https://philipball.co.uk/reproduction-revolution-how-our-skin-cells-might-be-turned-into-sperm-and-eggs/) - The Observer, 14 October 2018. Available here.
- [Seven ways IVF changed the world](https://philipball.co.uk/seven-ways-ivf-changed-the-world/) - The Observer, 8 July 2018. Available here.
- [Enjoy the blood moon while you can. Donald Trump has plans for it](https://philipball.co.uk/enjoy-the-blood-moon-while-you-can-donald-trump-has-plans-for-it/) - The Guardian, 27 July 2018. Available here.
- [Noisy work in progress](https://philipball.co.uk/noisy-work-in-progress/) - On quantum noise and the source of randomness in quantum mechanics: from Physics World, September 2018. Available here.
- [In search of time crystals](https://philipball.co.uk/in-search-of-time-crystals/) - Physics World, July 2018. Available here. (I wanted the title to be "... of lost time crystals", but it wouldn't fit.)
- [False memories](https://philipball.co.uk/false-memories/) - BBC Focus magazine, July 2018. Available here.
- [The Galileo space row shows the mess of Brexit in microcosm](https://philipball.co.uk/the-galileo-space-row-shows-the-mess-of-brexit-in-microcosm/) - Guardian 28 May 2018. Available here.
- [Questioning truth, reality and the role of science](https://philipball.co.uk/questioning-truth-reality-and-the-role-of-science/) - Interview with philosopher of science Michela Massimi, recipient of the Royal Society's Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar medal. Quanta 24 May 2018. Available here.
- [The era of quantum computing is here. Outlook: cloudy](https://philipball.co.uk/the-era-of-quantum-computing-is-here-outlook-cloudy/) - Quanta, 24 January 2018. Available here.
- [Self-repairing organs could save your life in a heartbeat](https://philipball.co.uk/self-repairing-organs-could-save-your-life-in-a-heartbeat/) - Feature article on in vivo cell reprogramming, New Scientist 9 May 2018. Available here.
- [Why two brains are better than one](https://philipball.co.uk/why-two-brains-are-better-than-one/) - Observer, New Review supplement, 31 March 2018. Available here.
- [Carlo Rovelli: physics' literary superstar makes us rethink time](https://philipball.co.uk/carlo-rovelli-physics-literary-superstar-makes-us-rethink-time/) - Review of Carlo Rovelli's The Order of Time, New Scientist 18 April 2018. Available here.
- [Science isn't everything...](https://philipball.co.uk/science-isn-t-everything/) - A review of two books on the philosophy of science, New Scientist 28 February 2018. Available here.
- [Consciously quantum: how you make everything real](https://philipball.co.uk/consciously-quantum-how-you-make-everything-real/) - New Scientist 8 November 2017. Available here.
- [Luther's legacy: did a religious revolt create science?](https://philipball.co.uk/luther-s-legacy-did-a-religious-revolt-create-science/) - New Scientist 25 October 2017. Available here.
- [Quantum theory rebuilt from simple physical principles](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-theory-rebuilt-from-simple-physical-principles/) - Quanta 30 August 2017. Available here.
- [Could a heroin vaccine cure the West's drug epidemic?](https://philipball.co.uk/could-a-heroin-vaccine-cure-the-west-s-drug-epidemic/) - Observer New Review, 27 August 2017. Available here.
- [Why philosophers are obsessed with brains in jars](https://philipball.co.uk/why-philosophers-are-obsessed-with-brains-in-jars/) - The Atlantic, 25 July 2017. Available here.
- [Frankenstein represents the hopes and fears of every era](https://philipball.co.uk/frankenstein-represents-the-hopes-and-fears-of-every-era/) - The Atlantic, 20 April 2017. Available here.
- [Don't be sniffy if you smell like a dog](https://philipball.co.uk/don-t-be-sniffy-if-you-smell-like-a-dog/) - Observer New Review, 14 May 2017. Available here.
- [Forgetting but not gone](https://philipball.co.uk/forgetting-but-not-gone/) - Dementia and the arts. Observer New Review, 12 March 2017. Available here.
- [Quantum common sense](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-common-sense/) - On how quantum becomes classical. Aeon 21 June 2017. Available here.
- [How life (and death) spring from disorder](https://philipball.co.uk/how-life-and-death-spring-from-disorder/) - Quanta 2 February 2017. Available here.
- [Entries in 30-Second Einstein](https://philipball.co.uk/entries-in-30-second-einstein/) - Entries in 30-Second Einstein (ed. B. Clegg). Ivy Press, New York, 2016.
- [Entries in 30-Second Physics](https://philipball.co.uk/entries-in-30-second-physics/) - Entries in 30-Second Physics (ed. B. Clegg). Ivy Press, New York, 2016.
- [Exhibition seeks to put utopia in its place](https://philipball.co.uk/exhibition-seeks-to-put-utopia-in-its-place/) - Review of an exhibition on utopias at King's College London - and a meditation on utopias generally. New Scientist 14 September 2016. Available here.
- [Gone but not forgotten: dementia and the arts](https://philipball.co.uk/gone-but-not-forgotten-dementia-and-the-arts/) - An article on the Wellcome Hub residency Created Out of Mind, The Observer New Review, 11 March 2017. Available here.
- [Anaesthesia: what really happens when the lights go out](https://philipball.co.uk/anaesthesia-what-really-happens-when-the-lights-go-out/) - An article in New Scientist, 1 March 2017. Available here.
- [Designer babies: an ethical horror waiting to happen?](https://philipball.co.uk/designer-babies-an-ethical-horror-waiting-to-happen/) - An article in The Observer New Review, 8 January 2017. Available here.
- [Make it snappy](https://philipball.co.uk/make-it-snappy/) - Food physics and the importance of crunch: an article in Physics World, November 2016. pdf
- [Chartres and the Triumph of the Medieval Mind](https://philipball.co.uk/chartres-and-the-triumph-of-the-medieval-mind/) - A look at the twelfth-century Renaissance through the windows of Chartres Cathedral: from Nature 452, 816 (2008) pdf
- [Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: a myth of anthropoeia](https://philipball.co.uk/mary-shelley-s-frankenstein-a-myth-of-anthropoeia/) - This is the fourth chapter of my book Unnatural (2011), which I'm making available for the bicentenary of the publication of Frankenstein. pdf
- [No result, no problem](https://philipball.co.uk/no-result-no-problem/) - "No result, no problem": on the pros and cons of publishing null results. Physics World, May 2016. Available here.
- [Life rocks](https://philipball.co.uk/life-rocks/) - "Life rocks: what can meteorites tell us about life on and beyond earth?", Aeon 18 March 2016. Available here.
- [The truth about Hannibal's route across the Alps](https://philipball.co.uk/the-truth-about-hannibal-s-route-across-the-alps/) - "The truth about Hannibal's route across the Alps", The Observer 3 April 2016. Available here.
- [On the mechanism for hysteresis of gas adsorption on mesoporous substrates](https://philipball.co.uk/on-the-mechanism-for-hysteresis-of-gas-adsorption-on-mesoporous-substrates/) - P. C. Ball & R. Evans, "On the mechanism for hysteresis of gas adsorption on mesoporous substrates", Europhysics Letters 4(6), 715-721 (1987).
- [The density profile of a confined fluid: Comparisons of density functional theory and simulation](https://philipball.co.uk/the-density-profile-of-a-confined-fluid-comparisons-of-density-functional-theory-and-simulation/) - P. C. Ball & R. Evans, "The density profile of a confined fluid: Comparisons of density functional theory and simulation", Molecular Physics 63, 159-163 (1987).
- [Structure and adsorption at gas-solid interfaces: layering transitions from a continuum theory](https://philipball.co.uk/structure-and-adsorption-at-gas-solid-interfaces-layering-transitions-from-a-continuum-theory/) - P. Ball & R. Evans, "Structure and adsorption at gas-solid interfaces: layering transitions from a continuum theory", Journal of Chemical Physics 89, 4412-4423 (1988).
- [Temperature dependence of gas adsorption on a mesoporous solid: capillary criticality and hysteresis](https://philipball.co.uk/temperature-dependence-of-gas-adsorption-on-a-mesoporous-solid-capillary-criticality-and-hysteresis/) - P. C. Ball & R. Evans, "Temperature dependence of gas adsorption on a mesoporous solid: capillary criticality and hysteresis", Langmuir 5, 714-723 (1989).
- [The librational ground state of monodeuteromethane adsorbed on the surface of graphite](https://philipball.co.uk/the-librational-ground-state-of-monodeuteromethane-adsorbed-on-the-surface-of-graphite/) - P. C. Ball, A. Inaba, J. A. Morrison, M. V. Smalley & R. K. Thomas, "The librational ground state of monodeuteromethane adsorbed on the surface of graphite", Journal of Chemical Physics 92, 1372-1385 (1990).
- [Life's matrix: Water in the cell](https://philipball.co.uk/life-s-matrix-water-in-the-cell/) - P. Ball, "Life's matrix: Water in the cell", Cell and Molecular Biology 47, 717 (2001).
- [Natural strategies for the molecular engineer](https://philipball.co.uk/natural-strategies-for-the-molecular-engineer-2/) - P. Ball, "Natural strategies for the molecular engineer", Nanotechnology 13, R15 (2002).
- [The physical modelling of society: a historical perspective](https://philipball.co.uk/the-physical-modelling-of-society-a-historical-perspective/) - P. Ball, "The physical modelling of society: a historical perspective", Physica A 314, 1 (2002).
- [The physical modelling of human social systems](https://philipball.co.uk/the-physical-modelling-of-human-social-systems-2/) - P. Ball, "The physical modelling of human social systems", ComPlexUs 1, 190 (2003) [published November 2004].
- [Molecular Biomimetics](https://philipball.co.uk/molecular-biomimetics-2/) - P. Ball, "Molecular Biomimetics", in Encyclopedia of Supramolecular Chemistry 879-886. Marcel Dekker, 2004.
- [Synthetic biology for nanotechnology](https://philipball.co.uk/synthetic-biology-for-nanotechnology-2/) - P. Ball, "Synthetic biology for nanotechnology", Nanotechnology 16, R1 (2005).
- [Collective behaviour and the physics of society](https://philipball.co.uk/collective-behaviour-and-the-physics-of-society-2/) - P. Ball, "Collective behaviour and the physics of society", Institute for Cultural Research Monograph Series No.52 (2007).
- [Water as an active constituent in cell biology](https://philipball.co.uk/water-as-an-active-constituent-in-cell-biology-2/) - P. Ball, "Water as an active constituent in cell biology", Chemical Reviews 108, 74-108 (2008). Download PDF.
- [Chemistry and Power in Recent American Fiction](https://philipball.co.uk/chemistry-and-power-in-recent-american-fiction-2/) - P. Ball, "Chemistry and Power in Recent American Fiction", published in The Public Image of Chemistry, eds J. Schummer, B. Bensaude-Vincent & B. Van Tiggelen (World Scientific, 2007).
- [Water as a biomolecule](https://philipball.co.uk/water-as-a-biomolecule/) - P. Ball, "Water as a biomolecule", published in ChemPhysChem, 9, 2677-2685 (2009)
- [Making Life: A Comment on 'Playing God in Frankenstein's footsteps](https://philipball.co.uk/making-life-a-comment-on-playing-god-in-frankenstein-s-footsteps/) - P. Ball, "Making Life: A Comment on 'Playing God in Frankenstein's footsteps: Synthetic Biology and the Meaning of Life' by Henk van den Belt (2009)", Nanoethics 4, 129-132 (2010).
- [Concluding remarks: Cum grano salis](https://philipball.co.uk/concluding-remarks-cum-grano-salis/) - P. Ball, "Concluding remarks: Cum grano salis", Faraday Discussions 160, 405-414 (2013).
- [The Importance of Water](https://philipball.co.uk/the-importance-of-water/) - P. Ball, "The Importance of Water", in Astrochemistry and Astrobiology, eds I. W. M. Smith, C. S. Cockell & S. Leach, p.169. Springer, Heidelberg, 2013.
- [The story trap](https://philipball.co.uk/the-story-trap/) - "The story trap", Aeon 12 November 2015. Available here.
- [Beauty is truth? There's a false equation.](https://philipball.co.uk/beauty-is-truth-there-s-a-false-equation/) - "Beauty is truth? There's a false equation", Aeon 19 May 2014. Available here.
- [Roll up for the revolution](https://philipball.co.uk/roll-up-for-the-revolution/) - "Roll up for the revolution", Nature 414, 142 (2001)
- [Philip Ball discusses Alan Turing's research on morphogenesis](https://philipball.co.uk/philip-ball-discusses-alan-turing-s-research-on-morphogenesis/) - 2015 sees the 350th anniversary of the journal Philosophical Transactions, making it the world’s oldest scientific journal. As part of the celebrations to mark this anniversary, The Royal Society has published a special issue of Philosophical Transactions A (physical sciences papers) and Philosophical Transactions B (life sciences papers), looking back at pioneering papers from the
- [The Saga of the Sunstones](https://philipball.co.uk/the-saga-of-the-sunstones/) - An exploration of what historians and archaeologists say about the hypothesis that Vikings used "sunstones" with special optical properties to navigate.Download PDF.
- [The Crawick Multiverse](https://philipball.co.uk/the-crawick-multiverse/) - An article about an extraordinary meeting to celebrate an equally extraordinary landscape sculpture, in June 2015. Download PDF.
- [Tricks of the Light](https://philipball.co.uk/tricks-of-the-light/) - Extended version, with images, of an article on 'caustic art' published in New Scientist 30 January 2013.Download PDF.
- [Sublime intervention](https://philipball.co.uk/sublime-intervention/) - An article on wonder in science, published in New Statesman 7 May 2012.Download PDF.
- [Nature's Fantastical Palette](https://philipball.co.uk/nature-s-fantastical-palette/) - An extended version of an article on animal photonics and physical coloration published in Scientific American, May 2012. Download PDF.
- [Playing God](https://philipball.co.uk/playing-god/) - An article published in New Humanist, January-February 2011.Download PDF
- [New pursuit of Schrödinger's cat](https://philipball.co.uk/new-pursuit-of-schroedinger-s-cat/) - An article published in Prospect, October 2011.Download PDF
- [Forbidden chemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/forbidden-chemistry/) - Extended version of an article published in New Scientist, January 2012Download PDF
- [Unnatural: The talk based on the book](https://philipball.co.uk/unnatural-the-talk-based-on-the-book/) - Download PDF.
- [Quantum Biology](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-biology/) - An article on quantum coherence in photosynthesis and related quantum phenomena in biology, published in Nature 474, 272 (June 2011). Download PDF
- [Beyond the Bond](https://philipball.co.uk/beyond-the-bond/) - An article on outstanding questions in our understanding of chemical bonding, published in Nature 469, 26 (January 2011).Download PDF
- [Bright Lights, Bug City](https://philipball.co.uk/bright-lights-bug-city/) - "Bright Lights, Bug City" an extended version (with illustrations) of the feature article of the same title in New Scientist, 22 Feb 2010. Download PDF
- [Is it any good? Measuring scientific merit](https://philipball.co.uk/is-it-any-good-measuring-scientific-merit/) - "Is it any good? Measuring scientific merit" a talk given at the meeting of the German Physical Society, Regensburg, March 2007 Download PDF
- [A dangerous experiment](https://philipball.co.uk/a-dangerous-experiment/) - "A dangerous experiment" an analysis of the state of science at UK universities, published in the Prospect supplement Quarter Download PDF
- [Starting from scratch](https://philipball.co.uk/starting-from-scratch/) - Starting from scratch: feature on synthetic biology, Nature, October 2004. Download PDF
- [Newton's curse: New Scientist](https://philipball.co.uk/newton-s-curse-new-scientist/) - "Newton's curse", New Scientist, 8 April 2006, p.4. (The printed version contains errors and general ugliness introduced in editing: click here for a PDF of the corrected version.)
- [Alchemical culture and poetry](https://philipball.co.uk/alchemical-culture-and-poetry/) - Alchemical culture and poetry in early modern England: to be published in Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 2005. Download PDF
- [2011 and All That](https://philipball.co.uk/2011-and-all-that/) - A talk from 2012 on why 2011 should make us take the physics of society seriously.Download PDF
- [Culture crash: a review in Nature](https://philipball.co.uk/culture-crash-a-review-in-nature/) - "Culture crash" a review of the state of econophysics published in Nature 441, 686 (2006)Download PDF
- [The physical modelling of human social systems](https://philipball.co.uk/the-physical-modelling-of-human-social-systems/) - The physical modelling of human social systems - a review in ComPlexUs 1, 190, published November 2004. Download PDF
- [Hits, Misses and Close Calls](https://philipball.co.uk/hits-misses-and-close-calls/) - Hits, Misses and Close Calls: An Image Essay on Pattern Formation in "On Growth and Form"The preprint of an article published in Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 38.1, 74 (2013). Download PDF
- [Turing Patterns](https://philipball.co.uk/turing-patterns/) - An extended version of an article published in Chemistry World, June 2012. Download PDF.
- [The Patterns of Peter Randall-Page](https://philipball.co.uk/the-patterns-of-peter-randall-page/) - The Patterns of Peter Randall-Page: extended version of a short article for BBC's Focus science site, discussing the work of British sculptor Peter Randall-Page. Download PDF (10.2 Mb)
- [Pattern formation in nature](https://philipball.co.uk/pattern-formation-in-nature/) - Pattern formation in nature: Physical constraints and self-organizing characteristicsAn article to appear in a special issue of Architectural Design, 2011. Download PDF
- [Water as an active constituent in cell biology](https://philipball.co.uk/water-as-an-active-constituent-in-cell-biology/) - A review article in Chemical Reviews 108, 74-108 (2008). Download PDF.
- [Nanobubbles](https://philipball.co.uk/nanobubbles/) - An editorial for a special issue of PhysChemPhys on nanobubbles, 13, 2173 (2012). Download PDF.
- [Why water is weird](https://philipball.co.uk/why-water-is-weird/) - A talk given at the Royal Society of Chemistry, London, 2011 (slightly modified). Download PDF
- [Seeking the solution](https://philipball.co.uk/seeking-the-solution/) - Seeking the solution: feature on water’s role in astrobiology, Nature, August 2005.Download PDF
- [Water - life's matrix: extended](https://philipball.co.uk/water-life-s-matrix-extended/) - Water - life's matrix: extended text of an article for 'Water - Reflections on an Element', Agenda Edition No.1 (Hoffmann & Campe, 2003). Download PDF
- [Water at surfaces: Nature](https://philipball.co.uk/water-at-surfaces-nature/) - Water at surfaces: an article published in Nature 423, 25 (2003).Download PDF
- [Water in the cell](https://philipball.co.uk/water-in-the-cell/) - Water in the cell: a talk delivered at Arnhem, the Netherlands, for the University of Utrecht, 2002 Download PDF or Word Doc.+ PowerPoint (ZIP file 3.45Mb)
- [Water in the cell: Cell and Molecular Biology](https://philipball.co.uk/water-in-the-cell-cell-and-molecular-biology/) - Water in the cell: an article in Cell and Molecular Biology 47(5) (2001).Download PDF
- [Entries in The Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought](https://philipball.co.uk/entries-in-the-fontana-dictionary-of-modern-thought/) - Entries in The Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (2nd Edn) (Fontana, 1999).
- [Supramolecular chemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/supramolecular-chemistry/) - "Supramolecular chemistry" (with Jean-Marie Lehn), in The New Chemistry (Cambridge University Press, 2000).
- [Contributions in The Science Book](https://philipball.co.uk/contributions-in-the-science-book/) - Contributions in The Science Book (ed. P. Tallack) (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2001).
- [Materials of the Future](https://philipball.co.uk/materials-of-the-future-2/) - "Materials of the Future", in The Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems (UNESCO, 2002). www.eolss.com
- [Life's matrix](https://philipball.co.uk/life-s-matrix/) - "Life's matrix", chapter in Water (a compilation) (Hoffmann & Campe, 2003).
- [Entries in Within The Stone](https://philipball.co.uk/entries-in-within-the-stone/) - Entries in Within The Stone, a selection of essays and texts to accompany images of minerals by photographer Bill Atkinson (BrownTrout, 2004).
- [Molecular Biomimetics](https://philipball.co.uk/molecular-biomimetics/) - "Molecular Biomimetics", chapter in Encyclopedia of Supramolecular Chemistry (Marcel Dekker, 2004).
- [Climate change](https://philipball.co.uk/climate-change/) - My article on "Climate change" from the February 2000 issue of Prospect is reprinted in the 2005 compilation Thinking Allowed: The Best of Prospect 1995-2005 (Atlantic, 2005).
- [Synthetic Biology (2005)](https://philipball.co.uk/synthetic-biology-2005/) - I was an author and editor of the European Commission Expert Group report on Synthetic Biology (2005), available from the EC at Office SDME 01/37, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium.
- [Water in Science and Scientific Discovery](https://philipball.co.uk/water-in-science-and-scientific-discovery/) - "Water in Science and Scientific Discovery", chapter in A History of Water, Series II, Vol. 1: Ideas of Water from Antiquity to Modern Times, eds Terje Tvedt & Terje Oestigaard. I.B. Tauris, London, 2010.
- [Entries in 30-Second Elements](https://philipball.co.uk/entries-in-30-second-elements/) - Entries in 30-Second Elements (ed. E. Scerri). Metro Books, New York, 2013.
- [From Symbol to Substance: The Technologies of Light](https://philipball.co.uk/from-symbol-to-substance-the-technologies-of-light/) - "From Symbol to Substance: The Technologies of Light", in Light Show (exhibition catalogue). Hayward Publishing, London, 2013.
- [Entries in 30-Second Quantum Theory](https://philipball.co.uk/entries-in-30-second-quantum-theory/) - Entries in 30-Second Quantum Theory (ed. B. Clegg). Ivy Press, New York, 2014.
- [Spheres of influence](https://philipball.co.uk/spheres-of-influence/) - "Spheres of influence", New Scientist, 2 December 1995, p.42
- [Living factories](https://philipball.co.uk/living-factories/) - "Living factories", New Scientist, 3 February 1996, p.28.
- [Through the nanotube](https://philipball.co.uk/through-the-nanotube/) - "Through the nanotube", New Scientist, 6 July 1996, p.28.
- [Cosmic beakers](https://philipball.co.uk/cosmic-beakers/) - "Cosmic beakers", New Scientist, 21 September 1996, p.46.
- [Diamond curls](https://philipball.co.uk/diamond-curls/) - "Diamond curls", New Scientist, 1 February 1997, p.22.
- [Into the blue](https://philipball.co.uk/into-the-blue/) - "Into the blue", New Scientist, 29 March 1997, p.28.
- [Take it to the limit](https://philipball.co.uk/take-it-to-the-limit/) - "Take it to the limit", New Scientist, 2 August 1997, p.32.
- [Supercool water](https://philipball.co.uk/supercool-water/) - "Supercool water", New Scientist, 1 August 1998, p.30.
- [Sun traps](https://philipball.co.uk/sun-traps/) - "Sun traps", New Scientist, 23 January 1999, p.38.
- [The Self-Made Tapestry](https://philipball.co.uk/the-self-made-tapestry/) - "The Self-Made Tapestry", World Review 3(2), p.10.
- [Holey light](https://philipball.co.uk/holey-light/) - "Holey light", New Scientist, 12 June 1999, p.36.
- [Pure nonsense](https://philipball.co.uk/pure-nonsense/) - "Pure nonsense", New Scientist, 3 July 1999, p.54.
- [Running on empty](https://philipball.co.uk/running-on-empty/) - "Running on empty", Financial Times Weekend, 2-3 October 1999.
- [Book early for New Year's Eve 2999](https://philipball.co.uk/book-early-for-new-year-s-eve-2999/) - "Book early for New Year's Eve 2999", New Statesman, 20 December 1999, p.42.
- [Jams tomorrow](https://philipball.co.uk/jams-tomorrow/) - "Jams tomorrow", New Scientist, 15 January 2000, p.34.
- [Briefing on climate change](https://philipball.co.uk/briefing-on-climate-change/) - "Briefing on climate change", Prospect, February 2000.
- [More Than Meets The Eye](https://philipball.co.uk/more-than-meets-the-eye/) - "More Than Meets The Eye", exhibition programme for the V&A Museum, September 2000.
- [In the beginning](https://philipball.co.uk/in-the-beginning/) - "In the beginning", Optimus April 2001, p.20.
- [The next generation of optical fibers](https://philipball.co.uk/the-next-generation-of-optical-fibers/) - "The next generation of optical fibers", Technology Review, May 2001.
- [Gassing with the gods](https://philipball.co.uk/gassing-with-the-gods/) - "Gassing with the gods", New Scientist 1 September 2001, p.40.
- [The birth of the blues](https://philipball.co.uk/the-birth-of-the-blues/) - "The birth of the blues", The Times (supplement), 19 November 2001, p.10.
- [The making of Cézanne's palette](https://philipball.co.uk/the-making-of-cezanne-s-palette-2/) - "The making of Cézanne's palette", Helix 2 (2001), p.34.
- [Smart stuff](https://philipball.co.uk/smart-stuff/) - "Smart stuff", booklet to accompany the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2002. Available from the RI: www.rigb.org
- [Seeing red· and yellow· and green· and·](https://philipball.co.uk/seeing-red-and-yellow-and-green-and/) - "Seeing red· and yellow· and green· and·", Natural History 3/02, p.64 (2002).
- [Sculpted sound](https://philipball.co.uk/sculpted-sound/) - "Sculpted sound", New Scientist, 23 March 2002, p.32.
- [Never say die](https://philipball.co.uk/never-say-die/) - "Never say die", New Scientist 3 August 2002, p.28.
- [Market makers](https://philipball.co.uk/market-makers/) - "Market makers", Guardian 3 October 2002, G2, p.10.
- [Is the clean car coming?](https://philipball.co.uk/is-the-clean-car-coming/) - "Is the clean car coming?" Prospect February 2003, p.50.
- [The robot within](https://philipball.co.uk/the-robot-within/) - "The robot within" New Scientist, 15 March 2003, p.50.
- [Die Physik der Gesellschaft](https://philipball.co.uk/die-physik-der-gesellschaft/) - "Die Physik der Gesellschaft" Die Zeit 18 March 2004, p.22.
- [Fast track](https://philipball.co.uk/fast-track/) - "Fast track" New Scientist, 3 April 2004, p.26.
- [The Physics of Everyday Life](https://philipball.co.uk/the-physics-of-everyday-life/) - "The Physics of Everyday Life" Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2004, p.M5.
- [What is life? Can we make it?](https://philipball.co.uk/what-is-life-can-we-make-it/) - "What is life? Can we make it?" Prospect, August 2004
- [Living by numbers](https://philipball.co.uk/living-by-numbers/) - "Living by numbers", Cosmos, issue 7 (2005) p.32.
- [A new kind of alchemy](https://philipball.co.uk/a-new-kind-of-alchemy/) - "A new kind of alchemy", New Scientist, 16 April 2005, p.30.
- [Concerto for mother tongue](https://philipball.co.uk/concerto-for-mother-tongue/) - "Concerto for mother tongue", New Scientist, 9 July 2005, p.32.
- [Natural talent](https://philipball.co.uk/natural-talent/) - "Natural talent", New Scientist, 29 October 2005, p.50.
- [Genius undone](https://philipball.co.uk/genius-undone/) - "Genius undone", Seed, March 2006, p.64.
- [Quantum sketches](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-sketches/) - "Quantum sketches", New Scientist, 8 July 2006 p.40.
- [Baby boosters](https://philipball.co.uk/baby-boosters/) - "Baby boosters", New Scientist, 24 March 2007, p.41.
- [Life, but not as we know it](https://philipball.co.uk/life-but-not-as-we-know-it/) - "Life, but not as we know it", Prospect, August 2007, p.44.
- [Redefining genes](https://philipball.co.uk/redefining-genes/) - "Redefining genes", Seed, November/December 2007, p.29.
- [On the evolution of Darwin](https://philipball.co.uk/on-the-evolution-of-darwin/) - "On the evolution of Darwin", Observer Review, 25 January 2009, p.21.
- [Stars of the East](https://philipball.co.uk/stars-of-the-east/) - "Stars of the East" (book review), Sunday Times Culture supplement, 1 February 2009, p.39-40.
- [Diamonds are for softies](https://philipball.co.uk/diamonds-are-for-softies/) - "Diamonds are for softies" New Scientist, 8 September 2009.
- [Agents of change](https://philipball.co.uk/agents-of-change/) - "Agents of change", The Economist 24 July 2010, p.70.
- [Crash-test computing](https://philipball.co.uk/crash-test-computing/) - "Crash-test computing", Prospect August 2010, p.58.
- [Color me blue](https://philipball.co.uk/color-me-blue/) - "Color me blue", Calliope 21(1), September 2010, p.8-11.
- [Making a better world](https://philipball.co.uk/making-a-better-world/) - "Making a better world", Prospect October 2010, p.62-63.
- [Playing God](https://philipball.co.uk/playing-god-2/) - "Playing God", New Humanist Jan/Feb 2011, p.14-16.
- [It's alive, I tell you!](https://philipball.co.uk/it-s-alive-i-tell-you/) - "It's alive, I tell you!", New Scientist 12 February 2011, p.30-31.
- [It takes more than genes to make us human](https://philipball.co.uk/it-takes-more-than-genes-to-make-us-human/) - "It takes more than genes to make us human", Sunday Times 12 March 2011, p.26.
- [Sublime intervention](https://philipball.co.uk/sublime-intervention-2/) - "Sublime intervention", New Statesman p.22-25, 30 April 2012.
- [No hurricane tonight](https://philipball.co.uk/no-hurricane-tonight/) - “No hurricane tonight”, Prospect p. 58-59, February 2013.
- [A vanishing interface](https://philipball.co.uk/a-vanishing-interface/) - "A vanishing interface", Nature 353, 213 (1991).
- [When size does matter](https://philipball.co.uk/when-size-does-matter/) - "When size does matter", Nature 349, 101 (1991).
- [Science at an atomic scale](https://philipball.co.uk/science-at-an-atomic-scale/) - "Science at an atomic scale" [with Laura Garwin], Nature 355, 761 (1992).
- [New horizons in inner space](https://philipball.co.uk/new-horizons-in-inner-space/) - "New horizons in inner space", Nature 361, 297 (1993).
- [Towards the synthetic dragonfly](https://philipball.co.uk/towards-the-synthetic-dragonfly/) - "Towards the synthetic dragonfly", Nature 375, 101 (1995).
- [Gourmet macromolecules](https://philipball.co.uk/gourmet-macromolecules/) - "Gourmet macromolecules", Nature 377, 101 (1995).
- [Polymers made to measure](https://philipball.co.uk/polymers-made-to-measure/) - "Polymers made to measure", Nature 367, 323 (1994).
- [The shapes of things to come](https://philipball.co.uk/the-shapes-of-things-to-come/) - "The shapes of things to come", Nature 371, 202 (1994).
- [Getting oneself together](https://philipball.co.uk/getting-oneself-together/) - "Getting oneself together", Nature 379, 25 (1996).
- [Diamond films put on display](https://philipball.co.uk/diamond-films-put-on-display/) - "Diamond films put on display", Nature 381, 116 (1996).
- [Crystals by design](https://philipball.co.uk/crystals-by-design/) - "Crystals by design", Nature 381, 648-649 (1996).
- [The perfect nanotube](https://philipball.co.uk/the-perfect-nanotube/) - "The perfect nanotube", Nature 382, 207-208 (1996).
- [Popularizing materials](https://philipball.co.uk/popularizing-materials/) - "Popularizing materials", Journal of Materials Education 20, Vol. 20 (1998).
- [Off and on reflection](https://philipball.co.uk/off-and-on-reflection/) - "Off and on reflection", Nature 391, 232-233 (1998).
- [Limits to growth](https://philipball.co.uk/limits-to-growth/) - "Limits to growth", Nature 395, 745-748 (1998).
- [The material world](https://philipball.co.uk/the-material-world/) - "The material world", Chemistry in Britain Millenium Supplement, January 2000, p.2.
- [Meet the spin doctors](https://philipball.co.uk/meet-the-spin-doctors/) - "Meet the spin doctors", Nature, 404, 918 (2000).
- [Science in motion](https://philipball.co.uk/science-in-motion/) - "Science in motion", Nature, 406, 244 (2000).
- [Chemistry meets computing](https://philipball.co.uk/chemistry-meets-computing/) - "Chemistry meets computing", Nature, 406, 118 (2000).
- [Science in culture: Nature's microscopic art forms](https://philipball.co.uk/science-in-culture-nature-s-microscopic-art-forms/) - "Science in culture: Nature's microscopic art forms", Nature 407, 676 (2000).
- [Science in culture: Mannerists' monsters](https://philipball.co.uk/science-in-culture-mannerists-monsters/) - "Science in culture: Mannerists' monsters", Nature 407, 20 (2000).
- [When priorities collide](https://philipball.co.uk/when-priorities-collide/) - "When priorities collide", Nature 408, 903 (2000).
- [A leap of faith](https://philipball.co.uk/a-leap-of-faith/) - "A leap of faith", Nature 407, 949 (2000).
- [Science in the galleries](https://philipball.co.uk/science-in-the-galleries/) - "Science in the galleries", V&A Conservation Journal 36, 7 (2000).
- [Molecular movers and shakers](https://philipball.co.uk/molecular-movers-and-shakers/) - "Molecular movers and shakers", Nature 408, 904 (2000).
- [Let there be light](https://philipball.co.uk/let-there-be-light/) - "Let there be light", Nature 409, 974 (2001).
- [Life's lessons in design](https://philipball.co.uk/life-s-lessons-in-design/) - "Life's lessons in design", Nature 409, 413 (2001).
- [Science in culture: Dramatizing science](https://philipball.co.uk/science-in-culture-dramatizing-science/) - "Science in culture: Dramatizing science", Nature 411, 24 (2001).
- [Tabletop astrophysics](https://philipball.co.uk/tabletop-astrophysics/) - "Tabletop astrophysics", Nature 411, 628 (2001).
- [The positron probe](https://philipball.co.uk/the-positron-probe/) - "The positron probe", Nature 412, 764 (2001).
- [It all falls into place](https://philipball.co.uk/it-all-falls-into-place/) - "It all falls into place", Nature 413, 667 (2001).
- [A dose of Paracelsus](https://philipball.co.uk/a-dose-of-paracelsus/) - "A dose of Paracelsus", Chemistry in Britain, May 2001, p.40.
- [What a tonic](https://philipball.co.uk/what-a-tonic/) - "What a tonic", Chemistry in Britain, October 2001, p.26.
- [Self-assembly](https://philipball.co.uk/self-assembly/) - "Self-assembly", Technology Review November 2001.
- [Chemistry in soft focus](https://philipball.co.uk/chemistry-in-soft-focus-2/) - "Chemistry in soft focus", Chemistry in Britain September 2002, p.32.
- [Beyond words: science and visual theatre](https://philipball.co.uk/beyond-words-science-and-visual-theatre/) - "Beyond words: science and visual theatre", Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 27, 169 (2002).
- [The physics of society](https://philipball.co.uk/the-physics-of-society-2/) - "The physics of society", Nature 415, 371 (2002)
- [Picture this](https://philipball.co.uk/picture-this/) - "Picture this", Nature 417, 11 (2002).
- [Let's catch some rays](https://philipball.co.uk/let-s-catch-some-rays/) - "Let's catch some rays", Nature 419, 12 (2002).
- [To the heart of glass](https://philipball.co.uk/to-the-heart-of-glass/) - "To the heart of glass", Nature 421, 783 (2003).
- [Portrait of a molecule](https://philipball.co.uk/portrait-of-a-molecule-2/) - "Portrait of a molecule", Nature 421, 421 (2003).
- [How to keep dry in water](https://philipball.co.uk/how-to-keep-dry-in-water/) - "How to keep dry in water", Nature 423, 25 (2003).
- [Ball games](https://philipball.co.uk/ball-games/) - "Ball games", Chemistry in Britain August 2003, p.23.
- [Utopia theory](https://philipball.co.uk/utopia-theory/) - "Utopia theory", Physics World October 2003, p.29.
- [It’s a small world](https://philipball.co.uk/it-s-a-small-world/) - "It’s a small world", Chemistry World February 2004, p.30.
- [Light harvesting](https://philipball.co.uk/light-harvesting/) - [With David Andrews] "Light harvesting", Chemistry World March 2004, p.34.
- [Cell navigation](https://philipball.co.uk/cell-navigation/) - "Cell navigation", Chemistry World August 2004, p.32.
- [Color Theory in Science and Art: Ostwald and the Bauhaus](https://philipball.co.uk/color-theory-in-science-and-art-ostwald-and-the-bauhaus/) - [With Mario Ruben] "Color Theory in Science and Art: Ostwald and the Bauhaus", Angewandte Chemie International Edition43, 4842 (2004).
- [Water, water, everywhere?](https://philipball.co.uk/water-water-everywhere/) - "Water, water, everywhere?", Nature 427, 19 (2004).
- [Starting from scratch](https://philipball.co.uk/starting-from-scratch-2/) - "Starting from scratch", Nature 431, 624 (2004).
- [Beam me up](https://philipball.co.uk/beam-me-up/) - "Beam me up", Chemistry World October 2004, p.32.
- [In the know](https://philipball.co.uk/in-the-know/) - "In the know", Nature 428, 462 (2004).
- [Back to the future](https://philipball.co.uk/back-to-the-future/) - "Back to the future", Nature 427, 482 (2004).
- [By chance, or by design?](https://philipball.co.uk/by-chance-or-by-design/) - "By chance, or by design?", Nature 431, 396 (2004).
- [The great portrait mystery](https://philipball.co.uk/the-great-portrait-mystery/) - "The great portrait mystery", Nature 433, 197 (2005).
- [Where is there wisdom to be found in ancient materials technologies?](https://philipball.co.uk/where-is-there-wisdom-to-be-found-in-ancient-materials-technologies/) - "Where is there wisdom to be found in ancient materials technologies?", MRS Bulletin March 2005, p. 149.
- [Lavoisier's legacy](https://philipball.co.uk/lavoisier-s-legacy/) - "Lavoisier's legacy", Chemical & Engineering News 19 September 2005, p. 42.
- [Alchemical culture and poetry in early modern England](https://philipball.co.uk/alchemical-culture-and-poetry-in-early-modern-england/) - "Alchemical culture and poetry in early modern England", Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 31 p. 77 (2006).
- [What chemists want to know](https://philipball.co.uk/what-chemists-want-to-know/) - "What chemists want to know", Nature 442, 500 (2006).
- [A dangerous experiment](https://philipball.co.uk/a-dangerous-experiment-2/) - "A dangerous experiment", Quarter autumn 2006, p. 12. Supplement to the September issue of Prospect.
- [The life of water](https://philipball.co.uk/the-life-of-water/) - "The life of water", Exhibition catalogue "Water being water" (the photography of David Goldes), Wright State Universities Art Gallery, Dayton, Ohio, 2005. PDF available here.
- [Champing at the bits](https://philipball.co.uk/champing-at-the-bits/) - "Champing at the bits", Nature 440, 398 (2006) PDF here.
- [Culture crash](https://philipball.co.uk/culture-crash/) - "Culture crash", Nature 441, 686 (2006). PDF available here.
- [A switch in time](https://philipball.co.uk/a-switch-in-time/) - "A switch in time", Nature 445, 362 (January 2007).
- [Collective behaviour and the physics of society](https://philipball.co.uk/collective-behaviour-and-the-physics-of-society/) - "Collective behaviour and the physics of society", Institute for Cultural Research Monograph Series No. 52 (2007).
- [Painting the whole picture?](https://philipball.co.uk/painting-the-whole-picture/) - "Painting the whole picture?", Nature 445, 486 (February 2007).
- [A jump that would prove Newton wrong](https://philipball.co.uk/a-jump-that-would-prove-newton-wrong/) - "A jump that would prove Newton wrong", Nature 446, 357 (March 2007).
- [The click concept](https://philipball.co.uk/the-click-concept/) - "The click concept", Chemistry World, April 2007, p.46.
- [Meanings of 'life](https://philipball.co.uk/meanings-of-life/) - "Meanings of 'life'", Nature (editorial) 447, 1031 (June 2007).
- [Feel the force](https://philipball.co.uk/feel-the-force/) - "Feel the force", Nature 447, 772 (June 2007). PDF here.
- [Diamonds melted inside an onion](https://philipball.co.uk/diamonds-melted-inside-an-onion/) - "Diamonds melted inside an onion", Nature 448, 396 (July 2007).
- [Beijing bubbles](https://philipball.co.uk/beijing-bubbles/) - "Beijing bubbles", Nature 448, 256 (July 2007).
- [Designs for life](https://philipball.co.uk/designs-for-life/) - "Designs for life", Nature 448, 32 (July 2007).
- [Achievement index climbs the ranks](https://philipball.co.uk/achievement-index-climbs-the-ranks/) - "Achievement index climbs the ranks", Nature 448, 737 (August 2007).
- [Social science goes virtual](https://philipball.co.uk/social-science-goes-virtual/) - "Social science goes virtual", Nature 448, 647 (August 2007).
- [Bacteria may be wiring up the soil](https://philipball.co.uk/bacteria-may-be-wiring-up-the-soil/) - "Bacteria may be wiring up the soil", Nature 449, 338 (September 2007).
- [The dune chorus](https://philipball.co.uk/the-dune-chorus/) - "The dune chorus", Nature 449, 10 (September 2007).
- [Botanists' blues](https://philipball.co.uk/botanists-blues/) - "Botanists' blues", Nature 449, 982 (October 2007).
- [From alchemy to chemistry](https://philipball.co.uk/from-alchemy-to-chemistry/) - "From alchemy to chemistry", Nature 449, 788 (October 2007).
- [Is technology unnatural?](https://philipball.co.uk/is-technology-unnatural/) - "Is technology unnatural?", Nature 450, 614 (November 2007).
- [The physics of sand dunes](https://philipball.co.uk/the-physics-of-sand-dunes/) - "The physics of sand dunes", Nature 457, 1084 (2009).
- [Quantum objects on show](https://philipball.co.uk/quantum-objects-on-show/) - "Quantum objects on show", Nature 462, 416 (2009).
- [Proteins unravelled](https://philipball.co.uk/proteins-unravelled/) - "Proteins unravelled", Chemistry World December 2009.
- [How sunlight became a commodity in Germany](https://philipball.co.uk/how-sunlight-became-a-commodity-in-germany/) - "How sunlight became a commodity in Germany", MRS Bulletin Energy Quarterly, September 2010, p.654-655.
- [Pauling's primer](https://philipball.co.uk/paulings-primer/) - "Pauling's primer", Nature 468, 1036 (2010)
- [The science of oil drilling goes deep](https://philipball.co.uk/the-science-of-oil-drilling-goes-deep/) - "The science of oil drilling goes deep", MRS Bulletin 35, 956-957, December 2010.
- [Newton’s rainbow](https://philipball.co.uk/newtons-rainbow/) - "Newton’s rainbow" [review of "Let Newton Be"], Nature 472, 168 (2011).
- [France’s nuclear power program continues in force](https://philipball.co.uk/frances-nuclear-power-program-continues-in-force/) - "France’s nuclear power program continues in force", MRS Bulletin 36, 418-420, June 2011.
- [A sticky end?](https://philipball.co.uk/a-sticky-end/) - "A sticky end?", Chemistry World August 2011.
- [Wind on the lakes](https://philipball.co.uk/wind-on-the-lakes/) - "Wind on the lakes", MRS Bulletin 36, 969-970 (2011).
- [Chemical history in bite-sized pieces](https://philipball.co.uk/chemical-history-in-bite-sized-pieces/) - "Chemical history in bite-sized pieces" (review of William Brock’s The Case of the Poisonous Socks: Tales from Chemistry), Nature Chemistry 4, 3 (2012)
- [A demon-haunted theory](https://philipball.co.uk/a-demon-haunted-theory/) - "A demon-haunted theory", Physics World, April, 36-39 (2013).
- [Mind as mirror](https://philipball.co.uk/mind-as-mirror/) - "Mind as mirror" [review of Surfaces and Essences by Douglas Hofstadter & Emmanuel Sander], Nature 496, 424-425 (2013).
- [What does DNA do?](https://philipball.co.uk/what-does-dna-do/) - "What does DNA do?", Chemistry World, May 2013.
- [Reviews of Time Reborn (Lee Smolin) and Farewell to Reality (Jim Baggott)](https://philipball.co.uk/reviews-of-time-reborn-lee-smolin-and-farewell-to-reality-jim-baggott/) - Reviews of Time Reborn (Lee Smolin) and Farewell to Reality (Jim Baggott), Observer 9 June 2013.

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