All articles by Philip Ball – Page 12
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Opinion
Chemistry's climate of scepticism
Philip Ball asks why chemistry seems to have more than its share of global warming’s opponents
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OpinionCrystallography 101
Philip Ball reflects on a century of progress in the science of structure
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Research
Metallic properties predicted for astatine
New calculations suggest that element 85 is a metal and even perhaps a superconductor
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FeatureA matter of solvation
The processes underpinning how solvent and solutes molecules interact are fundamental, but still mysterious. Philip Ball investigates
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Opinion
DNA waves don't wash
Philip Ball asks why a spectacular claim seems to have been overlooked. Sometimes science doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to
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Research
Solvent traffic responsible for electron gridlock
Ultrafast spectroscopy reveals electrons must obey rules of the road when pulling out into oncoming water
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OpinionA self-assembled periodic table
Philip Ball unpacks the instructions for a new periodic table
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Research
Protons wander freely in icy gas giant cores
Under intense pressures like those found on Uranus or Neptune ice may behave in very different ways, even giving rise to magnetic fields
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Opinion
The name's (quadruple) bond?
Philip Ball discusses the contentious issue of C2 bonding. Dare we draw four lines?
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OpinionQuantum leaps of faith
The path to quantum mechanics becomes smoother if you take a different route, says Philip Ball
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FeatureWhat does DNA do?
The more we learn about DNA, the less we seem to know, as Philip Ball discovers
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ResearchWater structure controversy laid to rest?
A solution to puzzling claims that water arranges itself in rings and chains, rather than the anticipated tetrahedral arrangement, may have been found
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Opinion
A (chemical) potential theory of life's origin
Philip Ball says we should look beyond the molecules that make us to find the spark of life
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Research
Why don't nanobubbles go pop?
New study claims that nanobubbles' stability is down to supersaturation of the liquid surrounding the bubble with gas
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Research
Controversial theory of smell given a boost
Molecular vibrations may be responsible for our ability to distinguish between different odours, new experiments show