All articles by Philip Ball – Page 3
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OpinionA century of curly arrows
Celebrating the simple symbols that – along with their straight counterparts – encapsulate complex chemical behaviours
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ResearchDirect evidence emerges for the existence of two forms of liquid water
Low temperature experiments with sugary solution reveal transition from low- to high-density states at pressure
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OpinionNed Seeman’s legacy
A system based on DNA ‘tiles’ can embody Darwinian evolution, raising new possibilities for understanding natural selection and materials development
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OpinionDon’t let the burden of proof squeeze the life out of ideas
Extraordinary claims can be extraordinarily stimulating
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ResearchQuantum double-slit experiment done with molecules for the first time
Researchers prepare ‘new type of matter’ to conduct classic wave–particle duality experiment
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OpinionVolta’s ink spills its secrets
Chemical analysis of manuscripts can reveal details of their author’s life and motivations
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OpinionA vaccine for all seasons?
Phase 1 clinical trials have begun on a candidate that could work against a wide range of flu viruses
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OpinionHidden details in iconic portrait of Lavoisiers reveal fears of coming revolution
As the French Revolution neared the Lavoisiers were reimagined as scientific progressives rather than out of touch aristocrats
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ResearchObserving the life and death of a single excited-state molecule
Individual pentacene’s triplet lifetime – and how it is cut short by a nearby oxygen – measured with atomic resolution
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ResearchTentacled droplets swim with stored heat energy
Microdroplets with retractable tendrils could help researchers understand how bacteria move
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OpinionScience is political
The personal values held by scientists should influence the accolades they receive
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ResearchTiniest Turing patterns found in atomically thin bismuth
Nanoscale stripes and networks that resemble animal markings could be used to make quantum wires
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NewsRace to understand Sars-CoV-2 variants amid fears virus might evade vaccines
Biochemical basis behind coronavirus variants’ success could hold key to defeating them
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OpinionFurin fundamentals
There’s no direct evidence for the lab leak hypothesis – and the biochemistry of the virus might not tell us much about it
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OpinionLearning the language of chemistry
Artificial intelligence works out the grammar of chemical reactions
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OpinionRewards based on priority drive unnecessary competition
The story of Crispr illustrates how a focus on patents and publications can cause good people to act in unsavoury ways
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OpinionWhen does a hydrogen bond become a covalent bond?
Ultrafast infrared spectroscopy probes the character of the short, strong bonds in HF2–