All The crucible articles – Page 10
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Opinion
Scientific Reality Shows
I'm no fan of reality TV. But watching people just going about their business can be fascinating, says Philip Ball
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Opinion
Scientific Debate
Three chemists have resurrected the art of science debate by publishing their conversations on the nature of bonds. This is science that makes you smile, says Philip Ball
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Opinion
The scientific wrinkles of facial rejuvenation
Could red light and green tea really give 'facial rejuvenation'? Philip Ball looks at the intriguing science behind this new claim
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Opinion
Hunger for h-index
Philip Ball rakes through the findings of new research into the h-index and unearths some top tips for citation-hungry researchers
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Opinion
The power of salinity
Philip Ball looks at a new device that creates energy from salinity differences between fresh and sea water
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Opinion
A nose for nanoparticles
Zinc nanoparticles appear to have the ability to make odorants smell stronger and could a give a valuable insight into how olfaction works, says Philip Ball
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Opinion
Polyhedra of the past
Today polyhedra speak to chemists of fullerenes and other cage molecules. But they once had a very different meaning, says Philip Ball
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Opinion
Golden garments
Simple nanoscience is bringing the legendary Golden Fleece to life in the form of merino wool dyed with gold. Philip Ball links myth to modern science
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Opinion
The upsides to amyloid proteins
Unwinding protein fibrils could give a glimpse of how peptides survived on early Earth
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Opinion
Making use of molecular motions
Thermal motions on the molecular scale are not just useless noise, discovers Philip Ball
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Opinion
The science of scents is not simple
The flowery language of fragrance chemistry doesn't distract Philip Ball from the sharp scent of olfactory understanding
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Opinion
The utility of oxidation states
Oxidation state is a convenient fiction, but the concept is far from meaningless, writes Philip Ball
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Opinion
Casimir concord
Philip Ball uncovers a pleasing symmetry surrounding the mysterious Casimir force
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Opinion
Notions of nanobots
Ubiquitous images of nanobots are 20,000 leagues from reality, warns Phil Ball
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Opinion
Is the time ripe for a new second?
Philip Ball asks if you can spare him 429 228 004 229 952 oscillations of your time
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Opinion
Fitting science into fiction
You don't need to understand the science bits, says Philip Ball, just what they represent
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Opinion
Unbalanced DNA
If DNA polymerisation is reversible, asks Philip Ball, why don't we end up with some static equilibrium?
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Opinion
Identifying an ancient miracle medicine
Philip Ball gets down to earth with chemical archaeologists