All The crucible articles – Page 10
-
Opinion
The power of salinity
Philip Ball looks at a new device that creates energy from salinity differences between fresh and sea water
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Opinion
The upsides to amyloid proteins
Unwinding protein fibrils could give a glimpse of how peptides survived on early Earth
-
Opinion
Making use of molecular motions
Thermal motions on the molecular scale are not just useless noise, discovers Philip Ball
-
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
-
Opinion
The utility of oxidation states
Oxidation state is a convenient fiction, but the concept is far from meaningless, writes Philip Ball
-
Opinion
Casimir concord
Philip Ball uncovers a pleasing symmetry surrounding the mysterious Casimir force
-
Opinion
Notions of nanobots
Ubiquitous images of nanobots are 20,000 leagues from reality, warns Phil Ball
-
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
-
Opinion
Fitting science into fiction
You don't need to understand the science bits, says Philip Ball, just what they represent
-
Opinion
Unbalanced DNA
If DNA polymerisation is reversible, asks Philip Ball, why don't we end up with some static equilibrium?
-
Opinion
Identifying an ancient miracle medicine
Philip Ball gets down to earth with chemical archaeologists
-
OpinionArtfully communicating science
Art inspired by science should be more than just a pretty picture, says Philip Ball