Philip Ball – Page 2
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OpinionJames Lovelock, a gentleman scientist
Philip Ball reflects on the legacy of the creator of the Gaia hypothesis, who has died aged 103
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OpinionPeriod of discovery
Chemical space contained sufficient information to formulate the periodic system 25 years before Mendeleev
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OpinionFrom prebiotic soup to fine-grained RNA world
Theories about how life emerged need to be closely attuned to conditions on the early Earth
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OpinionIs there a natural order in which complex objects appear?
Assembly theory suggests there might be
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OpinionBeyond the transition state
Entropy production could be a key guide to predicting how a reaction product forms
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ArticleCausal emergence might explain how living systems can operate
Life does not run like clockwork
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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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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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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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OpinionScience is political
The personal values held by scientists should influence the accolades they receive
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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–