Philip Ball
Philip Ball is a freelance science writer.
He worked previously at Nature for over 20 years, first as an editor for physical sciences and then as a Consultant Editor. His writings on science for the popular press have covered topical issues ranging from cosmology to the future of molecular biology.
Philip is the author of many popular books on science and has delivered lectures to scientific and general audiences at venues ranging from the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) to the NASA Ames Research Center, London's National Theatre and the London School of Economics.
Philip writes regularly for Nature. He has contributed to publications ranging from New Scientist to the New York Times, the Guardian, the Financial Times and New Statesman. He is a contributing editor of Prospect magazine and also a columnist for Nature Materials and the Italian science magazine Sapere. He has broadcast on many occasions on radio and TV, and is a presenter of 'Science Stories' on BBC Radio 4. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, sits on the editorial board of Chemistry World and Interdiscipinary Science Reviews, and is a board member of the RESOLV network on solvation science at the Ruhr University of Bochum.
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
- Opinion
When does a hydrogen bond become a covalent bond?
Ultrafast infrared spectroscopy probes the character of the short, strong bonds in HF2–
- Opinion
Behind the screens of AlphaFold
Predicting protein structure doesn’t necessarily say much about function
- Feature
How does a cell know what kind of cell it should be?
Philip Ball investigates how cells use condensed ‘blobs’ to collect the molecules involved in regulating genes
- Research
New ordering of elements could help find materials with promising properties
Universal sequence of elements index uses atomic radii and electronegativity to make predictions about simple compounds
- Opinion
Pseudoscience moving into the mainstream
Pseudoscience now has more serious consequences than a few bent spoons
- Opinion
The ethical debate around Crispr
The gene editing technique deserves its Nobel Prize, but we should continue to interrogate how it is used
- Opinion
The true value of scientific holy grails
It comes from the journey, not the goal writes Philip Ball
- Research
Simulation says supercritical water has no hydrogen bonds
Computational approach seeks to clarify bonding confusion
- Opinion
Making light of bioluminescence
Glowing may be a side-effect of a very different original purpose
- Opinion
Viewing science as a meritocracy allows prejudice to persist
Tomáš Hudlický’s opinions are abhorrent but disturbingly familiar
- Opinion
Arbitrary questions don’t count as education
Students should be encouraged to do more than regurgitate what they are told
- Opinion
The chemical absurdity of molecular recognition
Many biological models rely on an agency that molecules lack
- Opinion
Frances Arnold’s retraction and the case for slow science
Frances Arnold’s masterful retraction highlights the problems with publication-driven science
- News
Has the chemistry Nobel prize really become the biology prize?
Researchers digging into the data call for honesty and transparency on how the prize has changed over the years
