All articles by Philip Ball – Page 15
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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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Feature
Proteins unravelled
Philip Ball explores the phenomenon of protein unfolding, and considers new techniques for keeping the egg unscrambled
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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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News
Researchers form first liquid protein
Chemists in the UK have figured out how to convert pure proteins into a liquid state, without any solvent
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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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Feature
Feynman's fancy
Richard Feynman's famous talk on atom-by-atom assembly is often credited with kick-starting nanotechnology. Fifty years on, Philip Ball investigates how influential it really was
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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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Feature
Literary reactions
Chemistry makes occasional appearances in fiction but rarely takes centre stage. Philip Ball unearths chemistry's fictional roles