All articles by Philip Ball – Page 5
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Opinion
Storytelling matters in science
Communicating ideas needs a narrative to get the point across
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Opinion
How old is the Turin Shroud?
New evidence has reopened the debate on radiocarbon dating of the relic
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Research
Hopes raised of a ‘super-table’ to end periodic table disputes
Mathematical analysis could help answer where hydrogen or lanthanum should sit on the table
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Research
Leap forward for molecular computing as DNA executes six-bit algorithms
Computer made from DNA strands can recognise palindromes, copy and sort data, and perform random walks
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Opinion
Does science need democracy to flourish?
Evidence shows good work can survive even the harshest regimes
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Opinion
Whose periodic table is it anyway?
Dmitri Mendeleev’s table was not the first – but it’s the one that matters
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Article
Philip Ball: The Elements Song
Philip Ball updates The Elements Song for the International Year of the Periodic Table
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Feature
What is an element?
Our understanding of what an element is has evolved over the years, but it’s still a tricky concept to nail down. Philip Ball investigates
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Research
Bonding rethink called for as new metavalent bond proposed
Combination of elements in the metalloid region of periodic table produces a bond with both metallic and covalent characteristics
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Opinion
Does Ada Lovelace belong on the £50 note?
Tales from the amazing life of the self-proclaimed ‘bride of science’
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Feature
Are the Nobel prizes good for science?
Philip Ball looks at whether prizes and awards help or hinder scientific progress
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Opinion
The physicist's guide to biology
How Erwin Schrödinger’s What is Life? overlooked the central science
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Research
Trapped-ion quantum computer does chemistry calculations for the first time
For an accurate quantum simulation, all you need is a few atoms
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Opinion
Preserving the Naica Cave of Crystals
Visitors are changing the chemistry of a natural wonder of the world
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Research
Spins doctor water’s reactivity
Ultracold experiments reveal water isomers have different reaction rates