Philip Ball

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    Cursive Handwriting and Other Education Myths

    Teaching cursive handwriting doesn’t have nearly the value we think it does.

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    Ingenious: Nick Lane

    The biochemist explains the elements of life, sex, and aging.

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    Yes, Life in the Fast Lane Kills You

    New insights into mitochondria reveal how life expends energy.

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    Why Physics Is Not a Discipline

    Physics is not just what happens in the Department of Physics.

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    Why Nature Prefers Hexagons

    The geometric rules behind fly eyes, honeycombs, and soap bubbles.

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    Describing People as Particles Isn’t Always a Bad Idea

    Using physics to describe social phenomena can work—if it’s the right physics.

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    How Big Can Schrödinger’s Kittens Get?

    Scientists are slowly scaling up quantum effects from atomic to human size.

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    Will ET Drink Water?

    The intricate compatibility of water and life on Earth may not extend to other planets.

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    The Trouble With Scientists

    How one psychologist is tackling human biases in science.

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    The Strange Inevitability of Evolution

    Good solutions to biology’s problems are astonishingly plentiful.