Skip to Content

philip ball

The Fifth Force of Physics Is Hanging by a Thread

As scientists chase tantalizing hints of a new force, modern physics hangs in the balance.

March 10, 2017

If Not Darwin, Who?

An alternative history of the great ideas of science.

December 14, 2016

Authenticity in the Age of the Fake

As science blurs the real and unreal, we are learning to distinguish them in new ways.

November 11, 2016

Cursive Handwriting and Other Education Myths

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

September 2, 2016

Ingenious: Nick Lane

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

May 2, 2016

Yes, Life in the Fast Lane Kills You

New insights into mitochondria reveal how life expends energy.

May 2, 2016

Why Physics Is Not a Discipline

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

April 18, 2016

Why Nature Prefers Hexagons

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

March 25, 2016

Describing People as Particles Isn’t Always a Bad Idea

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

February 4, 2016

How Big Can Schrödinger’s Kittens Get?

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

October 1, 2015

The Trouble With Scientists

How one psychologist is tackling human biases in science.

May 8, 2015

The Strange Inevitability of Evolution

Good solutions to biology’s problems are astonishingly plentiful.

November 24, 2014