Helen Czerski

London

Columnist at The Wall Street Journal

Physics, bubbles, oceans, hot chocolate and curiosity. Author of Storm in a Teacup & Blue Machine https://t.co/b6RFwt8UEj @helenczerski.bsky.social

Articles

Ends of the Earth by Neil Shubin

2 months ago | the-tls.co.uk | Helen Czerski

Welcome to the TLSWinner of the 2024 Niche Market Newspaper of the Year Award and proudly niche since 1902.
Fragments Against My Ruin by Farrukh Dhondy

2 months ago | the-tls.co.uk | Franklin Nelson |Paul Cartledge |Eleanor Barraclough |Helen Czerski

A man wearing a dark rollneck sweater and a long coat stands in front of a two-tone door, his brow furrowed and his beard overgrown. Staring into the camera as if for a mugshot, he holds a newspaper in front of him. “Fire Bomb Attack on Black People: Unity Centre Bombed”, reads the front page. This cover-image introduction to the writer Farrukh Dhondy constitutes just one of the “fragments” he has “shored against [his] ruin”, after the closing stanza of T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land.
Empowering and Hopeful Storytelling Celebrated as Wainwright Prize 2024 Announced.

Sep 11, 2024 | l8r.it | Charlotte Walker |Michael Malay |Chantal Lyons |Helen Czerski

This evening, at an event held at Camley Street Natural Park, an urban nature reserve in the heart of London, the winners of the 2024 Wainwright Prize have been announced. The event was also livestreamed by The Wildlife Trusts. The Wainwright Prize celebrates conservation and nature writing, showcasing books that inspire readers to respect the environment and embrace nature and the outdoors.
How to Hear Underwater Like a Whale

Sep 5, 2024 | wsj.com | Helen Czerski

Here in London, summer eventually arrived with enthusiasm; it finally got sunny enough, for instance, to really appreciate ice cream (eating it even on gray days is a very British habit). But my favorite summertime treat has been to swim laps in an outdoor pool early in the morning, turning as I breathe from the patterns of sunlight on the pool floor to the bright blue sky above. These swims have always been a time of quiet contemplation, until this year.
The Wall Street Journal

Sep 2, 2024 | on.wsj.com | Jason Gay |Helen Czerski |Joanna Stern |Daniel Henninger

Another crummy labor-market report could tee up a larger, half-point rate cut, but decent hiring would keep the Fed on track for a quarter-point cut.5 min readLive MarketsTech-heavy Nasdaq-100 futures led losses ahead of the closely watched employment figures. Traders are on edge after the previous report’s weak figures sent markets into a tailspin.
Why Some Hair Just Can’t Be Styled

Jul 11, 2024 | wsj.com | Helen Czerski

Down at the micro scale, hair is quite astonishing stuff. When dry, it’s about 97% protein, but that protein has an enormous amount of structure. Long protein molecules are coiled into minuscule ropes that are bundled together to form long microfibrils. These are organized into bigger bunches that form the core of each hair fiber. This strong core is armored with an outer layer of tiny overlapping protein scales (called the cuticle) that form a relatively smooth surface.
How Swans Stay White in Muddy Waters

Jun 6, 2024 | wsj.com | Helen Czerski

They use oil from a special gland and their own saliva to keep dirt off their feathersSwans are the gentle giants of my local waterways: floating paragons of snowy serenity that cruise peacefully through muddy brown water amid the rowdy confusion of their smaller brethren. And they present a puzzle. Around them, mallards, Egyptian geese and Mandarin ducks have plumage so varied that it seems like any little speck of dirt or grime would disappear into the design.
Coming Soon

Mar 26, 2024 | l8r.it | Helen Czerski |Celine Saintclare |Paul Murray |Olivia Laing

Buy from our bookstore and 25% of the cover price will be given to a school of your choice to buy more books. *15% of eBooks. Home > Coming Soon
The Ingenious Grooves in Chocolate Bars

Feb 22, 2024 | wsj.com | Helen Czerski

Engineered flaws make it easier to break off a piece—or three—using the same principle as perforated paper or crumple zones in carsPhysicist Helen Czerski explores the complex science behind familiar phenomena. Read more columns here. We live in a world where strength is generally celebrated and weakness is hidden away, looked down on as an inconvenience or an embarrassment.
Getting a Grip on Gravity Aboard a Ship

Jan 11, 2024 | wsj.com | Helen Czerski

Gravity is incredibly useful, most of all because it’s reliable. We put things on shelves knowing that they’re going to stay there. Faucets point downward because the water will come out and keep going down. But if you need a ship to go in specific directions for scientific reasons, it can’t sit in the most stable orientation amid the wind and the waves. The ship will roll much more than normal and gravity effectively becomes changeable.