Philip Ball

Aug 10, 2024 | newsbreak.com | Philip Ball

Godfrey-Smith is convinced that conscious experience is probably widespread in animals. Photograph: Leighton Lum/Getty Images/500px Plus When Charles Darwin enlisted for his formative voyage on the Beagle in 1831, his role was primarily not that of a naturalist but a geologist. He developed his theory of evolution by natural selection with a keen eye on the interactions of the living and the geological world, recognising that life on Earth could transform the very environment that shapes it.

Jul 21, 2024 | wired.com | Philip Ball

A few centuries ago, the swirling polychromatic chaos of Jupiter’s atmosphere spawned the immense vortex that we call the Great Red Spot. From the frantic firing of billions of neurons in your brain comes your unique and coherent experience of reading these words. As pedestrians each try to weave their path on a crowded sidewalk, they begin to follow one another, forming streams that no one ordained or consciously chose.

Apr 30, 2024 | nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com | Philip Ball

The problem with defining “life” has bedeviled biology throughout its history, and still there is no agreed resolution. But one of the best ways to characterize living entities is not through any of the features or properties usually considered to define it, such as replication, metabolism, or evolution. Rather, living entities are generators of meaning.

Feb 28, 2024 | physicsworld.com | Philip Ball

Physicists in the US and China have devised a technique for making reliable measurements of the magnetic properties of materials held under very high pressures. Their method could help researchers discover materials that are superconductors at high temperatures and high pressures.

Nov 11, 2023 | livescience.com | Philip Ball

In the excerpt below taken from "Beautiful Experiments: An Illustrated History of Experimental Science" (The University of Chicago Press, 2023), Philip Ball dives into the 17th and 18th century experiments that sought to figure out the answer to a fundamental question: What induces eggs to develop? From microscopic observations of spermatozoa to special little sperm-catching trousers for frogs, Ball reveals how we came to understand fertilization.