Philip Ball
@philipcball.bsky.social
Science writer and author of books including Bright Earth, The Music Instinct, Beyond Weird, How Life Works.
Hank is right, of course. "Says it can predict". Yeah, those companies will predict, if you pay them, sure they will. (And if I know the height of the parents and their socioeconomic status, I could probably make pretty good height and "IQ" predictions too.) Enough of this voodoo science.
"I can call spirits from the vasty deed."
"Why and so can I, or so can any man, but will they come when you do call for them?"
Prediction is easy; being right is hard!
; )
"Why and so can I, or so can any man, but will they come when you do call for them?"
Prediction is easy; being right is hard!
; )
New embryo testing company says it can predict lifespan, height and IQ of potential children www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvVM... - grifters gonna grift... 🤑💰💵
November 10, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Hank is right, of course. "Says it can predict". Yeah, those companies will predict, if you pay them, sure they will. (And if I know the height of the parents and their socioeconomic status, I could probably make pretty good height and "IQ" predictions too.) Enough of this voodoo science.
Reposted by Philip Ball
“When I was [at the BBC], at the height of Boris Johnson’s strength, that fear was ubiquitous. Scripts were sometimes written with a view not solely to their impartiality or truth, but the management of perception of impartiality from one side of the spectrum.“ @lewisgoodall.com
The truth about impartiality at the BBC
And the hysteria of the current "crisis"
goodallandgoodluck.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:21 PM
“When I was [at the BBC], at the height of Boris Johnson’s strength, that fear was ubiquitous. Scripts were sometimes written with a view not solely to their impartiality or truth, but the management of perception of impartiality from one side of the spectrum.“ @lewisgoodall.com
I'm here on a mission, and the mission is to finish writing my bloody book. Fortunately, much rain is forecast.
November 10, 2025 at 5:30 PM
I'm here on a mission, and the mission is to finish writing my bloody book. Fortunately, much rain is forecast.
Reposted by Philip Ball
“Immigration status becomes significant when you’re a monster but not when you’re a hero.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Violent crime is at a low, yet people’s experiences tell a different story | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 4:08 PM
“Immigration status becomes significant when you’re a monster but not when you’re a hero.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
And water layers this thin do not generally behave like bulk water.
The protein concentration in the cytoplasm is so high that the average protein has a water hydration shell with a thickness of only ≈ 10 water molecules separating it from the adjacent protein hydration shell.
1/2
1/2
November 10, 2025 at 4:34 PM
And water layers this thin do not generally behave like bulk water.
Reposted by Philip Ball
But that is not enough. No.10 should never have been in a position to install Gibb in the first place. It shouldn't control the board membership, the DG appointment, or the purse strings. What's required is genuine independence for the BBC.
November 10, 2025 at 12:50 PM
But that is not enough. No.10 should never have been in a position to install Gibb in the first place. It shouldn't control the board membership, the DG appointment, or the purse strings. What's required is genuine independence for the BBC.
Reposted by Philip Ball
Should Gibb be sacked? yes, obviously. He's an abomination of basic journalistic standards. His GB News channel spreads conspiracy theory & disinformation. His Jewish Chronicle newspaper spreads invented stories. He is plainly trying to undermine the BBC so it's as bad as everything else he touches.
November 10, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Should Gibb be sacked? yes, obviously. He's an abomination of basic journalistic standards. His GB News channel spreads conspiracy theory & disinformation. His Jewish Chronicle newspaper spreads invented stories. He is plainly trying to undermine the BBC so it's as bad as everything else he touches.
Reposted by Philip Ball
The impossible dream some people on the British right are chasing is that you can have a BBC News operation that retreats from detail and expertise, that takes dictation from the government, but this will only create incompetence and failure when it suits you:
To fix the BBC, focus on competence and cash
Corporation fails to learn from criticism, while politicians have consciously reduced its scope for quality journalism
www.ft.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:01 AM
The impossible dream some people on the British right are chasing is that you can have a BBC News operation that retreats from detail and expertise, that takes dictation from the government, but this will only create incompetence and failure when it suits you:
Davie resigning in the face of such a feeble, fake charge feels almost like discrediting the BBC is his intention.
I'm not saying it is, but it's weird. There has certainly got to be more going on behind the scenes.
I'm not saying it is, but it's weird. There has certainly got to be more going on behind the scenes.
November 9, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Davie resigning in the face of such a feeble, fake charge feels almost like discrediting the BBC is his intention.
I'm not saying it is, but it's weird. There has certainly got to be more going on behind the scenes.
I'm not saying it is, but it's weird. There has certainly got to be more going on behind the scenes.
Reposted by Philip Ball
On the latest Strange New Worlds, I share my conversation with @seanmcarroll.bsky.social on his Mindscape Podcast, where we talk about astrobiology, the origins of life, and complexity.
Episode 191: Mike on Sean Carroll's Mindscape
Mike beams aboard Sean Carroll's Mindscape Podcast to talk about astrobiology, the origins of life, complexity, and the proposal for a
soundcloud.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:57 PM
On the latest Strange New Worlds, I share my conversation with @seanmcarroll.bsky.social on his Mindscape Podcast, where we talk about astrobiology, the origins of life, and complexity.
Reposted by Philip Ball
I get this a lot too. I don't use ChatGPT or any LLMs in my work because I want my writing to sound like me, not like the averaged-out voice of the internet. But also, writing is thinking, and thinking is a habit. I don't want to get out of that habit.
A friend recently texted me the same thing. “Do you really not use ChatGPT?!” It was a sign of where we are culturally on this. People are compelled to use it but also starting to question the normalcy?
Recently met someone who was very surprised to hear I didn’t use ChatGPT or any LLM.
I said my job depended on doing distinctive work. That was my selling point. If I started to sound like ChatGPT and turn out what it did, then how on earth could I justify doing it? What would that make me?
I said my job depended on doing distinctive work. That was my selling point. If I started to sound like ChatGPT and turn out what it did, then how on earth could I justify doing it? What would that make me?
November 8, 2025 at 1:43 PM
I get this a lot too. I don't use ChatGPT or any LLMs in my work because I want my writing to sound like me, not like the averaged-out voice of the internet. But also, writing is thinking, and thinking is a habit. I don't want to get out of that habit.
This seems fair. It's certainly possible to be inconsistently/selectively racist. It worries me more that when Watson *was* racist, he often defended it with spurious genetic arguments.
Very sad to hear about Jim Watson’s death. If you think he was always a racist you are wrong. He refused to support genes/IQ research in the 70s. He boycotted Greece because of the military coup in 1967 and he called for a boycott of meetings in Chicago after the police riot of 1968. 1/2
November 8, 2025 at 12:26 PM
This seems fair. It's certainly possible to be inconsistently/selectively racist. It worries me more that when Watson *was* racist, he often defended it with spurious genetic arguments.
Reposted by Philip Ball
Very sad to hear about Jim Watson’s death. If you think he was always a racist you are wrong. He refused to support genes/IQ research in the 70s. He boycotted Greece because of the military coup in 1967 and he called for a boycott of meetings in Chicago after the police riot of 1968. 1/2
November 7, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Very sad to hear about Jim Watson’s death. If you think he was always a racist you are wrong. He refused to support genes/IQ research in the 70s. He boycotted Greece because of the military coup in 1967 and he called for a boycott of meetings in Chicago after the police riot of 1968. 1/2
This is going to be the perfect companion to @matthewcobb.bsky.social's Crick biog.
James D. Watson is dead. Stay tuned for some thoughts, based on my research on his biography, to be published soon.
While I write that up, y'all can throw tomatoes at this if you like. But I will offer a more nuanced take.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
While I write that up, y'all can throw tomatoes at this if you like. But I will offer a more nuanced take.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:18 AM
This is going to be the perfect companion to @matthewcobb.bsky.social's Crick biog.
Reposted by Philip Ball
Jim Watson leaves a complex legacy. He will be remembered for one of THE discoveries of the 20th century but also for a baseless & damaging conviction for which there simply is no evidence
RIP
🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
RIP
🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
DNA pioneer James Watson has died ― colleagues wrestle with his legacy
The co-discoverer of the structure of DNA helped to strengthen a US research institute and wrote a classic textbook, but also earned a reputation for racist and sexist comments.
www.nature.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Jim Watson leaves a complex legacy. He will be remembered for one of THE discoveries of the 20th century but also for a baseless & damaging conviction for which there simply is no evidence
RIP
🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
RIP
🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Philip Ball
On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:25 PM
On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Philip Ball
I hosted a great discussion of it all here too:
November 8, 2025 at 11:03 AM
I hosted a great discussion of it all here too:
It is possible to recognise that Watson's treatment of Franklin was despicable and at the same time to acknowledge that Matthew is right.
If you believe either that Franklin discovered the double helix, and / or Watson and Crick stole her data, ask yourself how you know this. Then take a read of this article.
If I see one more stupid Rosalind Franklin take I'm going to lose my mind. Thank god for @matthewcobb.bsky.social and @nccomfort.bsky.social. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
November 8, 2025 at 10:25 AM
It is possible to recognise that Watson's treatment of Franklin was despicable and at the same time to acknowledge that Matthew is right.
"Um, are you sure Ronald?"
"Yes, paint me like this, what's the problem?"
"It's just your h-"
"What? My what?"
"Oh nothing, OK, hold still."
"Yes, paint me like this, what's the problem?"
"It's just your h-"
"What? My what?"
"Oh nothing, OK, hold still."
November 8, 2025 at 10:19 AM
"Um, are you sure Ronald?"
"Yes, paint me like this, what's the problem?"
"It's just your h-"
"What? My what?"
"Oh nothing, OK, hold still."
"Yes, paint me like this, what's the problem?"
"It's just your h-"
"What? My what?"
"Oh nothing, OK, hold still."
Reposted by Philip Ball
James Watson was not just a scientist who was a racist. He was worse - a scientist who offered other racists the comfort of scientific authority.
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:40 PM
James Watson was not just a scientist who was a racist. He was worse - a scientist who offered other racists the comfort of scientific authority.
Reposted by Philip Ball
For the first time, physicists have formulated quantum theory without imaginary numbers, overturning a 2021 claim that these unreal numbers are essential for describing the quantum world.
www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-t...
www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-t...
Physicists Take the Imaginary Numbers Out of Quantum Mechanics | Quanta Magazine
Quantum mechanics has at last been formulated exclusively with real numbers, bringing a mathematical puzzle at the heart of the theory into a new era of inquiry.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 7, 2025 at 3:16 PM
For the first time, physicists have formulated quantum theory without imaginary numbers, overturning a 2021 claim that these unreal numbers are essential for describing the quantum world.
www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-t...
www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-t...
Heading to Oxford now to give this talk this evening. Do come if you're nearby and free.
www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/the-a...
www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/the-a...
The Annual Charles Simonyi Lecture: Philip Ball | Oxford Playhouse
Join Marcus du Sautoy and Philip Ball for the 2025 Charles Simonyi Lecture, Beyond Weird: One Hundred Years of Quantum Mechanics
A century ago, Werner Heis
www.oxfordplayhouse.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Heading to Oxford now to give this talk this evening. Do come if you're nearby and free.
www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/the-a...
www.oxfordplayhouse.com/events/the-a...
Reposted by Philip Ball
From tomorrow, there is an excellent exhibit at the National Gallery in London where you can see Joseph Wright of Derby's science-themed paintings. I had a chance to see a preview earlier this week and wrote about it for the Forbes website. #scicomm #sciart 🐡 #london
www.forbes.com/sites/evaams...
www.forbes.com/sites/evaams...
The Artist Who Captured 18th Century Science Demonstrations
Joseph Wright of Derby was one of the first people to document public scientific lectures during the Enlightenment period.
www.forbes.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:31 PM
From tomorrow, there is an excellent exhibit at the National Gallery in London where you can see Joseph Wright of Derby's science-themed paintings. I had a chance to see a preview earlier this week and wrote about it for the Forbes website. #scicomm #sciart 🐡 #london
www.forbes.com/sites/evaams...
www.forbes.com/sites/evaams...
The @physicsworld.bsky.social Quantum Briefing is very good (and not just because I have a long piece on the quantum computing industry in it). And it's free to read!
physicsworld.com/p/magazine/a...
physicsworld.com/p/magazine/a...
Physics World Quantum Briefing Part 2 2025 – Physics World
physicsworld.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:34 PM
The @physicsworld.bsky.social Quantum Briefing is very good (and not just because I have a long piece on the quantum computing industry in it). And it's free to read!
physicsworld.com/p/magazine/a...
physicsworld.com/p/magazine/a...