Philip Ball
@philipcball.bsky.social
Science writer and author of books including Bright Earth, The Music Instinct, Beyond Weird, How Life Works.
The reason I stay on the email list for The Dispatch is so that I can get a sense of what "respectable" journalism looks like as it embraces an authoritarian regime. Sadly, that might one day become useful knowledge in the UK too.
thedispatch.com/article/nico...
thedispatch.com/article/nico...
Why We Toppled Maduro
The administration’s domestic, legal, and foreign policy justifications for capturing the Venezuelan president are in tension.
thedispatch.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:42 PM
The reason I stay on the email list for The Dispatch is so that I can get a sense of what "respectable" journalism looks like as it embraces an authoritarian regime. Sadly, that might one day become useful knowledge in the UK too.
thedispatch.com/article/nico...
thedispatch.com/article/nico...
Reposted by Philip Ball
here i am in the wsj on the very fine new biography of Francis Crick by @matthewcobb.bsky.social: www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
‘Crick’ Review: The Molecule and the Man
The revelation of DNA’s chemical structure made it possible to understand how it might replicate and direct the growth of life-forms.
www.wsj.com
January 5, 2026 at 6:44 PM
here i am in the wsj on the very fine new biography of Francis Crick by @matthewcobb.bsky.social: www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
Yep, I'm afraid so.
Extraordinarily bleak paragraph about US science by @philipcball.bsky.social
January 5, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Yep, I'm afraid so.
Reposted by Philip Ball
„Never forget: whenever Elon Musk walks up to a podium to bullshit you about colonizing Mars or whatever, he is walking on the bodies of dead children. He yanked their food and medicine away while telling lies and cracking stupid jokes.“
@dereklowe.bsky.social as usual not pulling any punches
@dereklowe.bsky.social as usual not pulling any punches
Last Year, and the Year to Come
www.science.org
January 5, 2026 at 9:27 AM
„Never forget: whenever Elon Musk walks up to a podium to bullshit you about colonizing Mars or whatever, he is walking on the bodies of dead children. He yanked their food and medicine away while telling lies and cracking stupid jokes.“
@dereklowe.bsky.social as usual not pulling any punches
@dereklowe.bsky.social as usual not pulling any punches
A new review of Alchemy: An Illustrated History, though I'm not a subscriber so have no idea how pleased (or not) I should be.
www.watoday.com.au/culture/book...
www.watoday.com.au/culture/book...
The story of how ancient alchemy led to the birth of modern science
Philip Ball’s new book traces the origins of alchemy, once seen as akin to witchcraft.
www.watoday.com.au
January 1, 2026 at 9:32 PM
A new review of Alchemy: An Illustrated History, though I'm not a subscriber so have no idea how pleased (or not) I should be.
www.watoday.com.au/culture/book...
www.watoday.com.au/culture/book...
Reposted by Philip Ball
2020s: AI "System Prompts" are lengthy, carefully constructed sets of expert rules about a particular domain, created by "prompt engineers".
1980s: AI "Expert Systems" were lengthy, carefully constructed sets of expert rules about a particular domain, created by "knowledge engineers".
1980s: AI "Expert Systems" were lengthy, carefully constructed sets of expert rules about a particular domain, created by "knowledge engineers".
January 1, 2026 at 8:59 PM
2020s: AI "System Prompts" are lengthy, carefully constructed sets of expert rules about a particular domain, created by "prompt engineers".
1980s: AI "Expert Systems" were lengthy, carefully constructed sets of expert rules about a particular domain, created by "knowledge engineers".
1980s: AI "Expert Systems" were lengthy, carefully constructed sets of expert rules about a particular domain, created by "knowledge engineers".
Oh dear, this look ahead for the year in science sounds rather bleaker than I hoped it might. Sorry about that. And it's not all gloom.
www.thenewworld.co.uk/philip-ball-...
www.thenewworld.co.uk/philip-ball-...
2026: the year of the American basketcase
In the coming 12 months, one thing is for certain – the American war on science will only get worse
www.thenewworld.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 9:29 PM
Oh dear, this look ahead for the year in science sounds rather bleaker than I hoped it might. Sorry about that. And it's not all gloom.
www.thenewworld.co.uk/philip-ball-...
www.thenewworld.co.uk/philip-ball-...
ICYMI: Here are two very nice programmes that appeared on BBC Radio 4 over the holidays in which I've contributed. First, a report from the summer on the big quantum mechanics meeting on Helgoland.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - What Is Quantum?
Marnie Chesterton travels to the birthplace of quantum theory armed with just one question
www.bbc.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 6:18 PM
ICYMI: Here are two very nice programmes that appeared on BBC Radio 4 over the holidays in which I've contributed. First, a report from the summer on the big quantum mechanics meeting on Helgoland.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
Here's an example of why the BBC is worth having and defending: a super-smart Radio 4 series presented by the super-smart Matthew Sweet, on the idea of progress. I feel honoured to here be in the company of folks like David Edgerton.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
What Happened to Progress? - Forward Thinking - BBC Sounds
From technology to the climate to the global order, has human progress gone into reverse?
www.bbc.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Here's an example of why the BBC is worth having and defending: a super-smart Radio 4 series presented by the super-smart Matthew Sweet, on the idea of progress. I feel honoured to here be in the company of folks like David Edgerton.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Reposted by Philip Ball
These are great, but I'm worried that I'd have suspected AI for some of them, especially the rhino one. Are our mental AI detectors being calibrated too high?
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
The best science images of 2025 — Nature’s picks
The Sun’s fiery surface, a tattooed tardigrade, rare red lightning and more.
www.nature.com
December 30, 2025 at 6:32 PM
These are great, but I'm worried that I'd have suspected AI for some of them, especially the rhino one. Are our mental AI detectors being calibrated too high?
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
Instead of telling writers not to use em rules lest we be mistaken for AI, how about paying writers for all the em rules AI stole from us?
December 30, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Instead of telling writers not to use em rules lest we be mistaken for AI, how about paying writers for all the em rules AI stole from us?
Well, I enjoyed this a lot. Certainly gave a good impression of the windswept rock that is Helgoland. What strikes me about the answers offered to Marnie's question is that they all reveal the answerer's particular focus. So...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - What Is Quantum?
Marnie Chesterton travels to the birthplace of quantum theory armed with just one question
www.bbc.co.uk
December 30, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Well, I enjoyed this a lot. Certainly gave a good impression of the windswept rock that is Helgoland. What strikes me about the answers offered to Marnie's question is that they all reveal the answerer's particular focus. So...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
Last year I wrote about a paper on the idea of black holes made purely from light, and why it doesn't seem possible. Now one of the proponents of the idea, Don Page, has argued that there are still circumstances in which they could happen.
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
Light Black Holes from Light
\'Alvarez-Dom\'{\i}nguez et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 041401 (2024)] have suggested that ``it is not possible to concentrate enough light to precipitate the formation of an event horizon. We argue th...
journals.aps.org
December 30, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Last year I wrote about a paper on the idea of black holes made purely from light, and why it doesn't seem possible. Now one of the proponents of the idea, Don Page, has argued that there are still circumstances in which they could happen.
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
Here's what was on TV this evening in 1979. "Outrageous comedy".
December 29, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Here's what was on TV this evening in 1979. "Outrageous comedy".
Reposted by Philip Ball
Sharing this from the brave and fearsome @chrischirp.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/christin... It’s a harrowing summation of the scale and extent of the descent of the USA into authoritarianism. Read it and weep.
Personal reflections on a Trumpian 2025
The implications of a year in Trump's new America and why I started tracking Trump - and why I'm not stopping.
open.substack.com
December 29, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Sharing this from the brave and fearsome @chrischirp.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/christin... It’s a harrowing summation of the scale and extent of the descent of the USA into authoritarianism. Read it and weep.
Reposted by Philip Ball
Tomorrow, 9.30am, you know what you need? Half an hour of me trying to understand why Quantum is so hard to understand. Includes Carlo Rovelli, Elise Crull and @philipcball.bsky.social being brilliant. Solutions? less clear
December 29, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Tomorrow, 9.30am, you know what you need? Half an hour of me trying to understand why Quantum is so hard to understand. Includes Carlo Rovelli, Elise Crull and @philipcball.bsky.social being brilliant. Solutions? less clear
Reposted by Philip Ball
Great guest edit of BBC Radio 4 #Today today, by @mustafasuleymanai.bsky.social, all about AI. I'm just about to go on air with Amol Rajan & David Chalmers to talk about the key question of AI and consciousness - listen live here (in UK): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Radio 4 - Listen Live - BBC Sounds
Listen live to Radio 4 on BBC Sounds
www.bbc.co.uk
December 29, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Great guest edit of BBC Radio 4 #Today today, by @mustafasuleymanai.bsky.social, all about AI. I'm just about to go on air with Amol Rajan & David Chalmers to talk about the key question of AI and consciousness - listen live here (in UK): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Finally, after much delay from the BBC, Marnie Chesterton's "What Is Quantum?" is being broadcast at 9.30 am on Radio 4 on Tues 30th Dec. Recorded on Helgoland in the summer, with input from the leading figures in quantum mechanics (and me).
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - What Is Quantum?
Marnie Chesterton travels to the birthplace of quantum theory armed with just one question
www.bbc.co.uk
December 27, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Finally, after much delay from the BBC, Marnie Chesterton's "What Is Quantum?" is being broadcast at 9.30 am on Radio 4 on Tues 30th Dec. Recorded on Helgoland in the summer, with input from the leading figures in quantum mechanics (and me).
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
Funny thing though: Musk and the other tech lords are still saying such things, and the media credulity has not lessened one whit. And they are richer than ever.
December 27, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Funny thing though: Musk and the other tech lords are still saying such things, and the media credulity has not lessened one whit. And they are richer than ever.
Reposted by Philip Ball
Here is a piece I wrote for The Observer on things that haven’t gone wrong in 2025:
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
Beavers, books and brilliance: 25 things worth celebratin...
From wildlife bouncing back from extinction to scientific breakthroughs and cultural highs, I’ve found plenty to celebrate this year
observer.co.uk
December 27, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Here is a piece I wrote for The Observer on things that haven’t gone wrong in 2025:
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
This is an excellent essay review from Tom on the past and future of capitalism.
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/7184...
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/7184...
Whither capitalism?
Two new surveys of our dominant economic system make us fear for its future
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
December 26, 2025 at 10:38 AM
This is an excellent essay review from Tom on the past and future of capitalism.
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/7184...
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/7184...
This year's Christmas cake has an Attenboroughesque nativity that looks strangely familiar...
December 24, 2025 at 6:21 PM
This year's Christmas cake has an Attenboroughesque nativity that looks strangely familiar...
Reposted by Philip Ball
(Side note:
As a journalist I am still shocked by how quickly the attack on the CDC was set aside.
How rarely I have read the name David Rose in the past few months is for me a pretty good indicator of how much a large swathe of US media has failed to meet this moment.)
As a journalist I am still shocked by how quickly the attack on the CDC was set aside.
How rarely I have read the name David Rose in the past few months is for me a pretty good indicator of how much a large swathe of US media has failed to meet this moment.)
December 23, 2025 at 12:09 PM
(Side note:
As a journalist I am still shocked by how quickly the attack on the CDC was set aside.
How rarely I have read the name David Rose in the past few months is for me a pretty good indicator of how much a large swathe of US media has failed to meet this moment.)
As a journalist I am still shocked by how quickly the attack on the CDC was set aside.
How rarely I have read the name David Rose in the past few months is for me a pretty good indicator of how much a large swathe of US media has failed to meet this moment.)
A little review of some of the things I wrote this year. 🧵
It was of course the Year of Quantum, a highlight of which was the meeting on Helgoland in the summer. Here's what that was all about, and what happened there.
www.marginaliareviewofbooks.com/post/the-hol...
It was of course the Year of Quantum, a highlight of which was the meeting on Helgoland in the summer. Here's what that was all about, and what happened there.
www.marginaliareviewofbooks.com/post/the-hol...
The Holy Land of Physics: Quantum Mechanics Turns One Hundred
PHILIP BALL | Someone quipped that if the ferry from Hamburg had sunk, so would have quantum physics for a generation...
www.marginaliareviewofbooks.com
December 22, 2025 at 6:55 PM
A little review of some of the things I wrote this year. 🧵
It was of course the Year of Quantum, a highlight of which was the meeting on Helgoland in the summer. Here's what that was all about, and what happened there.
www.marginaliareviewofbooks.com/post/the-hol...
It was of course the Year of Quantum, a highlight of which was the meeting on Helgoland in the summer. Here's what that was all about, and what happened there.
www.marginaliareviewofbooks.com/post/the-hol...