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Philip Ball

Freelance writer, London

Philip Ball is a British science writer whose work appears in Nature, New Scientist and Prospect, among others. His latest books are How Life Works (2023) and Beautiful Experiments (2023). He lives in London.

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Written by Philip Ball

Illustration of a robotic nanodevice navigating in a blood vessel with red and white blood cells.

essayFuture of technology

Techno-pipe dreams

Thirty years ago, nanotech was about to change everything. Let’s not get tricked again by Silicon Valley’s magical thinking

Philip Ball

Abstract art depicting DNA sequencing, with vertical bands of vibrant colours including yellow, red, blue and green, blending into each other with a glossy, reflective texture.

essayGenetics

We are not machines

Welcome to the new post-genomic biology: a transformative era in need of fresh metaphors to understand how life works

Philip Ball

Human figures beneath a glass dome watch the launch of a rocket from the surface of Mars

essaySpace exploration

The final ethical frontier

Earthbound exploration was plagued with colonialism, exploitation and extraction. Can we hope to make space any different?

Philip Ball

Microscopic image of a green cell adjacent to a larger pink cell on a black background.

essayEvolution

What on earth is a xenobot?

The more we understand how cells produce shape and form, the more inadequate the idea of a genomic blueprint looks

Philip Ball

A girl in a red outfit playfully poses in front of 3D art as though emerging from a giant whale-like creature’s mouth.

essayHuman evolution

Homo imaginatus

Imagination isn’t just a spillover from our problem-solving prowess. It might be the core of what human brains evolved to do

Philip Ball

Microscopic image of a cellular structure with vibrant red and purple details against a black background.

essayBiology

Life with purpose

Biologists balk at any talk of ‘goals’ or ‘intentions’ – but a bold new research agenda has put agency back on the table

Philip Ball

A group of people in blurred motion, wearing stylish clothing. A person in sunglasses stands out among the vibrant colours.

essayFuture of technology

Sim ethics

Say you could make a thousand digital replicas of yourself – should you? What happens when you want to get rid of them?

Philip Ball

Abstract geometric painting with overlapping rectangles, triangles, circles in various muted colours and textures on a textured background.

essayMathematics

How natural is numeracy?

Where does our number sense come from? Is it a neural capacity we are born with — or is it a product of our culture?

Philip Ball

Abstract digital artwork with intertwining blue and red lines on a dark background creating chaotic and intricate patterns.

essayQuantum theory

Quantum common sense

Despite its confounding reputation, quantum mechanics both guides and helps explain human intuition

Philip Ball

The sky with a vapour trail over a building. The scene includes part of a reflective glass building on the right side.

essayCosmology

Life rocks

Could meteorites be akin to lifeboats from other planets? Or do they reveal more about life on Earth than off it?

Philip Ball

$Abstract digital artwork featuring symmetrical, blue fractal patterns with intricate details resembling stylised alien faces against a gradient teal-green background.$

ideaStories and literature

Why our imagination for alien life is so impoverished

Philip Ball

Painting of a figure walking on a path flanked by trees with mountains in the background, viewed through a wooden fence.

essayMusic

The story trap

We use neat stories to explain everything from sports matches to symphonies. Is it time to leave the nursery of the mind?

Philip Ball