“Chemical history in bite-sized pieces” (review of William Brock’s The Case of the Poisonous Socks: Tales from Chemistry), Nature Chemistry 4, 3 (2012).
“In Retrospect: On the Six-Cornered Snowflake”, Nature 480, 455 (2011). Available here.
“Crisis response: The new history”, Nature 480, 447-448 (2011). Available here.
“The dawn of quantum biology”, Nature 474, 272-274 (2011). Available here.
“Musical intelligence” [interview with composer Eduardo Reck Miranda], Nature 474, 35 (2011). Available here.
“The chief designer” [review of the play “Little Eagles”], Nature 473, 282 (2011). Available here.
“A sticky end?”, Chemistry World August 2011.
“France’s nuclear power program continues in force”, MRS Bulletin 36, 418-420, June 2011.
“Newton’s rainbow” [review of “Let Newton Be”], Nature 472, 168 (2011).
“A monstrous tale” [review of “Frankenstein”], Nature 471, 447 (2011). Available here.
“Attack of the killer fungi”, [review of Spiral by Paul McEuen], Nature 471, 163 (2011). Available here.
“The science of oil drilling goes deep”, MRS Bulletin 35, 956-957, December 2010.
"Pauling's primer", Nature 468, 1036 (2010)
"How sunlight became a commodity in Germany", MRS Bulletin Energy Quarterly, September 2010, p.654-655.
"Proteins unravelled", Chemistry World December 2009.
"Quantum objects on show", Nature 462, 416 (2009).
"Feynman's fancy", Chemistry World 58-62 (January 2009). Full article here.
"The physics of sand dunes", Nature 457, 1084 (2009).
"Is technology unnatural?", Nature 450, 614 (November 2007).
"A switch in time", Nature 445, 362 (2007). PDF available here.
"From alchemy to chemistry", Nature 449, 788 (October 2007).
"Botanists' blues", Nature 449, 982 (October 2007).
"The dune chorus", Nature 449, 10 (September 2007).
"Bacteria may be wiring up the soil", Nature 449, 338 (September 2007).
"Social science goes virtual", Nature 448, 647 (August 2007).
"Achievement index climbs the ranks", Nature 448, 737 (August 2007).
"Designs for life", Nature 448, 32 (July 2007).
"Beijing bubbles", Nature 448, 256 (July 2007).
"Diamonds melted inside an onion", Nature 448, 396 (July 2007).
"Feel the force", Nature 447, 772 (June 2007). PDF here.
"Meanings of 'life'", Nature (editorial) 447, 1031 (June 2007).
"The click concept", Chemistry World, April 2007, p.46.
"Invisible Revolution", Technology Review March/April. p.56 (2007).
"A jump that would prove Newton wrong", Nature 446, 357 (March 2007).
"Painting the whole picture?", Nature 445, 486 (February 2007).
"Collective behaviour and the physics of society", Institute for Cultural Research Monograph Series No. 52 (2007). Available via http://www.i-c-r.org.uk/
"A switch in time", Nature 445, 362 (January 2007).
"Culture crash", Nature 441, 686 (2006). PDF available here.
"Champing at the bits", Nature 440, 398 (2006) PDF here.
"The life of water", Exhibition catalogue “Water being water” (the photography of David Goldes), Wright State Universities Art Gallery, Dayton, Ohio, 2005. PDF available here.
"A dangerous experiment", Quarter autumn 2006, p. 12. Supplement to the September issue of Prospect.
"Chemistry and power in recent American fiction" published in Hyle 12(1), 45 (2006). Available at www.hyle.org/journal/issues/12-1/ball.htm
"What chemists want to know", Nature 442, 500 (2006).
"Alchemical culture and poetry in early modern England", Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 31 p. 77 (2006).
"Chancing upon chemical wonders" an article about serendipity in chemistry, published in Chemistry World June 2006, p. 32. Available at www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2006/June/ChancingUponChemicalWonders.asp
"Does hot water freeze first?", a review of the mysterious Mpemba effect, published in Physics World April 2006, p. 19. Available at physicsweb.org/articles/world/19/4/4/1
"Putting the nano into nanochemistry", a 20-year review of fullerenes in Chemistry World December 2005, p. 28. Available at www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2005/December/nano.asp
"Lavoisier's legacy", Chemical & Engineering News 19 September 2005, p. 42.
"Claiming Einstein for chemistry" an article asking 'was Einstein a chemist?', published in Chemistry World September 2005, p. 38. Available at www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Features/2005/September/ClaimingEinsteinforchemistry.asp
The beauty of chemistry, a preview of my book Elegant Solutions, published in Chemistry World April 2005, p. 33. Available at www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2005/April/Thebeautyofchemistry.asp
"Where is there wisdom to be found in ancient materials technologies?", MRS Bulletin March 2005, p. 149.
"Dr Nanotech vs. Cancer", Technology Review February 2005. Available at www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/02/issue/feature_nano.php
"The great portrait mystery", Nature 433, 197 (2005).
" By chance, or by design?", Nature 431, 396 (2004).
"Back to the future", Nature 427, 482 (2004).
" In the know", Nature 428, 462 (2004).
"Beam me up", Chemistry World October 2004, p.32.
" Starting from scratch", Nature 431, 624 (2004).
"Water, water, everywhere?", Nature 427, 19 (2004).
[With Mario Ruben]"Color Theory in Science and Art: Ostwald and the Bauhaus", Angewandte Chemie International Edition43, 4842 (2004).
"Cell navigation", Chemistry World August 2004, p.32.
[With David Andrews]"Light harvesting", Chemistry World March 2004, p.34.
"It’s a small world", Chemistry World February 2004, p.30.
"Utopia theory", Physics World October 2003, p.29.
"Ball games", Chemistry in Britain August 2003, p.23.
"How to keep dry in water", Nature 423, 25 (2003).
"Portrait of a molecule", Nature 421, 421 (2003).
"To the heart of glass", Nature 421, 783 (2003).
"Let's catch some rays", Nature 419, 12 (2002).
"Picture this", Nature 417, 11 (2002).
"The physics of society", Nature 415, 371 (2002).
"Beyond words: science and visual theatre", Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 27, 169 (2002).
"Chemistry in soft focus", Chemistry in Britain September 2002, p.32.
"Self-assembly", Technology Review November 2001.
"What a tonic", Chemistry in Britain, October 2001, p.26.
"A dose of Paracelsus", Chemistry in Britain, May 2001, p.40.
"Roll up for the revolution", Nature 414, 142 (2001).
"It all falls into place", Nature 413, 667 (2001).
"The positron probe", Nature 412, 764 (2001).
"Tabletop astrophysics", Nature 411, 628 (2001).
"Science in culture: Dramatizing science", Nature 411, 24 (2001).
"Life's lessons in design", Nature 409, 413 (2001).
"Let there be light", Nature 409, 974 (2001).
"Molecular movers and shakers", Nature 408, 904 (2000).
"Science in the galleries", V&A Conservation Journal 36, 7 (2000).
"A leap of faith", Nature 407, 949 (2000).
"Science in culture: Colouring it true", Nature 407, 946 (2000).
"When priorities collide", Nature 408, 903 (2000).
"Science in culture: Mannerists' monsters", Nature 407, 20 (2000).
"Science in culture: Nature's microscopic art forms", Nature 407, 676 (2000).
"Chemistry meets computing", Nature, 406, 118 (2000).
"Science in motion", Nature, 406, 244 (2000).
"Meet the spin doctors", Nature, 404, 918 (2000).
"The material world", Chemistry in Britain Millenium Supplement, January 2000, p.2.
"Limits to growth", Nature 395, 745-748 (1998).
"Off and on reflection", Nature 391, 232-233 (1998).
"Popularizing materials", Journal of Materials Education 20, Vol. 20 (1998).
"The perfect nanotube", Nature 382, 207-208 (1996).
"Crystals by design", Nature 381, 648-649 (1996).
"Diamond films put on display", Nature 381, 116 (1996).
"Getting oneself together", Nature 379, 25 (1996).
"The shapes of things to come", Nature 371, 202 (1994).
"Polymers made to measure", Nature 367, 323 (1994).
"Gourmet macromolecules", Nature 377, 101 (1995).
"Towards the synthetic dragonfly", Nature 375, 101 (1995).
"New horizons in inner space", Nature 361, 297 (1993).
"Science at an atomic scale" [with Laura Garwin], Nature 355, 761 (1992).
"When size does matter", Nature 349, 101 (1991).
"A vanishing interface", Nature 353, 213 (1991).
