Philip Ball
@philipcball.bsky.social
Science writer and author of books including Bright Earth, The Music Instinct, Beyond Weird, How Life Works.
This is, of course excellent.
November 16, 2025 at 5:10 PM
This is, of course excellent.
Since you ask.
From the birth of quantum to the birth of CERN.
From the birth of quantum to the birth of CERN.
November 13, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Since you ask.
From the birth of quantum to the birth of CERN.
From the birth of quantum to the birth of CERN.
So what does the OCT4 protein actually do? Well, it's a transcription factor. Yeah, but what does it regulate? Oh god. I'm not sure we know much about that. And look at the goddamn protein!
November 11, 2025 at 5:02 PM
So what does the OCT4 protein actually do? Well, it's a transcription factor. Yeah, but what does it regulate? Oh god. I'm not sure we know much about that. And look at the goddamn protein!
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.
"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."
My excellent and astute friend Jonathan got me a 1993 copy of the Fortean Times for my birthday, and it is truly excellent. Like a paranormal Viz.
November 2, 2025 at 1:04 PM
My excellent and astute friend Jonathan got me a 1993 copy of the Fortean Times for my birthday, and it is truly excellent. Like a paranormal Viz.
This one I'm in two minds about. I'm always reminding daughter to read the question. But we both missed this, because it is literally a trick question: we read "calcium carbonate" as "copper carbonate", because the question totally sets you up to do that. Fair or not?
November 1, 2025 at 11:59 PM
This one I'm in two minds about. I'm always reminding daughter to read the question. But we both missed this, because it is literally a trick question: we read "calcium carbonate" as "copper carbonate", because the question totally sets you up to do that. Fair or not?
I stared and stared at this question in my daughter's GCSE revision and thought "Am I dumb, or is this question just wrong?" It's not me, right?
November 1, 2025 at 10:25 PM
I stared and stared at this question in my daughter's GCSE revision and thought "Am I dumb, or is this question just wrong?" It's not me, right?
The low-affinity sites overlap in interwoven ways, making them a sort of selection committee that decides whether or not prospective TFs are granted access to the high-affinity site. Here's how the authors depict it. /6
October 30, 2025 at 11:20 PM
The low-affinity sites overlap in interwoven ways, making them a sort of selection committee that decides whether or not prospective TFs are granted access to the high-affinity site. Here's how the authors depict it. /6
The opinion of Abraham Pais's Danish landlady on Heisenberg in 1946. Presented without comment 😉
October 27, 2025 at 10:23 AM
The opinion of Abraham Pais's Danish landlady on Heisenberg in 1946. Presented without comment 😉
When he wasn't depressed, Paul Ehrenfest was quite a wag.
October 24, 2025 at 3:52 PM
When he wasn't depressed, Paul Ehrenfest was quite a wag.
How the origin of life was debated at the 1913 BA meeting in Birmingham. Have we progressed on this topic today?
October 24, 2025 at 10:22 AM
How the origin of life was debated at the 1913 BA meeting in Birmingham. Have we progressed on this topic today?
Wilson & Jungner is the classic work on principles and practice of screening from the 1960s. This is how Margaret McCartney ends her brilliant Adelphi Lecture tonight.
October 23, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Wilson & Jungner is the classic work on principles and practice of screening from the 1960s. This is how Margaret McCartney ends her brilliant Adelphi Lecture tonight.
Polygenic risk scores obtained for a single individual over a range of commercially available tests. FFS
October 23, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Polygenic risk scores obtained for a single individual over a range of commercially available tests. FFS
Wonder if this helps?
October 23, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Wonder if this helps?
Well that was a splendid talk by Richard Houlston, illustrating (among other things) that screening with polygenic risk scores for cancers will pick up lots of false positives and miss most true positives. And it won't get much better. #AdelphiGenomicsForum
October 23, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Well that was a splendid talk by Richard Houlston, illustrating (among other things) that screening with polygenic risk scores for cancers will pick up lots of false positives and miss most true positives. And it won't get much better. #AdelphiGenomicsForum
Looking forward to hearing about the issues around population genomic screening at the Adelphi Genetics Forum at the Royal Society.
October 23, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Looking forward to hearing about the issues around population genomic screening at the Adelphi Genetics Forum at the Royal Society.
The biologist's view of how flight works. Courtesy of Rory Maizels. #GenerativeBiology
October 21, 2025 at 1:40 PM
The biologist's view of how flight works. Courtesy of Rory Maizels. #GenerativeBiology
Here's his conceptual scheme for making headway. I like this a lot - it was outlined in a paper (Gallo et al) last year.
October 21, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Here's his conceptual scheme for making headway. I like this a lot - it was outlined in a paper (Gallo et al) last year.
Johannes Hartmann of UCL summarizes the central problem in cell & developmental biology - very nice! #GenerativeBiology
October 21, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Johannes Hartmann of UCL summarizes the central problem in cell & developmental biology - very nice! #GenerativeBiology
Brighton looking fine this morning. Here for a great Roy Soc discussion meeting on "generative biology".
October 21, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Brighton looking fine this morning. Here for a great Roy Soc discussion meeting on "generative biology".
Oh my word. Glad I saw them now because soon you'll only be able to see them in mega stadiums. They deserve to be the biggest band in the world.
October 18, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Oh my word. Glad I saw them now because soon you'll only be able to see them in mega stadiums. They deserve to be the biggest band in the world.