Philip Ball peers into the quantum past, and uncovers a little-known paper published by Niels Bohr, Hendrik Kramers and John Slater in 1924, that proposed that the first law of thermodynamics may no longer hold firm. Their idea turned out to be wrong, but in interesting and provocative ways, and it demonstrates the intense turmoil in physics on the brink of quantum mechanics.

The dictum "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler" poses a problem for biology. How simply can it be told without doing damage to its complex nature? The answer might be found by relinquishing tidy but misleading stories that begin with genes and molecules and recognizing that even complex systems have generic principles.

From flaming raisins to robots and rockets, the institution’s Christmas Lectures have educated and entertained for two centuries. From flaming raisins to robots and rockets, the institution’s Christmas Lectures have educated and entertained for two centuries.

Quantum computing is booming in the world of business, with about 400 competing companies, lots of rival qubit platforms and varying measures of merit. Philip Ball explores how the quantum tech landscape is developing.

The mathematician's memorable satires were beloved by generations of researchers. The mathematician's memorable satires were beloved by generations of researchers.

Tech giant Microsoft says it has made the first topological qubit, but some experts say the peer-reviewed research does not back it up, as Philip Ball explains.

Nanofluidics could be used to purify water, generate energy and build nanoscale machines. But when water flows through a carbon nanotube, classical fluid mechanics breaks down, leading to puzzling experimental findings that researchers have attributed to an effect called “quantum friction”, as Philip Ball explains.

‘Soft cells’ — shapes with rounded corners and pointed tips that fit together on a plane — feature in onions, molluscs and more. ‘Soft cells’ — shapes with rounded corners and pointed tips that fit together on a plane — feature in onions, molluscs and more.