In depth: Biological & medical physics

Between chance and necessity

Jul 1, 2009 1 comment Review

Andrew Steane reviews Stuart Kauffman's Reinventing the Sacred

The quantum life

Jul 1, 2009 9 comments Feature

The idea that quantum mechanics can explain many fundamental aspects of life is resurging, as Paul Davies reveals

The call of the wild

Jul 1, 2009 1 comment Opinion

Robert P Crease talks to a former string theorist who found what he wanted in science when he applied the tools of physics to fundamental questions in biology

How physics can inspire biology

Jul 1, 2009 2 comments Opinion

Alexei Kornyshev thinks that physicists and biologists are now working more closely together than ever before, but that barriers to closer collaboration still exist

In praise of Darwin

Jul 1, 2009 1 comment Opinion

Darwin was no physicist, but his approach to science will be familiar to us

The power of robotics

Jun 2, 2009 2 comments Opinion

Robotics competitions supply a vital missing link in science and engineering education, says Robert P Crease

Web life: Hyperphysics

May 1, 2009 1 comment Review

Doing science in the open

May 1, 2009 12 comments Feature

Online networking tools are pervasive, but why have scientists been so slow to adopt many of them? Michael Nielsen explains how we can build a better culture of online collaboration

In search of the black swans

Apr 1, 2009 14 comments Feature

The publish-or-perish ethic too often favours a narrow and conservative approach to scientific innovation. Mark Buchanan asks whether we are pushing revolutionary ideas to the margins

Reasons to be cheerful

Jan 5, 2009 3 comments Opinion

The economy may be in a nosedive but there is plenty to look forward to in science this year

Optical tweezers: where physics meets biology

Nov 13, 2008 Feature

Joost van Mameren explains how quantitative force measurements by optical tweezers can unravel the mechanical properties of biological molecules

...And now for the next 20 years

Oct 1, 2008 3 comments Feature

Six leading physicists peek into the future

The global-village pioneers

Oct 1, 2008 1 comment Feature

Paul Ginsparg, who founded the arXiv e-print archive, recounts the early days of the Web and looks at how it has changed scientific communication

Two decades and counting...

Oct 1, 2008 Feature

Opening this special issue marking the 20th anniversary of the launch of Physics World, Matin Durrani says that the magazine still has a vital role to play in the electronic age