Read article: Welcome to 2001
Indeed, it is now possible to study for a degree in science and science fiction. Rest assured that this degree course at the University of Glamorgan in the UK does not involve watching videos and read...
Read article: Science and The Simpsons
What, asks Robert P Crease, does a cartoon that parodies nuclear safety and space exploration have to say about science?
Read article: A top ten for science and society
Robert P Crease lists 10 issues facing science and society that must be addressed first
Read article: No more lectures any more?
Try this introspective experiment. Think about your favourite quiz show and ask yourself how many questions you can remember after the programme ends (never mind the answers). You’ll find that y...
Read article: A maverick’s quest for quantum gravity
There is one central quandary to 21st-century physics. It is that the two main pillars of 20th-century physics – quantum mechanics and Einstein’s general theory of relativity – are m...
Read article: Pack your cherries to perfection
A burning issue for fatties like me is whether you can make a low-fat Black Forest gateau. The answer, surprisingly, can be found in two new science books. The Pursuit of Perfect Packing by Tomaso Ast...
Columbia University string theorist Brian Greene can put his feet up this Christmas, safe in the knowledge that his popular-science title The Elegant Universe is this year’s best-selling physics...
Read article: History found in a grain of sand
Hari Seldon, the fictional creator of “psychohistory” in Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” series of novels, predicts the imminent demise of the First Galactic Empire after a 1...
Read article: Not the right stuff
Almost 40 years later, as the International Space Station takes shape, history is repeating itself. Of course, the space station has never been a scientific mission – its main purpose has always...
Read article: Bridging the North-South divide
From the pure beauty of general relativity to modern high technology, physics is a fascinating and worthwhile subject, leading to both vast new industries and far-reaching speculations about the world...
