How to write a best-seller
Every morning Caroline Davidson goes into her office in west London and rifles through her “slush pile”. Like all literary agents, she hopes that buried deep within the daily deluge of boo...
Clock-watching since the start of time
If you want to learn about atomic clocks or the sophisticated construction of an atomic timescale, then Jo Ellen Barnett’s book is not the right place. However, if you are fascinated about disco...
What revolution?
Physicists tend to shy away from philosophy (and religion, although there are some exceptions). Any dealings with philosophy – other than those concerning quantum theory – tend to be super...
Hard facts for hard science
Here are two related problems. First, the number of applicants to UK university courses in the physical sciences has fallen by 26% over the last three years. Second, there is an increasing tide of opi...
1905: Einstein’s paper revolution
Outside it is a warm May evening, as two friends sit deep in discussion in a coffee house in Berne. “Besso, you must help me, I think I am going mad. How is it even thinkable that a light ray co...
Breaking free from the post-doc trap
Genevieve Haddad is typical of many scientists. She did a degree, a PhD and a post-doc, but then realized she did not want to spend the next few years of her life “getting to know more and more ...
Ten years after
The first news story in that first issue was a sneak preview of the Edwards’ report on the future of physics departments in UK universities, which concluded that 20 staff and 200 full-time-equiv...
Putting the fizz back into physics
The fascination of physics, for me, lies in its supremely exotic nature. Although it is a subject grounded in experimental test and rigorous verification, it nonetheless spans an awesome range of weir...
Physics top ten
Brief History of Time : From the Big Bang to Black Holes by Stephen Hawking The author explores the outer reaches of our knowledge of astrophysics and the nature of time and the universe, and reviews ...
From technology to jobs
Yet technology is now associated with unemployment and social distress in many countries, as the OECD notes. “However, technology per se is not the culprit, ” the report continues. “...
