Skip to main content

Physics World October 2017

Physics World October 2017

Tasty stuff: Nathan Myhrvold on the physics of bread

In this year’s Graduate Careers special, Philip Judge from the US National Center for Atmospheric Research and his colleagues Isabel Lipartito and Robert Casini describe how budding researchers should pick a PhD to work on. If you fancy a job outside academia, Crystal Bailey from the American Physical Society runs through your options and calls on academics to learn more about what’s on offer so they can advise their students better. Meanwhile, this month’s cover feature explores how former Microsoft chief tech officer Nathan Myhrvold has written a massive new five-volume book all about the science and history of bread.

Expand to full screen, bookmark pages or download to read offline using the icons beneath the screen. You can access the videos and audio clips if you read the e-magazine online. Read it now


Or you can read selected content from the October 2017 issue of Physics World here

Protesters in Rio de Janeiro news

Budget crunch hits Brazilian physics

Photograph of a starry sky above a mountain opinion

The scientific sublime

Photograph of Isaac Silvera (right) and Ranga Dias (left) in their lab feature

Show us your metal

Nathan Myhrvold’s book explores every detail of bread-making, including the basic ingredients of flour, yeast, water and salt (left) as well as different cooking methods and ovens. (Credit: The Cooking Lab LLC) feature

The physics of bread

Photograph of John Wheeler (standing, centre) was surprised and delighted to act as PhD supervisor for Richard Feynman (seated, centre) review

Tale of two physicists

Superbolt Theatre’s show Mars Actually – depicting three Mars colonists visiting Earth – is just one of several science-themed shows at this year’s Fringe Festival. review

Science at the Fringe

Photograph of the Collatz conjecture, from Visions of Numberland, coloured in by Tushna review

Colouring outside the lines

Students on a site visit to an industrial laboratory careers

Your pathway to industry

Want even more from Physics World?

Get more from Physics World without waiting for the next issue. The same great journalism, but delivered to you daily. Read updates on the latest research as soon as they happen and access 20 years of online content, organized across 13 dedicated scientific areas. Visit the homepage to start exploring.

Copyright © 2025 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors