Once upon a time, a congregation’s nuns would bake the communion wafers. They would mix equal parts white flour and pure water until a crepe-like batter formed; then they added yeast and salt. They would ladle the mixture onto a glorified waffle maker, rigged with flat griddle plates occasionally adorned with biblical symbols. They stacked the sheets into towers and they underwent a daylong drying process before cutting them into individual disks with a stamping machine. What began as a ...

What does pilgrimage mean in an age of instant communication and high-speed travel? わたしのチイサナココロ [i have a small heart] from Bajir Cannon on Vimeo.

Editor’s Note: There is nothing that bridges personal distance as much as a shared language. I recently read an article on hyperpolyglots and the ease with which they can navigate new places because of their languages. I can barely manage two languages, but I’m working on it. Bilingualism has been shown to expand the mind in exciting ways, and I think it expands your world. By Angela Grant Over the past few years, you might have noticed a surfeit of articles ...

Editor’s Note: Space tourism is on the horizon, but while SpaceX and Blue Origin contemplate our new space home, Robert Hazen tells us a little bit about what makes our current home unique. By Robert Hazen Few topics in science command as much attention as the discovery of extrasolar planets – those as-yet-unseen worlds, light years beyond our own Sun. In the quest to learn whether we are alone in the cosmos, astronomers are teasing out subtle wobbles and periodic dimmings of ...

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Editor’s note: Finishing up a summer in which a total solar eclipse was a highlight, I was struck by how many people trekked across the United Stated and camped out under the stars to witness the fleeting moment of darkness and silence of this celestial event. I was dumbstruck when I read Leila A. McNeill’s piece about how women fit into the history of the heavens. By Leila A. McNeill In her 1968 poem, Planetarium, the poet Adrienne Rich wrestles with ...

By Florence Williams When Richard Taylor was 10 years old in the early 1970s in England, he chanced upon a catalogue of Jackson Pollock paintings. He was mesmerised, or perhaps a better word is Pollockised. Franz Mesmer, the crackpot 18th-century physician, posited the existence of animal magnetism between inanimate and animate objects. Pollock’s abstractions also seemed to elicit a certain mental state in the viewer. Now a physicist at the University of Oregon, Taylor thinks he has figured out what ...

By Adria Carey Perez Here’s my monthly round-up of links, books, articles, and other things I like that round out my ideas about the issue. If you like something, leave a comment. If you have something to recommend, contact me! I’m always looking for reading material. By subscribing to my newsletter, you will receive more of my favorites every month. Articles:   The women changing adventure travel   This is pretty cool!   One for the bucket list: A visit ...

Before Indiana Jones Came Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron By Blake Smith Before Indiana Jones and Lawrence of Arabia, came Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron. Born in 1731, Anquetil was the original Orientalist-adventurer: a European scholarly expert of Asian culture who also embodied bold, heroic action in the field. His speciality was the roots of ancient religions in Asia. He was the first European to translate the Avesta, a millennia-old collection of scriptures central to Zoroastrianism, the ancient faith of pre-Islamic Persia. In order ...

By Adria Carey Perez As a voracious reader, I come across all kinds of interesting articles, books, and blogs. Every issue, I will share links to some of the best things I’ve found related to the issue’s theme: you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scratch your head, and you’ll go away a little smarter. I’m always looking for good recommendations, so contact me if you’ve got anything in mind. I include an extended list in my newsletter. As a subscriber, you will ...