The absurd has a way of crystallizing our
thinking. Satire spurs social change. Extreme coincidences in the fundamental
constants of physics challenge us to reconsider our metaphysics. We got where
we are with the help of the absurd. Without it, life would be strange indeed.

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Celebrating the Relationship Between Science and Illustration
A conversation with Society of Illustrators executive director Arabelle Liepold -
The Extraordinary, Imperiled Science at the End of the Earth
Firing experts in Antarctica couldn’t come at a worse time -
Breaking a Cycle of Apocalypse
John Larison’s new novel The Ancients suggests some societies are built for cataclysm -
An Earthy Fallen Star
The strange mushroom that puffs life into forests around the world. -
Inside an Exploded Star
Cassiopeia A gets a close-up.