Hail, Hail Mary, and the pull of stories that last

From Tolkien memorials in Oxford to repeated viewings of Project Hail Mary and debates over Andy Weir's novels, one theme stands out: the power of stories to create places, rituals, and fierce loyalty…

Ancient aliens, lost civilizations, and the appeal of cosmic mystery

Across fiction, games, and speculative theories, ancient aliens remain a durable idea: a way to explain lost technologies, secret histories, and the sense that humanity arrived late to a much older un…