I’ve been thinking of starting a game on our subscribers’ page on Facebook: the person who identifies the best theme tying together the issue’s articles wins. We really don’t plan many theme issues here. They just kind of happen. (There are exceptions: We’ve got a great theme issue in the works.) In this issue, there’s a strong motif of exalting the lowly: Seth Ratliff celebrates the rare and obscure piratebush, I take a look at the value of fool’s gold, and Rebecca Randall wonders about the millions of organisms we haven’t even named yet.
There’s another theme: Names. When I read Seth’s pitch, I was most excited that the plant was called piratebush. (I love pirates, at least the imaginary, Long John Silverish kind.) Meanwhile, pyrite’s epithet is the focus of my article.
I’m curious about what other constellations you’ll find in this issue. But speaking of names: As I write this, Behemoth subscribers are in the final hours of naming our Facebook group. Meanwhile, the things subscribers are sharing—news about prehistoric Siberian unicorns, book recommendations, nature photos—are so much better than my News Feed. The emerging theme there isn’t hard to spot: It’s joy in discoveries that beg to be shared. If you haven’t joined yet, come on over.
