Ernst Stromer discovered Spinosaurus in Egypt. His fossils were destroyed in WWII, yet still shape how we imagine this mysterious dinosaur today.

Our view of the world, the Universe, and ourselves can change with just one glimpse of what's out there. It's happened many times before.

"The process of systematizing, correcting errors, finding approximations, and making them work as civil systems that was what really drove me to start looking at human calculation and what was the foundation that it laid for the modern computer age."

Today, nostalgia is somewhat kitsch. Back then, it was something to be feared.

"It's this modern idea of doing voluntary discretionary, physical activity for the sake of health and fitness."

A tour of the literary cover-ups, extraterrestrials, and cryptids lurking in the bookish backwoods.

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.