“Aesthetic awe,” the feeling of being confronted by something so immense, ancient or extraordinary that it exceeds our normal frame of reference.

NASA has already supported research into fungal-based biocomposites, prototype structures and concepts for lunar and Martian habitats. Researchers are also examining potential uses of fungi for water filtration, extracting minerals from wastewater and producing useful biomaterials.

For years we have been told that physical books are on their way out. First electronic books would replace them. Then smartphones would destroy our attention spans. Then streaming entertainment would make reading increasingly marginal. None of those technologies has been insignificant. The way we discover, buy, and read books has certainly changed. But at Worldcon hundreds of people were carrying books around, sometimes heavy ones, to get them signed by authors..