7 THINGS WORTH KNOWING / 9 October 2026

Little Discoveries

Design · Philosophy · Plants · Curiosities · Words · Food · Cultures & peoples. 7 discoveries in this edition.

An interpretive portrait of Moholy-Nagy seated with glasses before a perforated disc, metal planes and a projector; not an exact reconstruction of the Light Prop. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Moholy-Nagy: designing what light does

In depth · 3 min read

Through metal, movement and photography, László Moholy-Nagy treated light as a material, extending his work onto surrounding walls and into perception.

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02Philosophy

An interpretive portrait of Henry David Thoreau seated with a closed book beside a pond, a cabin and pine trees. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Thoreau: what are we giving our day to?

In depth · 3 min read

Walden’s simplicity does not require disappearing into the woods: it asks which activities truly deserve the attention we give them.

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03Plants

Potted Fatsia japonica with three large green palmate leaves, each divided into seven to nine connected lobes, and small spherical clusters of cream flowers. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Fatsia japonica: many points, one leaf

In depth · 3 min read

Fatsia’s large leaves resemble open hands, yet each is a single blade: following the divisions helps us recognise their structure.

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04Curiosities

An ochre globe of Venus with cloud bands against a cream background: an editorial illustration, not a photograph or quantitative diagram. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Venus: one rotation takes longer than a year

In depth · 3 min read

Venus rotates in about 243 Earth days and orbits in 225: understanding this comparison means distinguishing two different meanings of day.

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05Words

Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Lucido: from light to clarity of thought

In depth · 3 min read

The Italian word lucido comes from Latin lucidus: dictionaries distinguish shining surfaces, clear thinking and materials used for making drawings.

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06Food

An open jar of jam and fruit, with a network of thin lines symbolically representing pectin. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

Jam and the network that holds its liquid

In depth · 3 min read

Pectin helps fruit become spreadable: the key is a molecular network, with different partners depending on the kind of pectin.

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07Cultures & peoples

An editorial interpretation of a Mongolian ger with part of its covering lifted to reveal lattice walls and roof poles. — Positive Times · ImageGen · AI-assisted illustration

The Mongolian ger: a home made from shared skills

In depth · 3 min read

Wood, felt and ropes form a home that can be dismantled; making it brings crafts together and passes knowledge between generations.

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Original writing and illustrations made with AI assistance. Each discovery includes its sources. Our editorial method