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The Nature Issue

July / August 2026

Introducing Our new mascot, Scoop!

If you come here often, you might know that we have a mascot, Folio. He’s a little purple robot that we hide in every issue. Folio (which is journalism speak for the words at the bottom of each page next to the page number) was really an inside joke between the two of us, dating back to our May/June 2023 issue. For our ad in that issue, we asked five different AIs to describe us (the results were hysterical) and an AI image generator to create a mascot. The robot made us laugh, but it never really made sense to anyone else.

For the past six months, we discussed changing our mascot, but it was difficult to come up with the right one. We went through a substantial list of inanimate objects, hoping to land on something as brilliant as Clippy (IYKYK). However, a quill or typewriter only addressed the writing aspect, and art is equally important. A lightbulb made a little more sense, but we didn’t want to give it those weird stick arms and legs. There were plenty more (we’ll spare you the boring details), but nothing seemed to fit.

Eventually, we agreed that we wanted an animal as our mascot. But what? An octopus to represent everything we juggle at the same time? Too many tentacles—they’d get in the way. A dog, because they’re easy to anthropomorphize and everyone loves dogs? Too generic. A chameleon so it could change colors and easily hide among our pages? Too weird. An owl, as they’re a symbol of wisdom and intuition? Maybe, but their little legs are awkward, and their bodies are kind of stiff. Yet the more we debated the pros and cons of different animals, the more we returned to the owl. We polled our senior interns, and the owl was the clear winner with them as well.

Then it was up to Justin. Could he create an owl that was kind of dog-like (adorable and easy to anthropomorphize)? The answer, of course, was yes! The final step was the name, and we let our interns do the honors.

So without further adieu, meet our new mascot, Scoop! Like any loving “parents,” we think he’s perfect.

And just like Folio before him, Scoop will hide in each issue starting with this one. (Let us know when you find him! This page doesn’t count.) Scoop will also appear in some of our social media posts and on our new merch (connecttomag.com/shop).

And now it’s your turn to get in on the Scoop fun. Scoop needs a voice! Come visit our booth this summer at the Pleasantville Music Festival (July 11) or Caramoor’s Jazz Festival (July 25) and tell us what you think Scoop should sound like. All ages and ideas are welcome.

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If you’re anything like us, you rarely read daily newsletters, and weekly ones are often too much as well. But twice a month? It’s just about perfect. So that’s what we do. We arrive in your inbox approximately twice a month because we’d rather have you happy to see us than searching for the unsubscribe button.

Cross Anagrams

Arthur Wynne, the man remembered as the inventor of the crossword puzzle, also originated the lesser-known cross anagram. Most of Mr. Wynne’s examples of the puzzle were of the six-square size you see here. Once, however, he completed a seven-letter cross anagram using the diagonal acrostic FREEDOM to WORSHIP. “It was a difficult thing to do,” he wrote afterward. “Being British and naturally too stubborn to drop a thing once it was started, I said I would complete it if it took a month. And I went through the big Funk & Wagnalls with a fine-tooth comb, searching for seven-letter words that would fit the anagram requirements. When I look back at the daylight hours I spent and the midnight oil I burned on that puzzle, I shudder . . . From now on I will stick to six-letter words.”

Directions: Each clue has a six-letter word answer. Enter your answers horizontally across in the grid directly above the clues. Each word in grid A is an anagram of the word on the same row in grid B. One letter in each word is already in place.

When you’re done:

Submit your answer to win a prize. We will randomly select winners and reach out if you’ve been chosen. Good luck!

Cross Anagrams

Arthur Wynne, the man remembered as the inventor of the crossword puzzle, also originated the lesser-known cross anagram. Most of Mr. Wynne’s examples of the puzzle were of the six-square size you see here. Once, however, he completed a seven-letter cross anagram using the diagonal acrostic FREEDOM to WORSHIP. “It was a difficult thing to do,” he wrote afterward. “Being British and naturally too stubborn to drop a thing once it was started, I said I would complete it if it took a month. And I went through the big Funk & Wagnalls with a fine-tooth comb, searching for seven-letter words that would fit the anagram requirements. When I look back at the daylight hours I spent and the midnight oil I burned on that puzzle, I shudder . . . From now on I will stick to six-letter words.”

Directions: Each clue has a six-letter word answer. Enter your answers horizontally across in the grid directly above the clues. Each word in grid A is an anagram of the word on the same row in grid B. One letter in each word is already in place.

When you’re done:

Submit your answer to win a prize. We will randomly select winners and reach out if you’ve been chosen. Good luck!

Submit your answer

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Heavy Metal Therapy

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