Ryan Sayre Patrico

Discovery News reports that the Hubble Space Telescope has captured images of a collision between two distant galaxy clusters. The crash occurred at such a high rate of speed that dark matter could actually be seen separating from ordinary matter: The images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and . . . . Continue Reading »

In the latest issue of the New Yorker , Peter J. Boyer weighs in on the importance of religious voters in the upcoming presidential election and the difficulties both parties are having connecting to that crucial segment of the electorate. The article, while not entirely impartial, does an . . . . Continue Reading »

Ibn Khaldûn is the Muslim theologian and scholar who in 1377 wrote the Muqaddimah , the world’s earliest critical study of history. In his epic work, Ibn Khaldûn never balks at giving the study of history respect and praise: It should be known that history is a . . . . Continue Reading »

The Democrats didn’t invite Archbishop Charles Chaput to their convention in Denver this year, for understandable reasons . Instead, they invited Sr. Helen Prejean C.S.J. to speak at their interfaith gathering. If they were trying to avoid controversy and shore up support from religious party . . . . Continue Reading »

An excerpt from a letter of St. Thomas More to Erasmus, written on the 14th of June, 1532: Congratulations, then, my dear Erasmus, on your outstanding virtuous qualities; however, if on occasion some good person is unsettled and disturbed by some point, even without making a sufficiently serious . . . . Continue Reading »

It looks as though amateurs such as myself will soon have an easier time accessing one of the most interesting collections of documents from the Second Temple period: The Dead Sea Scrolls. As the New York Times reports : JERUSALEM — In a crowded laboratory painted in gray and cooled like a . . . . Continue Reading »

Nathaniel’s nice reflection on Thomas Becket this morning put me in a medieval mood. While Dante also had plenty to say about those who are anathema , the following poem is decidedly more romantic: Love and the gentle heart are one thing, just as the poet says in his verse, each from the . . . . Continue Reading »

Got a headache? Earache? A bum knee? If so, this article might be of use to you. A couple weeks ago, the Times of London ran an online article called “Top 50 Saints for Sickness.” It’s a fun little who’s who list of saints to ask for a little intercessory help when you . . . . Continue Reading »

By now, most of us have read Joseph Bottum’s latest article entitled “The Death of Protestant America: A Political Theory of the Protestant Mainline.” (At least I hope we have.) For those of us out there who haven’t yet found the time, however, don’t fear. We’ve . . . . Continue Reading »

Here’s a story to give that science oriented part of your brain a real workout. Scientists in Japan and the United States have finished eight years of work on a computer model that simulates the formation of stars. The results of the study were published this month in the journal Science . . . . . Continue Reading »