No. 122 • Issue 6 / 2016 CONTENTS timeless
1 You Begin
BY MARGARET ATWOOD
PICTURESQUE
14 The Makings of an Icon
A showcase of Asian portraits
BY STEVE MCCURRY
reflections
26 Casting Light
revealed
28 A Great Convergence?
Unearthing the mysteries of the Terracotta Army
culture
46 Early Human Imprints
Tracing the beginnings of human creativity in cave art
BY PAUL S. C. TAÇON, ADAM BRUMM AND MAXIME AUBERT
science
88 From the Fathoms
Spurring the origins of life
BY ARUNAS L RADZVILAVICIUS
MEMORIES
90 Gone but not Forgotten
Remembering the world’ s longest reigning monarch
icon
92 Edward Said
IMAGE © SHUTTERSTOCK
culture
30 The Mothers of Invention
From the origins of ice cream to gunpowder, farming to the abacus – explore the history of Asian innovation
BY KALLIE SZCZEPANSKI
CULTURE
40 From Spirits to Superfans
Japanese religion has been integral to the making of global popular culture – including Pokémon Go. From its animist origins, this global gaming phenomenon is rooted in mythology
BY HANNAH GOULD nature
50 The Tree of Life
Map the evolution of humans and primates in Asia. Trace the two contending models of the evolutionary journeys of Homo erectus’ descendents
BY YD BAR-NESS
ENVIRONMENT
60 Ambassadors from Ancient Asia
In charting the routes of Asia’ s animals, discover the origins of species
BY YD BAR-NESS
30
Chairman
LIM Geok Khoon
Publisher / Editorial Director John THET • thet @ asiangeo. com
Editor Alex W. CAMPBELL • alex @ asiangeo. com
associate editor Ian BONGSO-SELDRUP • ian @ asiangeo. com
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contributing designer Kim Fong WONG
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Field Editors YD BAR-NESS • Australia, Jim NEALE • Philippines
contributors John ARIFIN, Maxime AUBERT, Mangai BALASEGARAM, YD BAR-NESS, Adam BRUMM, Hannah GOULD, Sophie IBBOTSON, Steve McCURRY, Arunas RADZVILAVICIUS, Paul S. C. TAÇON, Kallie SZCZEPANSKI, Eric WONG
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