King Charles III was greeted by musicians from the Royal Regiment of Scotland and senior military and uniformed figures
King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived in Edinburgh for a series of events to mark Holyrood Week – the annual royal celebration of Scottish culture, community and achievements.
The King’s first engagement was the traditional Ceremony of the Keys in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, his official residence in the Scottish capital.
It took place shortly after the Royal couple arrived by helicopter.
The monarch traditionally spends a week each July in Edinburgh but last year the programme was shortened by the general election.
Reuters
The Lord Provost of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge presents the keys to the City of Edinburgh to King Charles III during the Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse
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The palace gardens were transformed into a parade ground
Before the ceremony, the palace’s gardens were transformed into a parade ground and the King met senior military and uniformed figures.
He then received a royal salute before inspecting a Guard of Honour of soldiers from the Royal Company of Archers, who serve as the King’s ceremonial bodyguard in Scotland.
Also lined up was the Palace Guard made up of soldiers from Balaklava Company, 5 Scots, and the High Constables of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
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Scotland’s most decorated Olympian Duncan Scott receives an OBE for services to swimming
Duncan Scott, who won his eighth Olympic medal at the Paris Games last year, said receiving an OBE for services to swimming was a “special moment”.
Recently the 28-year-old gave evidence in parliament calling on MSPs to recognise the value of swimming pools and provide financial relief to keep them open.
He is also an ambassador for Scottish Swimming’s Learn to Swim programme.
“You don’t do sport for the recognition. You do it for things that you want to achieve, either individually or as part of a team,” he said.
“But there is that added element that it’s really humbling and really nice to be recognised for the hard work that you’ve put in.”
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Double Paralympic champion swimmer Stephen Clegg receives an MBE
Paralympian Stephen Clegg, who won two gold medals at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, described being made an MBE as a “huge honour”.
The swimmer, who has a visual impairment and swims in the S12 category, said the recognition “puts a spotlight on not just the sport as a whole, but sport for the disabled community”.
He said as a child he struggled with “all the barriers and limitations” people had placed on him and that swimming had allowed him to prove them wrong.
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Barbara Rae was awarded a damehood for services to art in the New Years Honours
Falkirk-born artist Dame Barbara Rae said her damehood for services to art was a “really quite rare accolade”.
The painter and printmaker studied at Edinburgh College of Art and went on to teach art in secondary schools, then lecture at Aberdeen College of Education and Glasgow School of Art.
The 81-year-old’s work has been exhibited around the world, including at venues in New York and Hong Kong.
She said she hopes her damehood will inspire up-and-coming artists.
Retired solicitor Kevin Hay was also made an MBE after spending 17 years translating the Bible into Doric – the first time the whole text has ever changed into any variant of the Scots language.
The Old Testament was published last year while the New Testament was released in 2012, comprising more than 800,000 words between them.
He said he was “absolutely delighted” to have been recognised for his work.
“When I was at school, you got belted if you spoke Scots of any kind, even one Scots word, and you could get the belt,” he said.
“And here’s now a recognition for doing something in that very language. So it’s great.”
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Queen Camilla and writer Sir Ian Rankin officially launched newly-built Ratho Library in Newbridge
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Queen Camilla met librarians, writers and figures from Edinburgh’s annual literary festival
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Queen Camilla received flowers from local schoolchildren after the opening
Queen Camilla officially opened Ratho Library in Newbridge near Edinburgh Airport, alongside Scottish crime author Sir Ian Rankin.
She was greeted by librarians, local schoolchildren, young writers and poets, and figures from Edinburgh’s annual literary festival.
It marked the launch of a five-year initiative by the Edinburgh International Book Festival and Edinburgh City Libraries to promote literature in local communities.
Kipu Quantum and IonQ have set a new benchmark in quantum computing by solving the most complex protein folding problem ever tackled on quantum hardware – creating potential for real-world applications in drug discovery.
Kipu Quantum and IonQ have published a landmark achievement in quantum computing, announcing the successful solution of the most complex known protein folding problem ever done on quantum hardware. This collaboration highlights the powerful synergy between Kipu Quantum’s advanced algorithmic approaches and IonQ’s cutting-edge quantum systems.
A new benchmark in protein folding
In their latest study, the two companies tackled a 3D protein folding problem involving up to 12 amino acids – the largest of its kind to be executed on quantum hardware. This study marks a critical moment in leveraging quantum technologies for applications in drug discovery and computational biology.
The success of this study showcases the increasing capability of near-term quantum computing to address real-world scientific challenges.
Record performance across problem types
The collaboration also achieved optimal solutions in two other highly complex problem classes. The first involved all-to-all connected spin-glass problems formulated as QUBOs (Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimisation) a challenging class of problems commonly used to benchmark quantum algorithms and hardware. The second involved MAX-4-SAT, a Boolean satisfiability problem expressed as a HUBO (Higher-Order Unconstrained Binary Optimisation), which was solved using up to 36 qubits – the basic units of quantum information.
For those outside the computing field, this means the team successfully used quantum hardware to solve notoriously difficult mathematical problems – the kind that model real-world challenges in areas like logistics, drug discovery and AI. It’s a sign that quantum systems are becoming powerful enough to take on practical, high-value tasks that classical computers struggle with.
All computational instances were run on IonQ’s Forte-generation quantum systems using Kipu Quantum’s proprietary BF-DCQO (Bias-Field Digitised Counterdiabatic Quantum Optimisation) algorithm.
Innovation through algorithm and architecture
Kipu’s BF-DCQO algorithm stands out for being non-variational and iterative, allowing it to deliver high-accuracy results while using fewer quantum operations with each iteration. This approach is particularly suited to problems like protein folding, which require managing complex, long-range interactions.
“Connectivity between qubits in quantum computing impacts efficiency and accuracy. Having all-to-all connectivity means faster time to solution, with higher quality results, and is a unique characteristic of trapped-ion systems. Combining that with Kipu’s unique quantum algorithms results in unparalleled performance with minimal resources, a sine qua non path to quantum advantage with IonQ’s next-generation system,” said Professor Enrique Solano, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Kipu Quantum. “This collaboration is not only breaking performance records but is also positioning us to actively pursue quantum advantage using trapped-ion technologies with IonQ for a wide class of industry use cases.”
Demonstrating the full power of the stack
IonQ emphasised the role of its full hardware-software stack in achieving these breakthroughs.
“Our collaboration with Kipu Quantum has delivered breakthroughs in both speed and quality that sets a new standard for what’s possible in quantum computing today,” said Ariel Braunstein, SVP of Product at IonQ. “This collaboration demonstrates the value of every part of IonQ’s quantum computing stack – from the quality of our qubits and how they are connected, to our compiler and operating system to how error mitigation techniques are applied. Kipu’s capabilities complement IonQ’s cutting-edge systems perfectly and this collaboration is only the first step in our mutual pursuit of near-term commercial value for customers across multiple industries.”
Looking ahead: scaling up to real-world impact
Building on this success, IonQ and Kipu Quantum plan to extend their partnership by exploring even larger-scale problems using IonQ’s upcoming 64-qubit and 256-qubit systems. These next-generation chips will tackle industrially relevant challenges in areas such as drug discovery, logistics optimisation, and advanced materials design.
By aligning new algorithms with robust hardware, the collaboration between Kipu Quantum and IonQ is laying the groundwork for realising quantum advantage across a broad range of real-world applications – and bringing the commercial promise of quantum computing closer to being a reality.
Quantum dots infuse a machine vision sensor with superhuman adaptation speed.
Fabrication of nanoscale light-sensitive materials, known as quantum dots, created a device that reacts to light faster than the human eye. It could revolutionize autonomous vehicles. Credit: Lin et al.
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2025 — In blinding bright light or pitch-black dark, our eyes can adjust to extreme lighting conditions within a few minutes. The human vision system, including the eyes, neurons, and brain, can also learn and memorize settings to adapt faster the next time we encounter similar lighting challenges.
In an article published this week in Applied Physics Letters, by AIP Publishing, researchers at Fuzhou University in China created a machine vision sensor that uses quantum dots to adapt to extreme changes in light far faster than the human eye can — in about 40 seconds — by mimicking eyes’ key behaviors. Their results could be a game changer for robotic vision and autonomous vehicle safety.
“Quantum dots are nano-sized semiconductors that efficiently convert light to electrical signals,” said author Yun Ye. “Our innovation lies in engineering quantum dots to intentionally trap charges like water in a sponge then release them when needed — similar to how eyes store light-sensitive pigments for dark conditions.”
The sensor’s fast adaptive speed stems from its unique design: lead sulfide quantum dots embedded in polymer and zinc oxide layers. The device responds dynamically by either trapping or releasing electric charges depending on the lighting, similar to how eyes store energy for adapting to darkness. The layered design, together with specialized electrodes, proved highly effective in replicating human vision and optimizing its light responses for the best performance.
“The combination of quantum dots, which are light-sensitive nanomaterials, and bio-inspired device structures allowed us to bridge neuroscience and engineering,” Ye said.
Not only is their device design effective at dynamically adapting for bright and dim lighting, but it also outperforms existing machine vision systems by reducing the large amount of redundant data generated by current vision systems.
“Conventional systems process visual data indiscriminately, including irrelevant details, which wastes power and slows computation,” Ye said. “Our sensor filters data at the source, similar to the way our eyes focus on key objects, and our device preprocesses light information to reduce the computational burden, just like the human retina.”
In the future, the research group plans to further enhance their device with systems involving larger sensor arrays and edge-AI chips, which perform AI data processing directly on the sensor, or using other smart devices in smart cars for further applicability in autonomous driving.
“Immediate uses for our device are in autonomous vehicles and robots operating in changing light conditions like going from tunnels to sunlight, but it could potentially inspire future low-power vision systems,” Ye said. “Its core value is enabling machines to see reliably where current vision sensors fail.”
###
Article Title
A back-to-back structured bionic visual sensor for adaptive perception
Authors
Xing Lin, Zexi Lin, Wenxiao Zhao, Sheng Xu, Enguo Chen, Tailiang Guo, and Yun Ye
Author Affiliations
Fuzhou University, Fujian Science and Technology Innovation Laboratory for Optoelectronic Information of China
Using an inexpensive electrode coated with DNA, MIT researchers have designed disposable diagnostics that could be adapted to detect a variety of diseases, including cancer or infectious diseases such as influenza and HIV.
These electrochemical sensors make use of a DNA-chopping enzyme found in the CRISPR gene-editing system. When a target such as a cancerous gene is detected by the enzyme, it begins shearing DNA from the electrode nonspecifically, like a lawnmower cutting grass, altering the electrical signal produced.
One of the main limitations of this type of sensing technology is that the DNA that coats the electrode breaks down quickly, so the sensors can’t be stored for very long and their storage conditions must be tightly controlled, limiting where they can be used. In a new study, MIT researchers stabilized the DNA with a polymer coating, allowing the sensors to be stored for up to two months, even at high temperatures. After storage, the sensors were able to detect a prostate cancer gene that is often used to diagnose the disease.
The DNA-based sensors, which cost only about 50 cents to make, could offer a cheaper way to diagnose many diseases in low-resource regions, says Ariel Furst, the Paul M. Cook Career Development Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and the senior author of the study.
“Our focus is on diagnostics that many people have limited access to, and our goal is to create a point-of-use sensor. People wouldn’t even need to be in a clinic to use it. You could do it at home,” Furst says.
MIT graduate student Xingcheng Zhou is the lead author of the paper, published June 30 in the journal ACS Sensors. Other authors of the paper are MIT undergraduate Jessica Slaughter, Smah Riki ’24, and graduate student Chao Chi Kuo.
An inexpensive sensor
Electrochemical sensors work by measuring changes in the flow of an electric current when a target molecule interacts with an enzyme. This is the same technology that glucose meters use to detect concentrations of glucose in a blood sample.
The electrochemical sensors developed in Furst’s lab consist of DNA adhered to an inexpensive gold leaf electrode, which is laminated onto a sheet of plastic. The DNA is attached to the electrode using a sulfur-containing molecule known as a thiol.
In a 2021 study, Furst’s lab showed that they could use these sensors to detect genetic material from HIV and human papillomavirus (HPV). The sensors detect their targets using a guide RNA strand, which can be designed to bind to nearly any DNA or RNA sequence. The guide RNA is linked to an enzyme called Cas12, which cleaves DNA nonspecifically when it is turned on and is in the same family of proteins as the Cas9 enzyme used for CRISPR genome editing.
If the target is present, it binds to the guide RNA and activates Cas12, which then cuts the DNA adhered to the electrode. That alters the current produced by the electrode, which can be measured using a potentiostat (the same technology used in handheld glucose meters).
“If Cas12 is on, it’s like a lawnmower that cuts off all the DNA on your electrode, and that turns off your signal,” Furst says.
In previous versions of the device, the DNA had to be added to the electrode just before it was used, because DNA doesn’t remain stable for very long. In the new study, the researchers found that they could increase the stability of the DNA by coating it with a polymer called polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).
This polymer, which costs less than 1 cent per coating, acts like a tarp that protects the DNA below it. Once deposited onto the electrode, the polymer dries to form a protective thin film.
“Once it’s dried, it seems to make a very strong barrier against the main things that can harm DNA, such as reactive oxygen species that can either damage the DNA itself or break the thiol bond with the gold and strip your DNA off the electrode,” Furst says.
Successful detection
The researchers showed that this coating could protect DNA on the sensors for at least two months, and it could also withstand temperatures up to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit. After two months, they rinsed off the polymer and demonstrated that the sensors could still detect PCA3, a prostate cancer gene that can be found in urine.
This type of test could be used with a variety of samples, including urine, saliva, or nasal swabs. The researchers hope to use this approach to develop cheaper diagnostics for infectious diseases, such as HPV or HIV, that could be used in a doctor’s office or at home. This approach could also be used to develop tests for emerging infectious diseases, the researchers say.
A group of researchers from Furst’s lab was recently accepted into delta v, MIT’s student venture accelerator, where they hope to launch a startup to further develop this technology. Now that the researchers can create tests with a much longer shelf-life, they hope to begin shipping them to locations where they could be tested with patient samples.
“Our goal is to continue to test with patient samples against different diseases in real world environments,” Furst says. “Our limitation before was that we had to make the sensors on site, but now that we can protect them, we can ship them. We don’t have to use refrigeration. That allows us to access a lot more rugged or non-ideal environments for testing.”
The research was funded, in part, by the MIT Research Support Committee and a MathWorks Fellowship.
Next up in sequels nobody asked for: the return of Adam Sandler’s cavalier golfer Happy Gilmore. Dennis Dugan’s 1996 comedy classic achieved the unthinkable by making the sport momentarily interesting. Kyle Newacheck’s belated follow-up tells a good ol’ fashioned comeback story, in which Gilmore reluctantly rises to a new challenge, here with the narrative justification that our over-the-hill hero needs moolah to send his daughter to ballet school. Expect many on-the-green outbursts and an inevitable golf ball to the groin.
Too Much
TV, UK, 2025 – out 10 July
The new comedy series from Lena Dunham – which she co-created, co-wrote and directed – follows Jessica (Megan Stalter), a bubbly New Yorker who moves to London and attempts to start again after a messy breakup. Initially disappointed that the big smoke doesn’t match the dreamy city in her head, she adjusts her expectations and encounters a potential love interest in a musician, Felix (Will Sharpe). I’ve watched the first two episodes; expect a moreishly paced, character-driven show told with energy and sass.
Nosferatu
Film, US, 2024 – out 26 July
The director Robert Eggers has a great way of taking cobweb-covered storylines – think witches, mermaids, vengeful Vikings – and injecting them with new life, with a visual style that is more painterly than flashy. A remake of FW Murnau’s great silent film fits Eggers’ oeuvre like a glove, opening up a space for more handsome gothic imagery, moody lighting and chunky moustaches. Lily-Rose Depp’s plays Ellen Hutter, a newlywed who draws intense attraction from the reclusive and downright vampiric Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård).
Honourable mentions: The Sandman season 2 volume 1 (TV, 3 July), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (film, 8 July), Sneaky Pete seasons 1-3 (TV, 10 July), The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (film, 12 July), Untamed (TV, 17 July), Glass Heart (TV, 31 July).
Stan
Project Nim
Film, UK/US, 2011 – out 13 July
James Marsh’s fascinating cradle-to-the-grave documentary follows Nim, a chimpanzee who was raised to be a human in a bold (some might say completely insane) experiment undertaken in the 1970s. Living with a bohemian US family, Nim was breastfed by his adopted human mother, taught to go to the toilet, and even smoked reefers. The aim was to test whether chimps could, through sign language, communicate like people. To say it didn’t go well is something of an understatement; Nim’s story is terribly sad and the film is fascinating throughout.
The Square
Film, Australia, 2008 – out 1 July
The oeuvre of Australian director and stuntman Nash Edgerton (brother of Joel) includes the great hitman series Mr Inbetween, some ripping music videos for Bob Dylan, and this smashing, tautly paced neo-noir. A pair of lovers – David Roberts’ Raymond and Claire van der Boom’s Carla – cook up a plan to run off with a big bag of cash procured by Clara’s husband. Things go terribly wrong, triggering a classic, very well told story of two people in over their heads.
Honourable mentions: Venom: Let There Be Carnage (film, 1 July), Buried (film, 3 July), Black Swan (film, 5 July), Queer (film, 6 July), The Final Quarter (film, 8 July), Looper (film, 10 July), The Institute (TV, 14 July), The Dark Emu Story (film, 23 July), Mother and Son season 1 (TV, 25 July), The Day After Tomorrow (film, 26 July), The Accidental President (TV, 27 July).
SBS on Demand
Another Country
Film, Australia, 2015 – out 1 July
Arriving in time for Naidoc Week, which runs from 6 July to 13 July, Molly Reynolds’ fascinating documentary explores David Gulpilil’s home community of Ramingining in the Northern Territory. Extensively narrated by the late and great actor, the remote town becomes a microcosm through which the film can explore “what happened to my culture when it was interrupted by your culture”. As I wrote in my original review: “The richness of the film arises from the earthy elegance of Gulpilil’s narration matched with the uncluttered beauty of Reynolds’ photography.”
Boogie Nights
Film, US, 1997 – out 18 July
Paul Thomas Anderson’s porn industry-set period drama, which begins in the late 70s, is an epic rise-and-fall narrative chock-full of drugs and bonking. Mark Wahlberg plays Eddie Adams, a busby who is discovered by a porn director, Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), and turned into an adult movie star on account of his very substantial, erm, work ethic.
The film is equally funny as sad, and great at evoking big and small picture details – peppering a large multi-year arc with all sorts of small, memorable moments. Reynolds is irresistible as the veteran quasi-artist, who longs to make a porno with a great story, and Philip Seymour Hoffman is amazingly awkward as a stammering boom operator.
Honourable mentions: Mad Dog Morgan (film, 1 July), The Goonies (film, 1 July), May December (film, 1 July), Gulpilil: One Red Blood (film, 1 July), After Hours (film, 1 July), Under the Bridge (TV, 1 July), Gravity (film, 4 July), The Big Steal (film, 4 July), Sasquatch Sunset (film, 4 July), Ablaze (film, 6 July), The Piano Teacher (film, 11 July), Harry Brown (film, 12 July), Gremlins (film, 15 July), The Sommerdahl Murders seasons 1-5 (TV, 17 July), The Cranes Call (TV, 24 July), The Embers (TV, 24 July).
ABC iview
Laurence Anyways
Film, Canada, 2012 – out 1 July
Xavier Dolan’s aesthetically daring drama follows a transgender high school teacher, Laurence (Melvil Poupaud), as she undergoes the transitioning process, navigating relationship issues with her girlfriend, Fred (Suzanne Clement), and encountering discrimination at work. The film looks beautiful but, like in much of Dolan’s work, it’s an unusual, askew kind of beauty, with a knack for visual embellishments that take you by surprise. My only complaint is that, at 168 minutes, it’s far too long.
Honourable mentions: Do Not Watch This Show (TV, 4 July), Patience (TV, 4 July), That Blackfella Show (TV, 5 July), Penn & Teller: Fool Us season 11 (TV, 14 July), The Mysterious Benedict Society (TV, 14 July).
Amazon Prime Video
Better Man
Film, Australia/US, 2024 – out 26 July
Never have you seen a monkey snorting so much blow. Michael Gracey’s take on the life of Robbie Williams is a biopic with a difference, featuring the singer-songwriter being played by a CGI chimpanzee. This novelty has a curious, othering effect, helping the film feel fresh despite rehashing a familiar star-is-born template. Williams experiences a downwards spiral of sex and drugs from which he will, of course, eventually emerge, important life lessons learned. Check out the Rock DJ scene for an example of its thrilling visual staging.
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Blue Velvet
Film, US, 1986 – out 1 July
Rewatching this lurid classic from David Lynch feels like re-experiencing an old nightmare, our fears and twisted visions lighting up the screen. The same can be said of many of his films, though this one is different because its key visual motif is a severed ear, which represents … hmm … well … good luck ascertaining meaning from a Lynch production. (To quote Roger Ebert’s review of Mulholland Drive: “There is no explanation. There may not even be a mystery.”)
The story has shades of hard-boiled noir, the life of a college student, Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan), intersecting with a femme fatale, Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), and her abusive boyfriend, Frank Booth – played by Dennis Hopper with his signature brand of vein-bulging mania.
Honourable mentions: Rocky 1-6 (film, 1 July), Creed (film, 1 July), Creed II (film, 1 July), Twister (film, 1 July), Heads of State (film, 2 July), Ballard (TV, 9 July), The Chosen: Last Supper (TV, 13 July), Blade Runner (film, 26 July), The Equalizer (film, 26 July).
Disney+
Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story
Film, US, 2025 – out 11 July
It’s hard to overstate the impact of Jaws, which ushered in the era of the “summer blockbuster” and changed the face of cinema. Steven Spielberg’s film has been revisited, reinterpreted and appreciated ad nauseum – and now, to mark its 50th birthday, a documentary arrives promising to tell the “definitive inside story.” Speilberg et al discuss how the film was made and a conga line of high-profile appreciators heap praise on it including JJ Abrams, Emily Blunt, James Cameron, George Lucas and Jordan Peele.
Honourable mentions: ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires (film, 11 July), Transformers 1-5 (film, 16 July), Bumblebee (film, 16 July), Washington Black (TV, 23 July).
Max
Sinners
Film, US, 2025 – out 4 July
Ryan Coogler’s already legendary vampire movie is set in 1930s Mississippi and stars Michael B Jordan in two lead roles, as gangster twins Smoke and Stack. Inspired by the legend of Robert Johnson – the highly influential blues musician who, according to folklore, sold his soul to the devil – the buzz surrounding this genre-flipping film has been pretty damn effusive.
Numerous Guardian writers have lined up to praise it. Peter Bradshaw called it a “gonzo horror-thriller mashup” told with “energy and comic-book brashness”; Wendy Ide a “wild, untrammelled and thrillingly unpredictable” film; and Andrew Lawrence a “a Jim Crow period piece that frames the Black experience in America as a horror show”.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes
TV, US, 2025 – out 19 July
Billy Joel onstage while on tour in the US. Photograph: Richard E Aaron/Redferns
This two-part documentary looks back on the life and career of Billy Joel, featuring commentary from the Piano Man himself plus insights from old friends and associates. I’ve watched the first part, which is long (almost two and a half hours), dense and conventionally structured, but quite well paced. It’s more warts-and-all than most authorised films, touching on various challenges in the subject’s life including his mental health and romantic indiscretions.
Honourable mentions: Dear Ms: A Revolution in Print (film, 3 July), Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League (film, 3 July), The Lego Movie (fillm, 5 July), The Hunger Games 1-4 (film, 5 July), Superman Through the Years (film, 8 July), Cabin in the Woods (film, 8 July), Back to the Frontier (TV, 10 July), Joker (film, 12 July), Bookish (TV, 16 July), Chespirito: Not Really on Purpose (TV, 28 July).
Binge
Arrested Development seasons 1-5
TV, US, 2003-2019 – out 29 July
Jeffrey Tambor and Jason Bateman in Arrested Development. Photograph: AP
Perhaps no popular television series has broken the “show, don’t tell” screenwriting dictum as spectacularly as this great, Ron Howard-narrated sitcom about an affluent US family undergoing a series of crises. Jason Bateman provides the anchoring presence as Michael, the most reasonable of the Bluth clan, who are a nasty, narcissistic and incompetent bunch – a dangerous combination for them, and a very good one for the audience. The fifth and last season took a dive so feel free to stop at the fourth.
Sold! Who Broke the Australian Dream
TV, Australia, 2025 – out 21 July
Mark Humphries in Sold! Who Broke the Australian Dream. Photograph: Natalia Ladyko
The producers of ABC’s 7.30 made a terrible decision when they cut the comedian Mark Humphries from the program; the man is rare talent. He fronts this sometimes laugh-out-loud funny investigation into Australia’s housing affordability crisis. It’s unpacked diligently, with everybody acknowledging that there’s no magic bullet solution, only measures (including cutting negative gearing) that might help a little. At several points the ABC journalist Alan Kohler appears, in a suit, in a bath, clutching a glass of champagne – a homage to Margot Robbie’s appearance in The Big Short?
Honourable mentions: Vertigo (film, 1 July), Rear Window (film, 1 July), Sabrina (film, 1 July), The Game (film, 1 July), Emilia Perez (film, 4 July), Suits seasons 1-9 (TV, 17 July), Nosferatu (film, 26 July).
Apple TV+
The Wild Ones
TV, UK, 2025 – out 11 July
In this six-part documentary series, a small team of adventurers head into remote areas of the world on a mission “to find and film some of the most endangered animals on the planet and help scientists save them”. A noble expedition, to be sure, with what looks like (going by the trailer) a bit of grandstanding and chest-thumping.
Honourable mentions: Foundation season 3 (TV, 11 July), Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical (TV, 18 July).
For over a decade, NASA’s Curiosity rover has been capturing images of Mars as scientists continue to study the planet’s structures and surface.
Curiosity’s goal as it travels across Mars is to look for unique signs of life, including signs of possible ancient life on the planet.
What is it?
Curiosity captured this 360-degree image after traveling to an area full of low ridges called boxwork patterns. These patterns look like spiderwebs, as NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter saw in 2006.
Since its arrival on Mars from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station via an Atlas V rocket in 2012, Curiosity has been exploring the surface of the Red Planet, including these low ridges. In the middle of the photo, Curiosity’s tracks can be seen as its wheels its way across the dust.
Where is it?
Curiosity took this photo at the base of Mount Sharp, a 3 mile (5 km) tall mountain within Mars’ Gale Crater. In the far distance of the image to the right is the “Texoli” butte, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
The 360-degree panorama shows the low-ridge boxwork pattern of Mars’ landscape, with Curiosity’s tire tracks in the center of the image and the “Texoli” butte in the back right. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Why is it amazing?
This panorama image was created by combining 291 images from Curiosity’s Mast Camera, or Mastcam, taken over three days in mid-May 2025, according to JPL.
The boxwork pattern Curiosity captured is of particular interest to astronomers because its ridges were created by ancient groundwater flowing across Mars surface. The minerals in this groundwater helped harden the surface, and after thousands of years of being sandblasted by atmospheric winds, low ridges appeared at the foot of Mount Sharp.
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While this ancient groundwater eventually disappeared from the planet entirely, astronomers believe it might have had nutrients to sustain ancient microbes. Using rovers like Curiosity, astronomers can get samples to determine whether there was life on Mars at some point in the planet’s past.
Want to learn more?
You can read more about ancient Martian water and NASA’s rovers as astronomers continue to study the red planet.
A vast cloud of energetic particles surrounding a cluster of galaxies that existed around four billion years after the Big Bang could help scientists discover how the early universe took shape.
But was the halo of the massive cluster of galaxies — called SpARCS104922.6+564032.5, and located 9.9 billion light-years from Earth— built by erupting supermassive black holes or a cosmic particle accelerator?
This envelope of radio-emitting particles — a so-called “radio mini-halo,” though it isn’t really mini at all — is the most distant example of such a structure ever detected. Its distance is double that of the next farthest radio mini-halo, with its radio signal having taken 10 billion years to reach Earth — the majority of the universe’s 13.8 billion-year lifespan.
The discovery, made with the LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray) radio instrument in Europe, indicates that galaxy clusters, which are some of the largest structures in the known universe, spend most of their existence wrapped in envelopes of high-energy particles.
This insight gives scientists a better idea of how energy flows around galaxy clusters. And that in turn could improve our picture of cosmic evolution, study members said.
“It’s astonishing to find such a strong radio signal at this distance,” study co-leader Roland Timmerman, an astronomer at Durham University in England, said in a statement. “It means these energetic particles and the processes creating them have been shaping galaxy clusters for nearly the entire history of the universe.”
What gave this cluster its halo?
The team posited two possible explanations for the formation of this mini-halo.
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One possibility is that the supermassive black holes at the hearts of the galaxies in the cluster are ejecting jets of high-energy particles and settling around their home cluster.
One problem with this theory, however, is explaining how these particles have managed to maintain their energy as they take their place in a gigantic cloud.
Illustration of a supermassive black hole at the heart of a galaxy emitting a stream of high-energy particles (Image credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva))
The second possible explanation is the existence of a natural particle collider around the galactic cluster.
Particles in the hot ionized gas, or plasma, around the cluster may be slamming together at near light-speeds, resulting in the highly energetic particles in the halo.
The team behind the new research believes their results offer a rare chance to observe a galaxy cluster just after it has formed.
It also suggests that galactic clusters are filled with energetic particles for billions of years longer than had previously been thought. And further study of this distant radio mini-halo should reveal just where these charged particles originated, according to the scientists.
The team’s research has been accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, with a preprint version available on the research repository arXiv.
Netflix is taking a bite out of our cultural obsession with sharks with the new documentary, “Shark Whisperer.”
The project focuses on free-diving conservationist Ocean Ramsey (her real name), who recounts her “fascination and kinship with one of the ocean’s most feared predators,” according to Netflix.
“Her passion for sharks, who she feels are gravely misunderstood and unfairly maligned, became her life’s work,” a story on the streamer’s Tudum site states. “Over 100 million sharks are killed each year, imperiling the survival of a species that is integral to a balanced marine ecosystem, and critical to a healthy Earth.”
While some view sharks as scary and “monsters,” Ramsey and her partner and videographer, Juan Oliphant, advocate for the safety of the sharks and are working on improving their image.
“I’m not a crazy person,” Ramsay says in a trailer for the project as she swims near several large sharks. “I’m hyper aware of what they’re capable of.”
The new doc, from Oscar-winning director of “My Octopus Teacher,” James Reed, is not without controversy, however.
“Ramsey’s approach to her activism has drawn criticism by both members of the scientific community and the public at large; Ramsey’s detractors say she is putting herself, other humans, and the sharks at risk by seeking media attention,” according to Tudum.
Ramsey advocates for the protection of sharks through her social media platforms, which have more than 2 million followers on Instagram alone.
“Shark Whisperer” is currently streaming on Netflix.
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NASA’s Curiosity rover takes photos of low-ridges across Mars. | Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
For over a decade, NASA’s Curiosity rover has been capturing images of Mars as scientists continue to study the planet’s structures and surface.
Curiosity’s goal as it travels across Mars is to look for unique signs of life, including signs of possible ancient life on the planet.
What is it?
Curiosity captured this 360-degree image after traveling to an area full of low ridges called boxwork patterns. These patterns look like spiderwebs, as NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter saw in 2006.
Since its arrival on Mars from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station via an Atlas V rocket in 2012, Curiosity has been exploring the surface of the Red Planet, including these low ridges. In the middle of the photo, Curiosity’s tracks can be seen as its wheels its way across the dust.
Where is it?
Curiosity took this photo at the base of Mount Sharp, a 3 mile (5 km) tall mountain within Mars’ Gale Crater. In the far distance of the image to the right is the “Texoli” butte, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
The 360-degree panorama shows the low-ridge boxwork pattern of Mars’ landscape, with Curiosity’s tire tracks in the center of the image and the “Texoli” butte in the back right. | Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Why is it amazing?
This panorama image was created by combining 291 images from Curiosity’s Mast Camera, or Mastcam, taken over three days in mid-May 2025, according to JPL.
The boxwork pattern Curiosity captured is of particular interest to astronomers because its ridges were created by ancient groundwater flowing across Mars surface. The minerals in this groundwater helped harden the surface, and after thousands of years of being sandblasted by atmospheric winds, low ridges appeared at the foot of Mount Sharp.
While this ancient groundwater eventually disappeared from the planet entirely, astronomers believe it might have had nutrients to sustain ancient microbes. Using rovers like Curiosity, astronomers can get samples to determine whether there was life on Mars at some point in the planet’s past.
Want to learn more?
You can read more about ancient Martian water and NASA’s rovers as astronomers continue to study the red planet.
DLA Piper announces the promotions of nine senior associates and six special counsel across its four Australian offices. Internationally, there were 229 senior lawyers from 20 countries in the promotions round.
“These promotions reflect the depth of talent we have across the firm and acknowledge the exceptional contribution and dedication each individual brings to our clients and our culture,” said Shane Bilardi, Country Managing Partner, Australia, DLA Piper.
The promotions to Special Counsel and Senior Associates include:
Special Counsel
Anna Crosby (Litigation and Regulatory, Perth)
Matthew Nowotny-Walsh (Corporate, Perth)
Matthew Roberts (Finance, Perth)
Nicole Breschkin (Litigation and Regulatory, Melbourne)
Victoria Brockhall (Finance, Brisbane)
Winnie Liang (Real Estate, Sydney)
Senior Associates
Andrew Coughlin (Litigation and Regulatory Melbourne)
Ashvin Sandra Segara (Litigation anf Regulatory, Melbourne)
Chris Maibom (Employment, Sydney)
Claudia Levings (Litigation and Regulatory, Sydney)
Emily Pettersson (Litigation and Regulatory, Perth)
Gigi Lockhart (Litigation and Regulatory, Sydney)
Giacomo Bell (Corporate, Melbourne)
Hugh Raisin (Employment, Sydney)
Julia Krapeshlis (Corporate, Sydney)
“I congratulate all of our recent promotions and thank them for the outstanding contributions they make to our firm and the meaningful impact they create for our clients every day,” added Shane.
The senior lawyer promotions follow the appointment of three partners in Australia this year: David Kirkland, David Holland, and Mark Bennett.
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