Gillian Anderson (left) and David Duchovny as agents Scully and Mulder in The X-FilesAJ Pics/AlamyTelevision hasnt always been kind to science fiction, with smaller budgets to throw at special effects and epic, universe-spanning narratives getting cancelled before their time. But despite all the obstacles, countless series have proved that long-form storytelling on the small screen is the perfect way to explore the complex ideas and philosophies that make this genre so compelling.With so much gold to choose from, the New Scientist team found picking their favourite sci-fi series a tricky task not everyone could narrow it down to one. Though this is far from a definitive list (and is presented in no particular order), we hope that our selection contains something for everyone, no matter what kind of sci-fi fan you are.Rebooted from an ill-fated 1978 series, Battlestar Galactica begins with a nuclear holocaust and humanitys remnants crowding aboard battered spaceships to flee from sentient machines. But its most compelling moments involve the survivors struggling to balance societal and ethical norms against the cold calculus of survival. Jeremy HsuAdvertisementKatee Sackhoff as Kara Starbuck Thrace in Battlestar GalacticaCinematic/AlamyThe Leftovers isnt just the best sci-fi series I have seen, its perhaps the greatest TV show ever made. Big claim, I know. The premise is weird: what if one day, out of nowhere, 2 per cent of the population disappeared? Dont expect answers to why this happened the series doesnt offer any. Instead, it explores the gritty fallout of so much inexplicable grief and loss. Chelsea WhyteMy family werent into Doctor Who, so this show was, I think, my introduction to science fiction (if you count time travel as science fiction, which I most definitely do). It follows physicist Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula), who has invented a way to travel through time, although its not quite what he expected. Sam has vanished from his own reality, but his consciousness leaps into the bodies of other people, whose lives he must sort out before he can move on and hopefully return home. The series was revived in 2022 and when I get a minute to myself that isnt filled with children or books or the need to sleep, I shall be watching it. Alison FloodTwo parts sci-fi, one part noir, the richly detailed universe of The Expanse has drawn me in like no other. Set in a future where humanity has colonised the solar system, it follows the crew of a deep-space ice hauler and a hard-boiled detective investigating the disappearance of a wealthy heiress. Before long, they are embroiled in conspiracies and a rebellion by the exploited, asteroid-dwelling Belters. Long live the Outer Planets Alliance!Bethan AckerleyBlack Mirror operates in a strange twilight zone of science fiction, not quite fanciful enough to feel truly invented, but a little too futuristic to feel like a real-world drama. Each episode dives into the way technology is warping human experience, hopping genres from romcom to slasher horror. The earliest series are the most arresting the first episode, featuring the UK Prime Minister and a pig, will be burned into your brain but throughout Black Mirror is thought-provoking, disturbing and often darkly funny. Madeleine CuffHow many stories start with someone opening a door and stepping into the unknown? The joy of Doctor Who, and one of the two reasons for its longevity, is that the titular Doctors spacecraft is a portal to anywhere in time and space. You can set a story in Victorian London or a billion years in the future. The other reason why the show has lasted over 60 years is that the Doctor can regenerate into a new body convenient when you want to cast a new lead. Rowan HooperI began watching The X-Files at around 9 years old far too young! I thought Mulder was the epitome of cool, I wanted to believe, and I was fascinated and terrified by the monsters he and Scully encountered each week. Revisiting the series as an adult, I identified more with the sceptical Scully and was drawn to the long-running narrative of an alien conspiracy. It is this structure of weaving standalone plots with ongoing stories that makes The X-Files so good. Lets just pretend the 2010s revival never happened. Jacob AronThe One Amigo episode from FuturamaDisneyFuturamaSet in New New York at the turn of the 31st century, this animated series is, in essence, your classic workplace sitcom, with all the main characters working at interplanetary delivery company Planet Express (including Philip J. Fry, who was cryogenically frozen in 1999 and wakes up 1000 years later). Futurama has an absurdly high gags-per-minute ratio, but there are also deeply poignant moments even the mere thought of Frys dog makes me sob and frequent, satisfying homages to science fiction. Tim BoddyImagine Han Solo from Star Wars walking into a Wild West saloon. A mash-up of Westerns and sci-fi, Firefly sees a crew of lovable misfits on the spacecraft Serenity trying to survive and make a difference in a space empire ruled by the Alliance. The series has become a cult classic thanks to its idiosyncratic characters, compelling cast, inventive storylines and snappy dialogue.Chris SimmsNew Scientist book clubLove reading? Come and join our friendly group of fellow book lovers. Every six weeks, we delve into an exciting new title, with members given free access to extracts from our books, articles from our authors and video interviews.Sign upAt first glance, Fringe may seem like a successor to The X-Files: it features a somewhat antagonistic duo of oddball investigators and quickly plunges into both the supernatural and the personal. But it is so much more than that. Where The X-Files had aliens and government conspiracies, Fringe has parallel universes, family secrets, psychedelics and sensory deprivation plus an incredibly strong cast of supporting characters. Expect Leonard Nimoy as a multiversal villain, doppelgangers and men-turned-giant-porcupines. Karmela Padavic-CallaghanIm reluctant to admit that sci-fi isnt my go-to choice of entertainment tales of robots and aliens dont really do it for me. But Outlander offers an alternative take on the genre, with plenty of romance and a swashbuckling heroine. It follows Claire Beauchamp, who accidentally travels back in time from 1945 to 1743. Once she has accepted her fate (and met the love of her life, Jamie), Claire, a nurse, bewilders her contemporaries with her 20th-century knowledge of anatomy and pathogens not to mention her feminist attitude.Alexandra ThompsonThe Star Wars franchise started as an uncomplicated space opera: the Empire is evil because its agents look like fascists; the rebels are good because they arent that. But recent instalments have gone a long way in complicating that narrative. Andor explores what an ordered space empire would look like colonialist, banal, dehumanising and why those conditions make heroes out of thieves. Linda Rodriguez-McRobbieThere is something about Altered Carbon that is awful and depressing, but also incredibly appealing. Who wouldnt want to be able to try out a smorgasbord of different bodies, or sleeves as they are called in the show? Epic cities, gross inequality, affable AIs and a questionable storyline this cyberpunk series has it all!Finn GrantI am terrible at watching telly in the evenings after work/children/life are in the bag for the day I generally just fall asleep. Not when it comes to the adventures of Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Michonne (Danai Gurira) and their ragtag crew, though. I have watched every episode of The Walking Dead, from Ricks awakening in hospital to discover a world ravaged by a virus that has turned everyone into walkers to the various terrible communities they keep stumbling across. Its shocking, well-acted and, particularly in the earlier series, full of surprises. Alison FloodThe Star Trek crew in 1966Album/AlamyThe original Star Trek is an aspirational model for a society led by science, one with true equality and peaceful exploration. Thats a pretty cathartic means of escapism in todays tumultuous world, perhaps even more so than it would have been in the 1960s. Its a great show to dip in and out of, and the over-the-top Technicolor, terrible special effects and wooden acting only add to its appeal. The series spawned a bewildering array of spin-offs of varying quality, but in my opinion you cant beat the original. Matthew SparkesHow different would your life be if you had made different decisions at key points? And what would you do if you could visit the other multiverses spawned at these points, with different yous? Thats the intriguing premise of Dark Matter, adapted for TV by Blake Crouch from his own book. The first few episodes can be a little slow at times, but it gets better and better after that. Michael Le PageRecency bias be damned: despite only debuting in 2022, Severance has already earned its place among the greatest sci-fi TV of all time. Imagine if you could separate your memories of work from the rest of your life. At first, outsourcing the daily grind may seem like a no-brainer but what horrors might your body unknowingly experience at the office, and what misery might the alternate version of yourself endure? Bethan AckerleyTopics:

For years, Tim Cook has overseen the development of Apple's supply chain in China.The risk of tariffs on China from Donald Trump requires a complex balancing act from Cook. Jamie MacEwan, an analyst, estimates that "almost half of Apple's revenue is exposed to China."Tim Cook faces an unenviable task this year: keeping a tough-on-China president onside while continuing to lean on the country for Apple's complex supply chain.The Silicon Valley giant has spent years building a vast supply chain network in China under the leadership of Cook, who was first tasked by Steve Jobs in 1997 with devising a cost-cutting outsourcing plan when Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy.From Jiangsu in the east to Sichuan in the west, Foxconn, Luxshare, Pegatron, and others have played pivotal roles in helping Apple generate over $1.8 trillion in net sales this decade alone by serving as the manufacturing conveyor belt for everything from iPhones to Macs.However, Apple's ability to maintain its most important manufacturing network could now depend on how effectively Cook negotiates with President-elect Donald Trump while appeasing rival powers in Beijing, in whose hands Apple's supply chain largely sits.Trump has signaled a return to the trade war that defined his first term by threatening to slap new tariffs on China. Such a move risks adding new costs to Apple's supply chain and could push it further from the country it has depended on to turn out iPhones for decades."It's extremely complicated because of the depth of the dependence on Chinese manufacturing competence," Kevin O'Marah, a supply chain expert and cofounder of research firm Zero100, told Business Insider.What lies ahead for Cook then is a delicate balancing act: reckoning with Trump's political gameplan while protecting the supply chain empire he has staked Apple's fortunes on.A high-stakes balancing act Donald Trump could slap new `tariffs on China in his second term. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Cook seems acutely aware of the dilemma, which is why he's been busy courting both sides.Over three trips to China this year, the Apple CEO has met with top leaders like Chinese Premier Li Qiang,visited local suppliers, and attended an industry conference in Beijing. He has done all this while singing Trump's praises.In November, Cook congratulated Trump on his election victory with a post on X that said, "we look forward to engaging" to ensure the US continues its technology leadership. He turned up at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort a month later, but only after visiting China weeks earlier.Jamie MacEwan, senior analyst at Enders Analysis, told BI that Cook's ability to continue getting what it wants out of China will "take a huge amount of public diplomacy from Apple leadership" as they "navigate increasingly choppy geopolitical waters."Pulling off this diplomatic feat won't come easy. Apple has wrapped up its vast fortune in a sprawling supply chain in China that will prove difficult to untangle in the near term. While Apple generated $66.9 billion of its $391 billion in net sales from the Greater China region in its last fiscal year, MacEwan estimates that "almost half of Apple's revenue is exposed to China through direct sales and the supply chain," making it tough to leave China behind.Apple has, of course, slowly been making efforts to diversify its supply chain. In the six months to September, Apple shipped almost $6 billion worth of iPhones made in India, according to Bloomberg, up a third from the same period last year.Earlier this month, meanwhile, it emerged Apple would begin producing AirPods from a new factory in India for the first time, starting this year, and overseen by a Foxconn unit. The number of vendors in Vietnam supplying Apple has steadily increased, too.Easier said than done China is a vital market for Apple. VCG/Getty Images Though Apple has been taking these steps, experts believe that China remains vital to Apple's operations for a key reason: it's not yet possible to replicate the scale of its operations in the country elsewhere. O'Marah said that much of Apple's success in China has come down to the "depth of the engineering in the supply chain" established by Cook.The company has established a deep relationship with suppliers that involves the development of "millions and millions of identical pieces of machinery," O'Marah said, which comprise a "very deep and very complex bill of materials and componentry."Simply getting up and leaving if new tariffs hit, then, is not an option. "India is picking up quite a bit of opportunity, but it'll take them a decade to get there," O'Marah said. "They don't have the same amount of manufacturing expertise, and to transfer that in takes a lot of time."Dipanjan Chatterjee, a principal analyst at Forrester, agrees. He told BI that although "there is no way yet to tell how the proposed tariffs on China will play out," boosting India's manufacturing volume in the face of tough new taxes on China won't be straightforward."The devil is in the details," he said. "For example, India will have to be able to scale up rapidly to accommodate that kind of additional volume not an easy task."How Apple will proceed remains to be seen. According to a Reuters report, China's commerce minister Wang Wentao told Cook that Apple is "welcome to continue deepening its presence in the Chinese market."Cook's growing closeness with Trump over the years may offer him some confidence. In 2019, when Trump planned a 10% tariff on Chinese imports, Cook successfully negotiated exemptions with the president and ensured Apple's supply chain would stay safe.O'Marah also notes that tariffs are based on political rather than economic logic, so an almost 40% tariff on US imports from China next year like the one predicted in a poll of economists conducted by Reuters could "pop up and disappear overnight."That said, the situation remains immensely complex for Cook.MacEwan notes that Trump's future tariffs remain a "real wild card." A bad-case scenario would "increase the impetus for Apple to reshore more manufacturing out of China, but there is a limit" to what can be done. There is a risk that Beijing could retaliate too, he said."This isn't like Walmart sourcing more goods from India," MacEwan said. "Each iPhone is the result of a complex and highly integrated and optimized supply chain."

Many people associate losing weight with restrictive dieting, but that is unsustainable for most.Three people who met their weight loss goals sustainably shared how they did it.They learned it's not necessary to cut out entire food groups or eat tiny portions to lose weight.Three people who lost weight sustainably after years of yo-yo dieting shared the most valuable lessons they learned about fat loss.Weight loss and restrictive diet culture are almost synonymous in our culture, meaning most people who want to lose fat start by cutting out the foods they enjoy. But research shows that this rarely works long-term, and eating too few calories can have unintended health consequences, such as malnutrition, disordered eating, and fertility problems.Experts who have spoken to Business Insider in the past agree that to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit, burning more calories than you consume but that shouldn't mean going hungry, cutting out entire food groups, or spending hours doing exercise that you dread.Three people who learned this through experience shared what helped them lose fat in a healthy way.Prioritize health over appearance"You can't shame yourself into weight loss," Alaias Bertrand, a 25-year-old content creator and marketer in Florida who lost 75 pounds in three years, previously told BI. Alaias Bertrand lost 75 pounds in three years. Alaias Bertrand Bertrand said she previously tried "everything under the sun" to lose weight, including diets like keto and intermittent fasting. But they didn't work because she was too focused on the end result, and she was hungry all the time, she said.It was only when she started making lifestyle changes for her health and wellbeing that she lost weight naturally."My adjustments became less about 'I need to look a certain way' and more so 'I want to feel a certain way. I want to feel good in my body,'" she said.You can eat foods that you enjoy and lose weightBenji Xavier, a 28-year-old content creator, lost 100 pounds in just over a year, and has kept it off for two years, by making healthier versions of his favorite foods at home. Benji Xavier eats healthy meals and doesn't deprive himself of any foods. DK Publishing Xavier, who is based in New Jersey, previously lost 100 pounds in high school by "falling victim to toxic diet culture" and heavily limiting what he ate. But it left him obsessed with food and miserable, and he regained the weight a few years later.In August 2021, he tried to lose weight again but was determined not to restrict himself."I was just sick of it. I'm like, 'no, I can't do this. I can't torture myself anymore. I'm just going to try to eat healthier.' And it worked," he said. "You can still have foods that you enjoy and lose weight."Find activities you actually enjoyMae Suzuki, a content creator based in New York, lost 40 pounds after being stuck in a cycle of restrictive dieting and bingeing for years. Mae Suzuki visualized the habits her best self would have. Mae Suzuki She used to force herself to do boot camp-style workouts that she hated and eat food that she didn't like. When she didn't see the scale shift after a few weeks, she would give up because she wasn't enjoying the process, she previously told BI.Suzuki realized that she needed to make the process fun, so she joined a gym and tried all the different classes until she found what she actually enjoyed. She learned that she loved weightlifting but wasn't so keen on cardio."Once I stopped focusing on the things that I didn't like in order to lose weight, that's when I saw gradual but consistent weight loss," she said.Find someone to come on the journey with youBertrand said she found adding a social element, whether that's a friend, coach, or team, can help with motivation when losing weight."When you tell someone that you respect and admire a goal of yours, you are more likely to accomplish it," she said.For her, being a member of her high school and college track and field team was a catalyst for learning how to fuel her body, stay active, and be held accountable. Bertrand with her varsity track and field team. Alaias Bertrand Focus on little milestonesXavier said that focusing on little milestones helped him stay motivated. "If I were to sit here and think 'I need to lose 100 pounds,' that's a lot. You don't want to do that," he said.Fixating on his end goal made him feel overwhelmed and discouraged when life got in the way and he didn't achieve his goal as quickly as he had planned."It takes time to achieve your goals, and you get there step by step, not all at once."He added: "Just take it day by day, week by week."

Rolex has hiked prices for some of its most popular pieces.This comes after the price of gold surged in 2024.As of Thursday, the price stood at about $2,700 per ounce.Rolex, one of the world's most premium watch brands, just got even more expensive.The Swiss watchmaker hiked up the prices of certain models made of gold by as much as 8% on January 1, Bloomberg reported, citing watch prices from Rolex's French website.This comes as the price of gold surged in the past year, with a nearly 30% increase since the start of 2024. As of Thursday, the price stood at about $2,700 per ounce.Models that saw price hikes included the yellow gold Day-Date watch with a 40-millimeter black dial, which increased from 41,000, or about $42,090, to 44,200, or about $45,370 on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported, citing Rolex's listed prices.The outlet wrote that the price of another model, the yellow gold GMT-Master II, increased from 41,300, about $42,400, to 44,600, or about $45,800.The brand has historically raised prices on January 1 of each year, but this year's hikes are higher than last year's, per Bloomberg.Rolexes start at around $6,900 for entry-level models like the Oyster Perpetual and can cost millions on the upper end.Why the price of gold surged in 2024The gold surge in 2024 was due to factors including rising demand from central banks like in Turkey, India, and China. The World Gold Council said that central banks had bought a record 483 tons of the metal in the first half of 2024.Rising geopolitical tensions amid the Russia-Ukraine war and the Middle East conflict have also increased the demand for gold, which is seen as a stable asset.Analysts expect the price to keep rising into the new year. Goldman Sachs expected it to reach $3,000 per ounce by the end of 2025.Rolex representatives did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Oratge House / Kokudev Padilla ArquitecturaSave this picture! Pol ViladomsHousesSant Esteve de Palautordera, SpainArchitects: Kokudev Padilla ArquitecturaAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:212 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 PhotographsPhotographs:Pol ViladomsManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Huguet, YTONG AAC Lead Architects: Valentin Kokudev, Anna Padilla More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The Oratge House is a project designed for a young family who decided to move from the city to Montseny mountain in search of peace and contact with nature. The building is located at the northwestern end of the property, leaving the southeastern part as free as possible in order to take advantage of sunlight and views of the forest. Despite its compact appearance, the house establishes a permeable relationship with the outside, since the main common areas are arranged longitudinally, each with direct access to the garden. On the upper floor are the most private spaces of the house, including bedrooms, a bathroom, a second studio and a laundry room.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!At the southern end of the building is the living room, which is vertically connected to the studio on the second floor, creating a double-height space that provides spatial richness and natural light to the interior spaces. This area also serves as a thermal regulator of the house, since the operable skylight of the roof allows an efficient heat dissipation during the summer months.Save this picture!Save this picture!The layout of the house has been designed with the aim of maximizing the use of the surface area through the optimization of routes, spatial flexibility and the rationalization of facilities. The arrangement of the rooms reinforces a series of visual axes to the outside, which provide abundant light and allow multiple views of the privileged natural environment. In addition, the strategic positioning of practical windows facilitates natural ventilation, taking advantage of local air currents coming from the stream.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!On the outside, the house appears as a compact volume that blends in with its surroundings thanks to the use of local materials such as lime mortar and pine wood. At the same time, a series of metal elements creates two porches that define the main entrances to the house. On the east faade, there is a linear porch facing the garden, designed as a flexible structure that can be covered with mobile shading and lighting elements that can be adapted to different situations. On the west-facing corner, there is a second porch that defines the entrance and includes a metal lattice that filters the views towards the laundry area located on the upper floor. All of these metal elements are also designed to support climbing plants that, over time, will create green facades that will provide solar protection for the most exposed facades and at the same time allow the house to blend in with the surrounding landscape.Save this picture!Save this picture!One of the premises of the project was to achieve a low-energy house based on the use of natural and healthy materials. For this reason, the building envelope is designed with aerated concrete walls (AAC) together with external mineral wool insulation (ETICS), achieving a high level of insulation, thermal and permeability of the envelope. These qualities of the envelope together with a set of solar control elements and natural ventilation, allow us to maintain high comfort conditions, without the need to incorporate air-conditioning systems.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officePublished on January 03, 2025Cite: "Oratge House / Kokudev Padilla Arquitectura" 03 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025272/oratge-house-kokudev-padilla-arquitectura&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Nha Trang Pool Villa / NAQI & PartnersSave this picture! Phan Trng TnHousesNha Trang, VietnamArchitects: NAQI & PartnersAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:510 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2023 PhotographsPhotographs:Phan Trng Tn Lead Architect: Nguyn Minh Nht More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Located in the heart of the coastal city of Nha Trang, Nha Trang Pool Villa is the living space for a young family, balancing modern living with the desire for relaxation and closeness to nature. After a busy workday, the couple sought a spacious and bright home that could nurture their passion for gardening and caring for their children.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Design Concept -Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Natural Balance in Design - The land sits in the heart of Nha Trang with a mountain behind it, an ideal backdrop that inspired our distinctive design vision. This design is unique not only in its visual experience but also in making the most of the natural advantages the site offers. "Balance" has always been the core principle of NAQI & Partners, which is again expressed in this design. The harmony between the mountain and the sea and the relationship between people and nature are key elements of this project. The house serves as a bridge, connecting nature with human experiences. This could be expressed in the soft curved architectural volumes that lead the way, bringing moisture from the leaves, the scent of the sea, and the warmth of the sun into the house, awakening all the senses. Or it could be the man-made pool that connects seamlessly with the sky, where clouds drift above and are reflected in the water below. Closing your eyes, one might even feel like a cloud, drifting freely and peacefully.Save this picture!Save this picture!Large glass doors open up to the outdoor space, bringing natural light and fresh air into the house. The spaces are subtly defined by their heights, such as the living room and kitchen distinct but not disconnected. The interior uses materials such as wood, brick, and stone with a light color palette, aiming for a modern, airy feel that reflects the young family's lifestyle while blending harmoniously with the surrounding environment.Nha Trang Pool Villa is a residence that converses with people, nature, and technology, where each element contributes to enriching the living experience.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeNAQI & PartnersOfficePublished on January 03, 2025Cite: "Nha Trang Pool Villa / NAQI & Partners" 03 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025273/nha-trang-pool-villa-naqi-and-partners&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Changing the default cube using the Random Flow addon in Blender.Shops:blendermarket.com/creators/blenderguppygumroad.com/blenderguppyPatreon:patreon.com/blenderguppy#shorts #b3d #blender3d #3d #3dmodeling #blendermarket #conceptartist #3dmodel #blenderaddon #3dmodel

The Transformers franchise has spanned nearly three decades. There have been numerous iterations in multiple mediums such as comics, animation, and live-action movies. With all of the available media, Transformers has one of the largest fan bases in pop culture.

A Genshin Impact leak has revealed a gameplay video demonstrating the synergy between the new five-star Mizuki and three other characters. With the release of the Natlan region, Genshin Impact has been introducing at least one new character per update, with Mavuika and Citlali being the most recent additions.

Role-playing games have become more ambitious than ever before, with the popularity of this genre mandating certain titles to stand out from the rest of the pack by trying something different. Most games achieve this by integrating an ambitious story with multiple campaigns to keep track of.