Ralph Fiennes’ Role in “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple”
Sony Pictures
It’s hard to overstate the impact of 28 Days Later. This groundbreaking 2002 film features Jim the Courier (Cillian Murphy), who awakens from a coma to find Britain devastated by an “angry virus,” a precursor to the past two decades of zombie media. The film serves as a stark reflection of societal decay and chaos.
A new trilogy could have easily followed the original formula, but in 2025, 28 Years Later shatters that mold. Set decades after the initial outbreak, this film revitalizes the series by focusing on Spike (Alfie Williams), a young boy navigating life on a virus-free island amid the ruins of Britain. His journey introduces new species of the infected and intelligent ‘alphas’ like Samson (Chee-Lewis Parry), who exhibit strategic thinking.
The second installment, Bone Temple, written by Alex Garland and directed by Nia DaCosta, shifts its focus to “the Jimmys,” a gang of youth captivated by bloodsports rather than the infected. These characters are stripped of their identities, led by the enigmatic Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell), who dubs them all “Fingers.”
As the story unfolds, the Jimmy family’s troubling regression poses a menace to Spike as well. The harrowing first scene of Bone Temple sees Spike fighting for survival against Jimmy, marking a pivotal moment where an uninfected individual is killed, initially highlighting a crucial distinction.
This film challenges our understanding of the infected. We meet Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a retired physician and Spike’s ally, who attempts to understand these new beings. He once used morphine to subdue Samson but finds the alpha craves the drug, establishing a reluctant bond between them.
Through shared experiences, Kelson—an anthropologist at heart—investigates the cultural remnants of humanity by creating monuments and reclaiming narratives from desolate towns. His quest prompts profound questions about the consciousness of the infected. “What if you could speak?” he muses. “Do you have memories? Are you evolving?”
As Bone Temple invites us to reconsider the nature of evolution, we ponder whether beings like Samson symbolize a new paradigm. Are they regaining their humanity or transitioning into something uniquely different? As the story progresses, we ask if a cure is possible for these once-infected beings, and whether the lines between human and infected remain clear after decades.
Kelson’s psychological exploration yields unexpected revelations. Upon encountering Jimmy and his gang, he discovers a potential path to healing for the remnants of humanity—infected or otherwise. The profound message of this riveting film is that our understanding of the infected must evolve. As we follow Spike’s journey through this dystopian world, it begs the question: could the infected become humanity’s saviors? With the trilogy’s finale on the horizon, anticipation builds for what lies ahead.
The skull has now been identified as Béla of Macsó
Borbéry Noemi/Tamas Hajdu et al. 2025
Over 700 years ago, a Hungarian duke was brutally murdered in a frontal assault at a monastery. Recent studies of ancient human remains uncovered in Budapest have confirmed their identity as the duke, unveiling shocking insights into his assassination.
“The injuries sustained were far more severe than what would typically be required to kill someone,” remarked Martin Trautmann from the University of Helsinki, Finland.
During a 1915 archaeological excavation at a Dominican monastery on Margaret Island in the mid-Danube River in Budapest, the body of a man was discovered in fragments on the monastery floor. Researchers suspected the remains belonged to 29-year-old Béla of Macsó, grandson of King Béla IV, the monastery’s founder.
Records from 13th-century Austria indicate that Béla was assassinated on the island in November 1272 due to a dispute over the Hungarian throne. The bones exhibited multiple signs of trauma, although earlier scientists lacked the capabilities to confirm their initial theories.
The skeleton appeared to be lost during World War II, as noted by Tamas Hajdu, but was rediscovered at Eötvös Lorand University in Hungary in a wooden box at the Hungarian Museum of Natural History in 2018. This rediscovery has spurred investigations utilizing the latest techniques, including a facial reconstruction conducted last year.
Hajdu reported that the skeleton bore nine wounds on the head and face, along with 17 additional wounds across the rest of the body, all inflicted around the time of death. To understand the nature of the assault, Trautman and his team replicated the same injuries on a model skeleton and examined various scenarios. “We analyzed it like a frame-by-frame motion picture, observing injury after injury,” he explained.
Based on the scars, Trautman concluded that two or three assailants attacked the duke from both the front and sides, and the duke attempted to defend himself by blocking the blows with his arms. “They targeted his flanks, leaving him with little chance to escape.”
Eventually, he fell and sustained a skull fracture but continued to fight with his left leg while lying on his side until a stab to his spine ceased his struggle. The attackers then inflicted multiple strikes to his head and face.
While these injuries could have been lethal, it’s also possible he succumbed to excessive bleeding. “There was significant blood loss,” noted Trautman.
Radiocarbon dating confirmed that the remains dated back to the mid-13th century. Plaque analysis indicated a rich diet, including cooked wheat semolina and baked wheat bread.
DNA analysis revealed he was a fourth-generation descendant of King Béla III of Hungary and an eighth-generation relative of Dmitry Alexandrovich, a 13th-century Russian prince, aligning with historical records of the duke’s lineage.
Further genetic studies indicated he had Eastern Mediterranean ancestry on his mother’s side and Scandinavian heritage via his father, consistent with known information on the duke’s ancestry, suggesting he likely possessed dark skin, curly dark hair, and light brown eyes.
This study illuminates a historically significant event with scant details and limited understanding, according to Tamas Kadar, an independent medieval historian in Budapest. Without eyewitness accounts, the Austrian texts primarily record that the duke “met a grisly end on an island near Buda,” with accounts claiming his limbs were “chopped off” and collected by a sister and aunt.
Recent scientific evidence suggests a passionate motive behind the murder, Kadar emphasizes. Biography of Béla of Macsó. “The mutilation of his body, and possibly further disfigurement post-mortem, illustrates profound animosity and hostility,” Kadar asserts. “The prime goal was his swift and certain death.”
Historic Herculaneum – discover Vesuvius, Pompeii and ancient Naples
Embark on a captivating journey through the ruins of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Herculaneum, where history and archaeology merge.
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The Ghost horse of Yotei, named Mokizuki, translates to the traditional Japanese term for “full moon.” I truly believe she is the most unfortunate creature in all of the North. The button needed to summon her is alarmingly close to the one used to heal my samurai during combat, leading to frequent mishaps where I inadvertently call her into a Koittic 7-on-1 skirmish. Mochizuki often intercepts arrows with her fur and deflects sword strikes from my outlaw adversaries to keep them at bay. At times, she simply stands at the fringes of the conflict, quietly waiting to steady my nerves so that I can dispatch the villains and return to picturesque escapades in the Ezo region.
Ghost of Yotei serves as a sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, a revered samurai action game from the American studio Punch released in 2020. Visually, it consistently impresses, regardless of your undertaking. Yet, the majestic framing typical of open-world titles can appear somewhat absurd when you accidentally summon horses for battle or ignite flames, as they don’t quite mesh with the whimsical nature of players.
For the ride… Yotei’s ghost. Photo: Sony Interactive Entertainment
I realized that the ghosts of Tsushima were not only breathtaking but also peculiarly superficial. Their protagonist, Jin, frequently expressed his discomfort with the act of stealthily taking down Mongol invaders to save his island. In contrast, the heroine of Yotei, Ats, embraces her role as the vengeful specter much more comfortably. The narrative isn’t particularly groundbreaking; Ats’ family falls victim to a group of masked outlaws known as the Yotei Six, prompting her to hunt them down for vengeance. Star Erika Ishii delivers a stellar performance as a stoic killer, making me completely invested in Atsu’s quest for blood. Despite several other characters serving as reminders of retribution, she relentlessly eliminates her foes, giving off an impression that she relishes in it.
Honestly, I find it enjoyable. Yotei’s ghostly battles are both exquisite and brutal. You quickly grasp the mechanics of evasion, substitution, and timing while exploring Ezo, equipping yourself with dual katana, a spear, a bow, and the massive Yamato sword for more engaging fights. The setup for confrontations maintains a consistent level of challenge. Atsu faces opponents often twice her size, with some strikes sufficient to end her battles. I enjoy numerous challenging action games, from Monster Hunter to Elden Ring, yet despite over 20 hours of dueling and exploration, I still feel my enemies succumb to me with minimal effort, thus keeping the experience fresh.
Among this year’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows, also set in historical Japan, Yotei’s Ghost ranks as one of the most visually stunning games I’ve encountered. The stunning natural beauty of Japan, with its ginkgo trees, distant mountains, and fish-filled rivers, is digitally honored (you can spear them for dinner). It is a world crafted for admiration. Navigate with your senses rather than the map on your screen; the wind guides you on where to go next in the story, enabling leisurely exploration. Intriguingly, with your PS5 controller, you can roast fish over a fire, strum a Shamisen, or dab ink onto a canvas. Revisiting Atsu’s memories in familiar places allows for a reflection on her life before it spiraled into violence.
The blend of traditional Japanese instruments with old Western rhythms marks the game as set in 1600s Japan through an American lens. While it may feature more action, blood, and death-defying climbs than typical samurai movies, is that truly a downside? If anything, Tsushima’s ghosts were hampered by a rigid adherence to a somber tone that conflicted with the game’s high body count. Yotei doesn’t complicate matters as the assassin’s creed does, making it fairly straightforward and enjoyable. Whenever I grew weary of pursuing one target, it was easy to find another.
Part of the landscape… the ghost of Yotei. Photo: Sony/Sucker Punch
As Atsu’s legend amplifies, the Ezo populace begins to leave offerings for the vengeful onryō (Bloodthirsty Ghost), seeking to rid the land of its oppressors. As you traverse Ezo, you truly start to feel a connection to it; Atsu engages in battles alongside wolves and chases elusive foxes to discover hidden places in nature. Once her quest for vengeance concluded, I found myself pondering what lay ahead for Ats. She struggles to envision a life beyond this path.
While the story may be simple at its core, it captivated me more than any other historical action game. Even after countless hours, I still feel a rush of excitement as Atsu deliberately unsheathes her sword at the onset of battle. The conclusion would be bittersweet.
New research has revealed that during the early Bronze Age in England, at least 37 people may have been “systematically dismembered” and eaten in the aftermath of “extremely violent” attacks.
The study, published in the journal ancient, revealed that more than 3,000 bones were excavated from a 50-foot hole at Charterhouse Warren in southwest England.
The bones, which were first discovered in the 1970s by cave explorers, showed an “abundance of cut marks,” prompting researchers to conduct further analysis.
Lead author Rick Schulting, a professor of scientific and prehistoric archeology at the University of Oxford, described the violence inflicted on the bodies as exceptional, with victims being killed with blows to the head, systematically dismembered, skinned, and crushed.
The study suggests that this extreme violence likely occurred in a single event between 2210 BC and 2010 BC, making it a unique example of violence in early Bronze Age Britain.
An example of cranial trauma in a Bronze Age skull recovered from Charterhouse Warren. Antiquity Publications Ltd / Cambridge University Press
This act of violence was likely not isolated and may have sparked a cycle of revenge within and between communities in the Early Bronze Age, according to Mr. Schulting.
The motives behind such attacks are difficult to determine, but the study suggests that tensions may have escalated from accusations of theft and witchcraft, leading to an uncontrollable spiral of violence.
Victims may have been eaten to dehumanize and treat them like animals, involving a large number of aggressors based on the number of victims and the dismemberment process, the study noted.
The bones were found alongside animal fossils, indicating early evidence of slaughter, which the researchers believe was driven by hunger as the attackers had access to plenty of food.
Cutting, biting, slashing, and cannibalism are not words that we naturally associate with love. But there is beauty and splendor in the dark side of animal mating, too.
This article takes a closer look at eight of the strangest courtship behaviors in the animal kingdom.
Some male anglerfish often attach themselves to passing females, reducing them to little more than brainless sperm sacs. This is called “parabiosis,” where two organisms combine to develop a shared physiological system. Monkfish are the only known example of symbiotic symbiosis in nature.
Anglerfish develop symbiotic relationships in response to the vastness of the deep sea, where encounters between the sexes are rare and rare. A male bites the first female he encounters because it’s a safer choice than gambling with another female who may never arrive.
Biologists to investigate how anglerfish achieve symbiosis Dr. Thomas Boehm Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Germany tested the DNA of 31 specimens from 10 species of monkfish.
They discovered that the monkfish species, which are fused male and female, lack important immune system genes. Somehow they are compromising the immune system to allow parabiosis without suffering any negative effects.
Understanding how anglerfish manage this trick could facilitate future blood transfusions and organ transplants and have important implications for medicine.
Snakes have two penises instead of just one. These organs, known as hemipenes, allow male snakes to mate with snakes from various directions. This is especially useful for red-sided garter snakes, which form chaotic “mating balls” during mating season in which males outnumber females 100 to 1.
This situation occurs because male snakes wake up from hibernation before females, causing a temporary imbalance in the sex ratio.
To increase the probability of mating success, the hemipenes of many reptile species have evolved complex spines that lock into place during copulation. In red-sided garter snakes, the hemipenis has a large spine that is inserted into the female during copulation.
This finding suggests that by contracting the genital opening and vagina, females may be able to forcefully reject male advances and thwart an unworthy partner’s chances of success.
Earlier this year, scientists discovered a type of nudibranch (Siphopterone Maxig) It stabs the partner directly in the center of the head with poisonous spurs, in the throes of love.
This spur (attached to the penis), called a penile stylet, injects a complex cocktail of hormones directly into the lover’s brain, increasing the odds of a successful copulation.
This is just one of the many reproductive oddities that nudibranchs have evolved. Some nudibranchs even “kiss” their bodies mouth-to-mouth before transferring their sperm. After mating, sea slugs can also “cuddle” by wrapping their colorful bodies around each other.
“Maybe ‘hugging’ is akin to protecting your spouse,” he says. Cheyenne Tatean experienced sea slug observer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“The threat to their reproductive success is that their sperm gets digested by their partner before it can be used for fertilization. And ‘hugging’ gives sperm a chance to travel deeper within their partner’s reproductive tract. You can get it. ”
Most people think that sea slugs, like many invertebrates, are primitive lower orders of bony animals with large brains. Their rich and duplicitous sex lives suggest otherwise.
The case of male spiders is complicated. To prepare for sex, they must first ejaculate onto a small web and then collect the semen in a pair of syringe-like appendages near their mouth known as palps.
Locked and loaded, the male spider must approach the female and insert its antennae into the female’s reproductive passageway, being careful not to activate the predatory kill reflex. The female’s reproductive tract happens to be just a few millimeters from the venomous fangs.
To limit the chance of being eaten, male spiders have evolved complex dances to clearly communicate their sexual intentions.
Some offer gifts to the female to keep her entertained while the sperm transfer takes place. But male redback spiders go one step further: During mating, the male somersaults balletically into the female’s jaw, encouraging her to bite.
During courtship, some species of snails periodically fire chemical-tipped arrows at each other, like the garden snail pictured here.
And since snails have both female and male reproductive organs, these arrows (or “love darts”) often fly in both directions.
“The purpose of the love dart is not to kill the mate, but to introduce bioactive substances that affect the mate’s reproductive process,” states Dr. Joris M. Corne of the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environmental Research.
The substances contained in love darts contain a rich cocktail of special compounds (known as allomones) that prevent sperm from being lost within the reproductive tract of a potential mate if mating takes place.
Each species of snail has its own unique shape. Some love darts are curved like a harpoon. Some have thorns. Some have diamond-shaped tips, like decorated spears.
Can misfires cause fatalities? “I’ve occasionally seen darts go straight into the recipient’s head, and the recipient survived.” says Joris M. Corne.
“Cannibalism has its advantages,” says Nathan Burke, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hamburg, who studies the mating strategies of praying mantises.
“It can lead to improved growth, condition and reproduction in cannibals. What makes many praying mantises and spiders different from other cannibals is that they also cannibalize in mating situations, usually eating the male. That means it’s only female.”
Burke is particularly interested in the wrestling matches that some praying mantis species engage in before mating. Wrestling matches involve violent grappling and violent contests between males and females who scrape their paws together.
If the female wins these struggles, the male will almost certainly be eaten. However, if the male wins, there is a good chance of mating.
Why sexual cannibalism is so rare among insects remains a subject of debate.
“The thing about praying mantises is that they are mostly sit-and-wait predators. They don’t move around looking for food, they patiently wait for food to come to them,” says Burke.
“This sit-and-wait lifestyle may be a pre-adaptation for sexual cannibalism.”
This may explain why cannibalism occurs in other sit-and-wait predators such as spiders.
A seed beetle’s penis, which has hundreds of sharp spines whose purpose is to scratch and tear the female’s reproductive organs, makes no sense at all.
After all, how does a penis gene that damages a woman’s reproductive tract spread throughout a population?
A female stag beetle that mated with a male with long spines produced sons with the same long spines. However, their daughters also appeared to have inherited some valuable traits.
On average, they were larger and produced more eggs during their lifetime.
About our experts
Dr. Joris M. CorneAssociate Professor at the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environmental Research. His research focuses on simultaneous reproduction in hermaphrodites. His research has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including PLoS ONE and Current Biology.
Dr. Nathan BurkeHe is an evolutionary ecologist and Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Hamburg, Germany. His research investigates sexual antagonism in the springbok mantis (Myomantis cafra).
Dr. Cheyenne TateI am a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She received her PhD from the University of Notre Dame in 2019.
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