No one can 100% predict what will happen with a winter storm ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
January 30, 2026—Skink "superpower," genetic determinism and a novel artificial lungs system. —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor | | Two NASA astronauts perform upgrades on the Hubble Space Telescope high above Earth during a space shuttle servicing mission, STS-109, in March of 2002. NASA | | - The venerable Hubble Space Telescope is still going strong despite its decades in space and the advent of next-generation successors. | 5 min read
- For predatory dinosaurs, the Late Jurassic was an all-you-can-eat buffet of sauropods in what is now the western U.S., according to a new study. | 2 min read
- An exoplanet called HD 137010 b might be the closest thing astronomers have ever seen to "Earth 2.0." | 3 min read
- How long you live may depend much more on your genes than scientists thought, although lifestyle factors still matter. | 3 min read
- An ancient Greek star catalog made by the ancient astronomer Hipparchus was thought to be lost to time but a particle accelerator has decoded it. | 3 min read
- For discussion: In the latest bout of winter weather a bomb cyclone could bring blizzard conditions to the Carolinas this weekend as well as freezing temperatures in Florida. This morning in New York City, where Scientific American is headquartered, it was 10 degrees F. What's the weather like where you are? If you're experiencing the cold, how are you preparing? Share your thoughts about this article by scrolling down to the tan box and clicking "Join the Discussion."
| | | 'Artificial Lungs' Success | A 33-year-old patient on death's doorstep because of lungs overwhelmed with inflammation and infection was kept alive for two days with an artificial lung system that served as a "bridge" until donor lungs were available for transplant, reports Scientific American's Jackie Flynn Mogensen. More than two years later, the patient has good lung function. The external system temporarily oxygenated the patient's blood and removed carbon dioxide in place of his lungs, while also maintaining blood flow through the body. The novel approach stabilized the patient after his damaged lungs were removed, and the infection subsided such that surgeons later could transplant the two donated, healthy lungs.
How it works: The system allows blood to move from the right side of a patient's heart to the left without passing through the lungs, as it normally would. The patient spent several weeks at the hospital to recover from the surgery before being discharged. What can be done: "It was almost like a curse or something that just got lifted. And suddenly everything started to heal," said thoracic surgeon Ankit Bharat, describing the surgery. The patient had been suffering from sepsis and multi-organ failure as well as the two severely damaged lungs. | | It was an ordinary day when a staffer at a Louisiana zoo burned their lunch in the microwave. But the smoke wafted into a nearby lizard enclosure, and to the staffer's surprise, some of the lizards went berserk. The Australian "sleepy lizards," a type of skink, tensed, flicked their tongues, and began pacing their enclosure's edges and digging, frantic to escape. Other reptile species in the same room didn't even flinch. The behavior inspired researchers to see if they could replicate the reaction in an experiment. Their results revealed that yes, when sleepy lizards smell smoke, they bolt.
Why this is interesting: The lizards hail from particularly fire-prone regions in Australia. So the researchers had a hunch that the strong reaction to smoke evolved to protect them from getting caught up in a blaze. Most of the sleepy lizards in captivity at the zoo had likely never been in a wildfire, suggesting this response was an innate adaptation that their species evolved over time to keep them alive. What can be done: The strong response was notable given the animals' typically slow, deliberate movements, which conservation biologist and study co-author Chris Jolly suspects inspired the "sleepy lizard" nickname: "They're rarely in a rush to do anything, except, apparently, to escape from fire!" –Emma Gometz, newsletter editor | | | | |
The galaxy Messier 87 (M87) and a 3,000-light-year-long jet of plasma blasting from its central black hole. NASA/ESA/STScI/Alec Lessing/Stanford University/Michael Shara/AMNH (image); Edward Baltz/Stanford University (acknowledgment); Joseph DePasquale/STScI (image processing) | | - Do you know the answer to the first question of today's science quiz? Also, don't miss today's Spellements. In recent days, reader Amir found andiron and ordinant, Mitch C found culler, luce and nucellar, and Markus found Odonata, an insect order of dragonflies and damselflies. If you spot any science terms missing from Spellements, please email them to games@sciam.com.
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| | Several current and former editors at our publication, including myself, are "frustrated doctors." We discovered medicine wasn't an ideal fit at some point during our education. Likewise, I've found that many doctors are frustrated writers—they were "good at everything" in school and ultimately chose medicine. If you fall into either of these categories, Scientific American is here for you (and for many others). We hope you can embrace your myriad interests in technical material in ways that suit you. For me that lately means looking up a torrent of medical terms during episodes of "The Pitt" and intently reading our coverage of new human longevity findings and novel artificial organ systems. | | Please send feedback, comments and questions about the newsletter to: newsletters@sciam.com. Hope you have a great weekend! —Robin Lloyd, Contributing Editor
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