Today in Science: Did scientists just find da Vinci's DNA?

The hunt for the famed scientist's genetic material continues ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

January 8, 2026—Chimps can change their minds like us. Plus, a NASA spacewalk is postponed, and scientists may have found traces of Leonardo da Vinci's DNA. Let's get to it. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor TODAY'S NEWS Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, by Lattanzio Querena (1768-1853). DeAgostini/Getty Images Scientists hunting for the DNA of famed Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci say they've made a breakthrough and traced male DNA from a chalk drawing attributed to da Vinci. Some experts are skeptical. | 3 min read NASA may bring some of the ISS's crew home earlier than planned after one member experienced a medical issue just hours before two astronauts were due to complete a space walk outside the station. | 2 min read  Researchers found traces of what appears to be plant-derived poison on tiny stone arrowheads from South Africa dating to 60,000 years ago, tens of thousands of years older than previous finds. | 2 min read OpenAI announced that users will soon be able to upload their medical data into its bot ChatGPT for more personal health recommendations. | 2 min read  Jellyfish and anemones sleep just like us. | 2 min read A newly-discovered supermassive black hole sends out a jet so fierce it prevents any stars from forming in the region. | 4 min read More News TOP STORIES Chimps Change Their Minds A hallmark of human cognition is a concept called belief revision—the ability to change our minds based on new evidence. But is it unique to us? Scientists gave chimps a choice between several boxes, some of which had clues that they contained food. When the scientists provided evidence that challenged the initial clues for which boxes contained food, the chimps changed their guesses and picked up a different box.     Why this is interesting: The chimps appeared to weigh several pieces of evidence to make their choices and could tell whether the evidence they were getting was strong or weak. The authors behind the study say this is evidence of chimps' capacity to reflect on their own understanding and make rational choices. Since we share a comparatively recent common ancestor with chimps, this study may give us a glimpse into early human cognition.    What other experts say: While researchers were surprised at the chimps' remarkable capacity to guess where food is, the chimps didn't seem too challenged. "The chimps knocked it out of the park," says Brian Hare, an evolutionary anthropologist at Duke University. "It's obvious this is so easy for them." —Emma Gometz, newsletter editor

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IMAGE OF THE DAY X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Webb; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare NASA released a new image that combines observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory of two spiral galaxies on a cosmic collision course. The galaxies IC 2163 (the left-hand galaxy) and NGC 2207 (on the right) are some 120 million light-years from Earth. The larger galaxy, NGC 2207, is slowly stretching and stripping its smaller companion. Together they are joined in a slow, gravitational dance that will, billions of years from now, end in their merger into a single galaxy. In the image, mid-infrared data from JWST shows dust and other cooler matter in white, gray and red, while x-ray data from Chandra shows high-energy areas, including regions of intense star formation, in blue. SCIENTISTS AT WORK Ugo Mellone Conservation biologist Haritakis Papaioannou combines a mountaineer's know-how with a scientific eye to track the slow recovery of Balkan chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica) populations in western Greece. He estimates that there are around 1,000 of these goat-like animals in the Northern Pindos National Park and nearby mountain ranges. But their future is still threatened. For example, climate change is reducing the availability of water in their alpine habitats. "Working as a conservation biologist is always challenging: when one problem is solved, new threats emerge unexpectedly," Papaioannou says. Nature | 3 min read Content courtesy of Nature Briefing. Scientists have successfully sequenced the genomes of a handful of notable celebrities and historic figures. Most have yielded unremarkable observations—Beethoven or Ozzy Osbourne didn't have a special gene for musical ability, it turns out. According to their website, the goal of the Leonardo da Vinci DNA Project, run out of the famed J. Craig Venter Institute, is to confirm the artist's remains on the grounds of Château d'Amboise, in France, and to "explore his talents and visual acuity through genetic associations." We seem to be deeply attached to the idea that brilliance is inborn. But as Walter Isaacson's biography shows, the genius artist and inventor was likely most influenced by an upbringing infused with freedom, creative independence and exposure to many ideas and occupations. Someone's DNA is only a starting place, and usually an ordinary one. Life is what transforms that raw material into a masterpiece.  I highly recommend Isaacson's book if you haven't already read it. And if you do, let me know what you think: newsletters@sciam.com. See you tomorrow!   —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

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