DNA Construction, 'Survivor' Milestone, and a Four-Eared Kitten

 Need To Know 

DNA Construction Site

A newly fertilized egg builds a 3D scaffold of DNA long before the genome turns on, research on fruit flies revealed yesterday. A companion study on human cells suggests failure of that structure can lead to diseases, including cancer.

Researchers studied a fruit fly (drosophila) in the hours after fertilization using a new, highly detailed 3D imaging technology. The goal was to discover what happens before zygotic genome activation, when a genome awakens and the embryo reads its genetic instructions. Until now, the prevailing view has been that the embryo holds a disorderly tangle of DNA. Instead, researchers have learned that the scaffold for DNA—including the assembly of what’s known as chromatin loops—is already happening. Read the full study here.

The study was released alongside companion research studying what happens when that scaffolding collapses in humans. Using that same approach, researchers found human cells perceive scaffolding failure as a viral infection, which can trigger changes in gene expression and lead to  inflammation, developmental disorders, and cancer.

Explore our favorite resources on DNA here.

Winter Weather Whirlwind

Over half a million homes and businesses remain without power after Winter Storm Hernando dumped over 2 feet of snow in the northeastern United States earlier this week. More winter weather is expected from the Great Lakes to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast in the coming days.

Roads, mass transportation, and schools began reopening yesterday as shovelers and snowplows work to get ahead of the incoming storm. In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) raised the starting hourly rate for emergency shovelers from $19.14 to $30. About 20 inches of snow fell in Central Park—its ninth-highest total on record. Meanwhile, Providence, Rhode Island, received 32.8 inches in roughly one day, breaking the previous record of 28.6 inches that fell over two days in 1978. See photos here.

Hernando was a “bomb cyclone,” a storm system that intensifies over 24 hours as cold air clashes with warm air, causing pressure to drop rapidly.

‘Survivor’ Survives 50 Seasons

The 50th season of “Survivor” premieres tonight on CBS with longtime host Jeff Probst, featuring 24 contestants—the largest cast in the show’s history—competing for the $1M prize. The “golden” season brings back original players and fan favorites to Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands.

“Survivor” first aired in 2000, with contestants stranded on a remote island competing in challenges while voting each other off to become the sole survivor. The show quickly became a cultural phenomenon, paving the way for reality TV programs like “The Amazing Race,” “Big Brother,” and “The Bachelor.” The show has since become gamified, with players trying to outwit and blindside their opponents. Over 50 million people tuned in to watch Richard Hatch claim the title of sole survivor in the first season finale (season 49 finale drew 4.45 million viewers).

Since its debut, “Survivor” has aired 714 episodes and specials across about 15 countries and crowned 49 winners.

Editor's note: Yesterday, we mischaracterized a story from The Walrus, which is a tribute to the legacy of journalist Charles Saunders as a literary trailblazer in the genre of fantasy writing. We apologize for the misrepresentation—read the piece here.

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Guthrie family increases reward for Nancy Guthrie's return to $1M; the mother of "Today" cohost Savannah Guthrie was reported missing Feb. 1 (More)

> Milan-Cortina Olympics are the most-watched Winter Games since the 2014 Sochi Games, with viewership up 96% from the 2022 Beijing Games (More) | Taylor Sheridan, cocreator of TV series "Yellowstone, to publish first book June 23 (More) 

> Robert Carradine, the youngest of a legacy Hollywood family and lead in the "Revenge of the Nerds" franchise, dies by suicide at age 71 after living with bipolar disorder for two decades (More) 

Science & Technology

> Waymo expands self-driving rideshare services to Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Orlando; now available in 10 cities (More) | How autonomous vehicles work (1440 Topics)

> Scientists develop technique to isolate rare form of HIV-infected cells known as authentic reservoir clones; cells are responsible for latent HIV infections that can persist for years undetected (More) 

> Immune system cells known as monocytes behave differently in men versus women after injury, producing less of the protein that turns pain signals off; may explain why acute pain sometimes lasts longer in women (More) 

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.8%, Dow +0.8%, Nasdaq +1.0%) (More) | The US imposes new 10% global tariffs (More) | See the White House fact sheet (More)

> Meta inks multiyear deal with AMD for up to 6 gigawatts of the chipmaker's GPUs for AI data centers and a performance-based agreement to acquire 160 million AMD shares, or roughly 10% of the company (More) 

> Spirit Airlines reaches deal with lenders to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy by summer, expected to slash flights and fleet (More) | How bankruptcies work (1440 Topics)

Politics & World Affairs

> President Donald Trump delivers record-setting State of the Union address at roughly an hour and 48 minutes, covering topics including immigration enforcement and the economy; Trump awards Medal of Honor to 100-year-old military veteran (More) | Watch the address (More) | Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) delivers rebuttal; see recap (More)

> US military announces it has seized three ships in the Indian Ocean linked to sanctioned oil from Venezuela (More) 

> Louvre museum director resigns after $102M jewel heist in October, discovery of a decadelong ticket fraud scheme costing the museum $12M (More) 

Hidden beneath a dresser: a secret Underground Railroad passage.

How 154 billionaire American women amassed their fortunes. 

... and see a list of America's richest retirement towns. 

Is your water contaminated? See latest EPA data.

Your brain can't reliably recall colors—test your skills here.

See an over 900-year-old Crusader sword pulled from the sea. 

British man vies to reach all the middles of nowhere. 

Watch a cute, tiny baby pygmy slow loris learn to climb. 

In partnership: The "It Card" of the New Year has arrived.*

Clickbait: Meet Dobby: the foster kitten with four ear flaps. 

Historybook: Hiram Revels becomes first African American in US Congress (1870); Beatles guitarist George Harrison born (1943); Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, defeats Sonny Liston to win his first world heavyweight title (1964); Actress Téa Leoni born (1966); Playwright and poet Tennessee Williams dies (1983).

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