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Saudi Surgeon Honored for Performing World’s First Fully Robotic Heart Transplant

Head of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) Professor Feras Khaliel - SPA
Head of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) Professor Feras Khaliel - SPA
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Saudi Surgeon Honored for Performing World’s First Fully Robotic Heart Transplant

Head of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) Professor Feras Khaliel - SPA
Head of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) Professor Feras Khaliel - SPA

Head of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) Professor Feras Khaliel was honored at the inaugural day of the Global Health Exhibition (GHE) with the Health Research Excellence: Applied Innovation Award in recognition for his exceptional contributions to advancing research, enhancing knowledge, and fostering innovation in healthcare.
The award also commemorates Khaliel's successful completion of the world’s first robotic heart transplant on a 16-year-old patient suffering from end-stage (Class IV) heart failure, SPA reported.

According to a KFSHRC press release, the center continues to set itself apart by providing innovative specialized healthcare services, particularly through its robotic heart surgery program that has experienced accelerated success since its establishment in 2019.
In its first year, the program performed 105 robotic heart surgeries, rising to 400 and culminating in its leadership in conducting the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant, a pioneering achievement that not only bolsters Saudi Arabia's standing in healthcare but also highlights KFSHRC’s ability to innovate medical practices that enhance treatment outcomes and patient experience.
KFSHRC’s robotic heart surgery program has introduced innovative cardiac procedures, such as robotic multi-valve surgeries and robotic aortic valve replacement. Additionally, it has integrated cutting-edge technologies related to mechanical circulatory support (MCS) systems, including ventricular assist devices (VADs), which aid the heart in pumping blood. These devices serve as either a bridge to heart transplantation or a permanent solution for patients who are not eligible for transplants. This has resulted in significantly improved patient outcomes with survival rates of up to 98%, recovery times reduced by 30%, and a reduction in blood transfusions, mechanical ventilation, and hospital stay by over 50% while cutting costs by 40% compared to traditional methods.
The program is renowned for performing robotic surgeries on a wide age range of patients, from 14 to 78 years old, and for its ability to handle complex, high-risk cases, including patients with severe obesity and those requiring repeat surgeries. Notably, the program excels in performing robotic surgeries on heart patients who have undergone three previous operations, a feat in which the KFSHRC has surpassed its counterparts in American hospitals.

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Annual Orchids Show Brings Vivid Color to Chicago Winter

Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)
Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)
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Annual Orchids Show Brings Vivid Color to Chicago Winter

Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)
Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)

A soft layer of white snow blankets the grounds of the Chicago Botanic Garden. The air is chilly, the sky gray.

Inside, however, the air is warm and lights illuminate more than 10,000 vividly colored orchids. Staff members move in and out of greenhouses, preparing to open the garden’s 12th annual Orchid Show on Saturday.

This year’s theme is “Feelin’ Groovy" with several installations calling back to the 1970s, including a yellow Volkswagen Beetle filled with orchids.

“It’s just a really great way to get out of the winter cold and come into our greenhouses,” said Jodi Zombolo, associate vice president of visitor events and programs. “I think people are really looking for something to kind of bring happiness and something that they will enjoy and find whimsy in.”

The orchid family is one of the largest in the plant world and some of the species in the show are rare, exhibits horticulturist Jason Toth said. One example is the Angraecum sesquipedale, also known as Darwin’s orchid, on display in the west gallery.

Toth said the orchid led Darwin to correctly conclude that pollinators have adapted in order to reach down the flower's very long end.

"It has a great story and it’s quite remarkable-looking,” said Toth.

Elsewhere, massive, gnarly roots dangle from purple, pink and yellow Vanda orchids in the south greenhouse. These epiphytic orchids grow on the surface of trees instead of in soil.

“I think everyone’s tired of the winter,” said Toth. “So having some kind of flower show at this point is what we’re all craving. And 'Orchids' fits the bill.”

The show is expected to draw 85,000 visitors this year.

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UK Zoo Says Tiny Snail ‘Back from Brink’ of Extinction

This photo taken on February 2, 2026 shows a greater Bermuda snail, which is part of a breeding program, sitting under a microscope at Chester Zoo in Chester, north-west England. (AFP)
This photo taken on February 2, 2026 shows a greater Bermuda snail, which is part of a breeding program, sitting under a microscope at Chester Zoo in Chester, north-west England. (AFP)
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UK Zoo Says Tiny Snail ‘Back from Brink’ of Extinction

This photo taken on February 2, 2026 shows a greater Bermuda snail, which is part of a breeding program, sitting under a microscope at Chester Zoo in Chester, north-west England. (AFP)
This photo taken on February 2, 2026 shows a greater Bermuda snail, which is part of a breeding program, sitting under a microscope at Chester Zoo in Chester, north-west England. (AFP)

A minuscule snail once thought to have disappeared has been saved from the edge of extinction, a British zoo said Saturday.

The greater Bermuda land snail had not been spotted for years until a cluster of shells was caught slithering through an alleyway in the capital Hamilton in 2014.

Some were flown to Chester Zoo, where experts spent years building up the population before they released thousands back into the wild in 2019.

Unique to Bermuda, this type of snail traces its lineage back over a million years -- a relic of the island's ancient ecosystem.

Now "we can officially say the species is back from the brink", said Chester Zoo in a statement sent to AFP.

The snail "once thought lost has officially been saved from extinction by experts in Chester Zoo, London Zoo, and Bermuda," it said.

They confirmed this after a study in the Oryx biodiversity conservation journal found that six colonies of the re-wilded snails had settled successfully on the archipelago.

"The fact that the snails are firmly established in six areas is massive," said Gerardo Garcia, animal and plant director at Chester Zoo.

From specially designed pods in northwest England, they are now breeding and roaming freely in Bermuda, he said.

"Being able to say that the snails are now safe from extinction is amazing ... and something that conservationists might get to say once or maybe twice in their whole career."

At one point, keeper Katie Kelton said the zoo housed around 60,000 snails.

It was "a lot of snails to look after ... a lot of chopping lettuce, sweet potato and carrot," she told AFP.

- Conservation 'success' story -

The snails faced many threats, including habitat loss, pesticide use, and the cannibalistic "wolf snail".

They were rescued in a process Garcia described as "a war game" with growing numbers tracked by flags pinned across a map of Bermuda.

While they cannot say the species is safe forever, he noted they now knew how to rebuild the population quickly and effectively.

But long-term recovery, he said, would go hand in hand with nature regeneration projects carried out by the Bermudian government.

Chester Zoo has now turned its attention to the lesser Bermuda land snail -- even smaller and much harder to breed.

These snails, which can reach about 23 millimeters (0.9 inches) in length, may now be extinct in the wild.

"We're considering things like seasonality, how long it takes a colony to establish and the complexity of their environments," said expert Iri Gill.

But their experience with the greater Bermuda snail should point them "in the right direction", she said.

"These snails are tiny, but this has been one of the biggest success stories in conservation."

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SpaceX Delays Mars Plans to Focus on 2027 Moon Landing

FILE PHOTO: SpaceX headquarters is shown in Hawthorne, California, US June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: SpaceX headquarters is shown in Hawthorne, California, US June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo
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SpaceX Delays Mars Plans to Focus on 2027 Moon Landing

FILE PHOTO: SpaceX headquarters is shown in Hawthorne, California, US June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: SpaceX headquarters is shown in Hawthorne, California, US June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Cole/File Photo

Elon Musk's SpaceX told investors it will prioritize going to the moon first and attempt a trip to Mars at a later time, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing sources.

The company will target March 2027 ‌for a ‌lunar landing without ‌astronauts ⁠on board, the ‌report added. The news comes after SpaceX agreed to acquire xAI in a deal that values the rocket and satellite company at $1 trillion and the artificial intelligence outfit ⁠at $250 billion.

SpaceX did not immediately respond ‌to a Reuters request ‍for comment. Musk said ‍last year that he aimed ‍to send an uncrewed mission to Mars by the end of 2026.

SpaceX is developing its next-generation Starship rocket, a stainless steel behemoth designed to be fully reusable and ⁠serve an array of missions including flights to the moon and Mars.

The United States faces intense competition this decade from China in its effort to return astronauts to the moon, where no humans have gone since the final US Apollo mission in ‌1972.