Gale Crater on surface of Mars was once filled with liquid water for 10,000 to 10 million years, according to findings from the Mars Science Laboratory (MLS). A new study from Penn State scientists suggests dramatic climate cycles may have produced warm periods long enough to thaw the planet and create the water features on the surface today. From Topographic evidence for lakes in Gale Crater, abstract, 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2013). Credit: William Dietrich / University of California Berkley

Dramatic climate cycles on early Mars, triggered by buildup of greenhouse gases, may be the key to understanding how liquid water left its mark on the planet’s surface, according to a team of planetary scientists...

Grant Mathews believes the event that led the Magi — Zoroastrian priests of ancient Babylon and Mesopotamia — was an extremely rare planetary alignment occurring in 6 B.C., and the likes of which may never be seen again. Credit: University of Notre Dame

The Star of Bethlehem, and its origin, has been one of those mysteries pondered by scientists for centuries – and something Grant Mathews, professor of theoretical astrophysics and cosmology in the Dept of Physics, University of Notre Dame, has studied for more than a decade. “Astronomers, historians and theologians have pondered the question of the ‘Christmas Star’ for many years,” said Mathews...

Highlights •Gut microbes promote α-synuclein-mediated motor deficits and brain pathology •Depletion of gut bacteria reduces microglia activation •SCFAs modulate microglia and enhance PD pathophysiology •Human gut microbiota from PD patients induce enhanced motor dysfunction in mice

Gut microbes may play a critical role in the development of Parkinson’s-like movement disorders in genetically predisposed mice, researchers report December 1 in Cell. Antibiotic treatment reduced motor deficits and molecular hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease in a mouse model, whereas transplantation of gut microbes from patients with Parkinson’s disease exacerbated symptoms in these mice...

White wine carried the most significant association, and the increased risk was greater for parts of the body that receive less sun exposure, the study showed.

White wine was the most clearly associated. Alcohol intake is associated with higher rates of invasive melanoma among white men and women. White wine carried the most significant association, and the increased risk was greater for parts of the body that receive less sun exposure. ~3.6% of cancer cases worldwide have been attributed to alcohol, most typically cancers of the aerodigestive tract, liver, pancreas, colon, rectum, and breast. Previous research has suggested that alcohol can cause carcinogenesis as the ethanol in alcohol metabolizes into acetaldehyde, which damages DNA and prevents DNA repair.

Eunyoung Cho, ScD and colleag...