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We cover Mars mission updates, a new brain implant that shows promise for Parkinson’s, the latest on the mpox outbreak, and more in this week’s new roundup.

Happy Monday, listeners! Let’s kick off the week by catching up on the latest science news. For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman.

Last week, NASA’s Perseverance rover started a slow but steady slog. The bot landed in Jezero Crater when it first arrived on Mars back in February 2021. Now it’s busting out—but very slowly and cautiously. NASA says it will take Perseverance months to ascend the rough terrain of the crater’s western rim. The hope is that Perseverance will persevere (sorry) long enough to study a couple sites at the top of the crater.

Speaking of Mars, the Red Planet has really been popping off lately. Earlier this month, a study suggested that Mars might be hiding an ocean’s worth of water deep below its surface. Data from NASA’s late Insight lander revealed seismic signals of liquid water some six to 12 miles beneath the planet’s crust. Then, just a couple of weeks ago, a study showed that rock samples taken by Perseverance contained sulfates. That indicates they probably used to sit in salty water. And back in May, NASA’s tried-and-true Curiosity rover drove over and cracked open a rock that turned out to be packed with pure sulfur. Scientists can’t actually explain how sulfur would have formed in that area, which means there must be something about its past that they don’t know yet.

Now, let’s get into some health news. Last Monday, a study in Nature Medicine described an implant that acts like a pacemaker for the brain. The device builds on the idea of using deep-brain stimulation to treat Parkinson’s, and that generally works by delivering a constant electrical current. Instead, this new treatment uses algorithms to track symptoms, and it delivers brain stimulation only as needed. In a study of four people with Parkinson’s, the researchers said that the tech reduced each person’s most bothersome motor symptom by half when compared with conventional deep-brain stimulation.

Now onto weight-loss drugs. Now, most of the headlines about weight-loss drugs hype a growing number of proposed benefits, but a study out last week argues that doctors should be on the lookout for a troubling side effect. Researchers say that a statistical analysis flagged that people taking semaglutide, which is sold under the brand name Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss, have a higher chance of reporting suicidal thoughts than folks taking other kinds of medication. This was especially true for people who were also taking antidepressants. Now, this is, of course, a preliminary finding that doesn’t prove causation. But some experts say it’s smart to be cautious—especially if you start experiencing new feelings of depression after starting this medication. And honestly, that’s true for any medication and any new signs of depression. 

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Anaissa Ruiz Tejada/Scientific American

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