For some years now, an unorthodox idea has been gaining favor among astronomers. It contradicts old teachings and unsettles thoughtful observers, especially climatologists.
"The sun," explains Lika Guhathakurta of NASA headquarters in Washington DC, "is a variable star."
Could this "new" knowlege of the sun explain the cycle of global glacial and interglacial epochs?
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2010/05feb_sdo.htm