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There's a growing sense of excitement and trepidation among visitors to St. Peter's Square on the eve of the conclave to elect a new pope. The 115 Catholic cardinals who will cast ballots break down into two groups: the so-called Roman party, members of the Vatican administration known as the curia, and the so-called reformers, cardinals from outside Rome. The cardinals have said there is no strong consensus around any one candidate so there will probably be several rounds of voting over several days. A cardinal must receive two-thirds of the vote to become pope.

North Korean authorities cut off their "hotline" communication with South Korea on Monday as part of their announced withdrawal from the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War in 1953. The move came amid a flurry of bellicose North Korean threats, coinciding with the beginning today of joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises. The White House also vowed anew to protect U.S. forces and South Korean allies against any threats from the North. Analysts say it is among the most dangerous moments on the Korean peninsula in several years.

Malian authorities continue to hold newspaper publisher Boukary Daou for printing an open letter to Malian authorities. The letter warns that Malian soldiers could lay down their weapons in the fight against Islamist militants unless they're told why a former coup leader is getting a huge salary.

Though an officer was convicted by a military panel, that decision was overturned. The secretary of defense says he does not have the authority to step in, and has asked for recommendations on whether the Uniform Code of Military Justice needs to be amended.

Roller derby teams had distinct bacterial colonies on their arms before a bout, researchers found. After pushing and shoving on the track, those colonies were more similar. The research is part of the push to identify the microbes that live on (and in) us.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's Chief Operating Officer, pushed buttons with her new book Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead. In it, she advises young women to 'lean in' to their careers, and be more aggressive in pursuing leadership opportunities. Host Michel Martin asks the moms roundtable if they agree.

Researchers have found hardened arteries after scanning mummified bodies, some of which were more than 3,000 years old. A more modern diet and lifestyle were once thought to be the causes of heart disease, but a new study recently published in the journal The Lancet may prove otherwise. Audie Cornish talks to cardiologist Randall Thompson, one of the study's authors, about the findings.

The photograph of a grieving father holding the body of his baby boy became the iconic photograph of Israel's military strikes in Gaza last November.

The Bolshoi Ballet dancer suspected in the acid attack on the theater's artistic director could keep his job if a court acquits him, according to the Bolshoi's director. New Yorker editor David Remnick provides a glimpse into the hypercompetitive world of the famed Russian ballet.

Drilling into some Mars rock, the rover found sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and carbon — key ingredients for life.