In science news around the world, scientists ponder what lessons can be learned from the supertyphoon that struck the Philippines last week, archaeologists help block a controversial mining project in Romania, a new biology preprint server launched by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory goes online, and more.

A Ph.D. student turns her body into an impromptu laboratory to study the life cycle and reproduction of the sand flea, a parasite that burrows under a host's skin.

Physicist Ellen Williams, the chief scientist at BP, is tapped by the Obama administration to head the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.

By comparing the mitochondrial genomes of 18 ancient canids with modern dogs, wolves, and coyotes, researchers conclude that dogs were domesticated first in Europe from a lineage of gray wolves that no longer exists.

Impressive gains against HIV have led to the concept of an AIDS-free world, but a San Francisco meeting maps the challenging route ahead.

Researchers hoped an unexpected surplus of positrons measured in space would reveal the particles behind dark matter, but new work shows the purported excess simply might not exist.

Mexican and U.S. researchers are teaming up to study the Mexican genome, with the hope of developing new diagnostics and drugs targeted to Latin American populations.

A new clinical trial is gauging whether rapamycin, a drug that increases longevity in mice, alleviates infirmities of old age in people.

Richard Lenski's 25-year experiment in bacterial evolution shows no signs of running out of surprises about how mutation and selection shape living things.

Photovoltaic materials called perovskites work wonders in the lab, but will they shine as commercial technology?

Slayton draws on historical documents and interviews to compare how physicists and computer scientists evaluated missile defense systems.

Hoppitt and Laland offer a comprehensive introduction to the theory, practice, and results of investigations of social learning.

A listing of books received at Science during the week ending 08 November 2013.

Increasing the collective contribution of protected areas toward preventing species extinctions requires the strategic allocation of management efforts.

Ambiguous definitions and metrics create risks for forest conservation and accountability.

Data from an East African marine core help to explain the transition from the more humid conditions in the early Holocene to today's arid climate. [Also see Report by Tierney and deMenocal]

Elucidating the first principles of synthetic lethality in cancer, including biological context, will assist clinical translation.

Ultrathin nickel coatings allow silicon to act as the oxygen-generating electrode in the direct formation of hydrogen from water with sunlight. [Also see Report by Kenney et al.]

A family of transposable elements have played an important role in the evolution of dosage compensation in fruit flies. [Also see Report by Ellison and Bachtrog]

Genome sequencing has defined the genetic basis for a primary immunodeficiency disease. [Also see Report by Angulo et al.]

Satellite and in situ sensor data complement long-term studies of individual lakes to provide insights into the effects of climate change and pollution.

Cryo–electron microscopy allows the rapid analysis of a yeast ribosome-initiator complex from a tiny data set.

The basicity of an iron oxo intermediate helps explain what keeps P450 enzymes from oxidizing their own backbone.

Isotopically purified silicon is used to extend the coherence time of qubits based on phosphorus impurities.

A two-step exfoliation process allows multiple transfers of oriented monolayer graphene from a silicon carbide surface.

A nickel coating renders silicon stable in alkaline lithium borate electrolyte for solar water-splitting applications. [Also see Perspective by Turner]

A catalyst attains selectivity in a photochemical reaction by shifting the absorption wavelength of its complexed substrate.

The mid-Holocene African Humid Period ended abruptly, within centuries rather than millennia, in the Horn of Africa. [Also see Perspective by Bard]

Transposable elements facilitated functional specialization of recently evolved X chromosomes in fruit flies. [Also see Perspective by Chuong and Feschotte]

Landsat data reveals details of forest losses and gains across the globe on an annual basis from 2000 to 2012.

Microfluidic techniques reveal how mitotic spindle size is regulated by titratable cytosolic factors.

Microfluidic techniques reveal how mitotic spindle size is regulated by titratable cytosolic factors.

Restrained growth of a key root tip region involves an interplay between hormonal activation and transcription factor levels.

Enzymes secreted by a bacterial pathogen turn immune responses against themselves.

Gene sequencing of unrelated patients with recurrent airway infections identifies a common underlying mutation. [Also see Perspective by Conley and Fruman]

Ancient DNA suggests that dog domestication was complex and likely originated in Europe.

Listen to stories on the origin of domestic dogs, tracking adaption over 50,000 generations, ramping up solar power with perovskites, and more.

A weekly roundup of information on newly offered instrumentation, apparatus, and laboratory materials of potential interest to researchers.