Editor summaries of this week's papers.

Highlights of the recent literature.

In science news around the world, the European Parliament approves tighter data privacy rules, a report from U.K. scientists criticizes the European Union's approval process for genetically modified crops, and more.

When an intern at the Hunterian Museum of the University of Glasgow in Scotland discovered a slide of the Blarney Stone in the museum collection, geologists there put its mythical origins to the test.

The U.S. Senate has confirmed astrophysicist France Córdova, formerly chair of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, as the new director of the National Science Foundation.

Signs of gravitational waves shaking the newborn universe bolster the mind-boggling theory of cosmic inflation and electrify scientists the world over.

Congressional Republicans and the National Science Foundation appear to be creeping toward common ground in their yearlong fight over how the agency manages its $7 billion research portfolio.

The Democratic alternative to the Republican bill would encourage the National Science Foundation to support more of the same high-quality research it now funds.

As scientists around the world attempt to reproduce a new way to make stem cells—so far without success—Science has learned that several co-authors on the feted papers have not yet made the cells either.

Hoping for a boost to native vegetation, scientists will study the effects of an experimental flood of the Colorado River delta on trees, soil salinity, and ground water.

Fighting a major polio outbreak in the midst of Syria's bitter civil war is a test of commitment—and diplomacy.

When the ENCODE Project declared that there is no such thing as junk DNA, Dan Graur counterattacked. But does he go too far?

Research on the ways people learn and share information about health and science, Southwell argues, suggests that systematic reliance on social networks will increase inequity.

Juxtaposing objects from eight Cambridge University museums, the exhibition illustrates links among art, science, and exploration.

A listing of books received at Science during the week ending 14 March 2014.

Ongoing work on linking markets and mixing policies builds on successes and failures in pricing and trading carbon.

Observations reveal a greater influence of rapidly accreting black holes on their host galaxy than expected. [Also see Report by Soria et al.]

Nanoframe electrocatalysts containing only small amounts of precious metal show very high activities. [Also see Report by Chen et al.]

High-resolution, high-throughput mass spectrometry studies of ancient protein samples provide insights into protein function in the distant past.

Blocking an enzyme involved in necroptosis may prove toxic by promoting another form of cell death. [Also see Report by Newton et al.]

Fifty years after the discovery of Epstein-Barr virus and its association with cancer, a vaccine or therapy for the virus remains elusive.

A simple framework allows the classification of complex networks based on the flow of control. [Also see Report by Ruths and Ruths]

The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum decodes an oscillatory signal to measure time. [Also see Research Article by Cai et al.]

The link between chemoattractant gradients, developmental signals, and gene expression in social amoebae is elucidated. [Also see Perspective by Wollman]

A stellar-mass black hole shocks its surroundings with kinetic energy in excess of its predicted radiative output. [Also see Perspective by King]

The electric field of an electromagnetic pulse exerts ultrafast control on the spin dynamics of the multiferroic TbMnO₃.

A model reproduces the temperature dependence of charge-order fluctuations in a cuprate superconductor.

Highly active electrocatalysts are created by eroding away all but the edges of platinum-nickel nanocrystals. [Also see Perspective by Greer]

Martian meteorites originated from the 3- to 5-million-year-old Mojave impact crater.

Nitrogen isotopes in foraminifera show the role of iron fertilization on atmospheric carbon dioxide during the last ice age.

The carrion crow Corvus corone corone can benefit from parasitism by the great spotted cuckoo Clamator glandarius.

Signals generated by mouse hair follicle stem cells generate new hair growth.

A particular protein kinase functions at a critical control point that determines whether—and how—cells die. [Also see Perspective by Zhang and Chan]

Reads of cellular RNA transcripts demonstrate spatial expression differences during simulated wound healing.

A ligand stabilizes a mammalian mitochondrial cholesterol transporter, allowing high-resolution structural analysis.

The emergence of a stable polymorphism in bacteria involved a multistep process including three specific mutations.

The number of different odor mixtures people can distinguish is several orders of magnitude larger than anticipated.

The control profile is a network statistic that may prove useful in approaching the control of complex networks. [Also see Perspective by Onnela]

Fern fossils provide evidence that nuclear shape, size, and chromosomal content have changed little since the Jurassic.

On this week's show: human odor discrimination pegged at one trillion odors and a roundup from our daily news site.

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