In science news around the world, the National Park Service decides not to introduce mainland wolves to rescue the declining wolf population on Lake Superior's Isle Royale, Japanese researchers plan to resume controversial whaling in 2015, Australia's Antarctic research program faces budget cuts, and more.
Molecular biologist Feng Zhang wins the National Science Foundation's Alan T. Waterman Award for young researchers, President Barack Obama nominates White House budget office director Sylvia Mathews Burwell to replace outgoing Health and Human Services head Kathleen Sebelius, physicist Stuart Parkin wins the 2014 Millennium Technology Prize, and more.
Researchers have harnessed the chemical degradation of fossil DNA to determine methylation patterns that may reveal which genes were turned on, or off, in ancient human species.
Jennifer Francis has made waves linking the melting Arctic to extreme weather around the world. But a storm of criticism has forced the climate scientist to defend her hypothesis.
Although global biodiversity is declining, local ecosystems are not systematically losing diversity, but rather experiencing rapid turnover in species. [Also see Report by Dornelas et al.]
The ability of plant cell immune sensors to combine in different pairs could expand the host's defense against pathogens. [Also see Report by Williams et al.]
Ecological communities are experiencing changes in species composition rather than unidirectional loss. [Also see Perspective by Pandolfi and Lovelock]