In science news around the world, new forecasts suggest El Niño is likely to emerge later this year, Australia's new conservative government slashes science funding, the European Union unveils a new university ranking system, and more.

President Barack Obama has named oceanographer Richard "Rick" Spinrad to be the next chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—the agency's first chief scientist since the mid-1990s.

Nereus, a deep-diving remotely operated vehicle that was an integral part of a mission to explore life in deep-ocean trenches, has been lost at sea, after likely imploding due to intense pressures during one of its deepest dives.

Now that it has landed in the Caribbean, the chikungunya virus will spread widely in the Americas, scientists say.

To correct bias, the National Institutes of Health will ask researchers to use more female animals and cells in research.

The bones of a teenage girl who lived as early as 13,000 years ago, found in a deep underwater cave in Mexico, confirm other recent evidence that today's Native Americans have deep roots in the Americas.

A lawsuit put forth by an Egyptian university claims that the resignation of one of its scientists damaged the institution's reputation and caused it to forfeit a grant.

A computer model and radar data show that one melting glacier the size of Uruguay could wreak havoc at the bottom of the world—and far beyond.

Turning their backs on spectacular monuments, archaeologists are studying ordinary households to uncover the daily rhythms of long-lost cities.

Identifying healthy human "knockouts"—people completely lacking a specific gene—may suggest new biomedical treatments.

Photographer Sussman presents portraits of really long-lived organisms from around the world.

Tapping recent findings from cognitive science and ethology, Suddendorf searches for what sets humans apart from other animals.

A listing of books received at Science during the week ending 09 May 2014.

The precautionary approach and collaborative governance must balance deep-ocean use and protection.

A combination of approaches to develop crops with improved yields is needed to address the demands of a growing population.

Seismic activity preceding recent large earthquakes, including the 1 April 2014 earthquake in Chile, hints that some large earthquakes may potentially be predictable.

The handedness of circularly polarized light, which is normally controlled by rotating filters, was switched by the electric field direction in a light-emitting device. [Also see Report by Zhang et al.]

The receptor for human growth hormone is poised like scissors to transmit signals across the cell membrane when activated. [Also see Research Article by Brooks et al.]

Real-time atomic force microscopy provides insights into complex processes associated with crystal growth. [Also see Report by Lupulescu and Rimer]

Advances in synthesis are leading to thermoset plastics that can be converted to the starting monomers. [Also see Report by García et al.]

Uncovering how an RNA-protein molecular scalpel targets DNA will advance our ability to engineer genomes.

A molecular mechanism for transmembrane signaling by the growth hormone receptor is elucidated. [Also see Perspective by Wells and Kossiakoff]

Amembrane and signaling protein interaction network for gene discovery and hypothesis generation is identified in Arabidopsis.

The diffusion of spin orientation is observed in a gas of potassium atoms in a magnetic field gradient.

The valley degree of freedom in WSe₂ is used to realize an electrically switchable, circularly polarized light source. [Also see Perspective by Zaumseil]

Silicalite-1 growth occurs via the addition of silica molecules and precursors, confirming both main theories. [Also see Perspective by Dandekar and Doherty]

A strong polymer formed by heating can be digested with strong acid to recover and recycle its bisaniline monomers. [Also see Perspective by Long]

The onset of rapid collapse of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is likely within the next 200 to 1000 years.

Parallel speciation in insects shows both convergent and divergent selection after one generation.

An in vitro model of developing bone from a mouse model is amenable to nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.

Population dynamics of Scandinavian Mesolithic and Neolithic hunter-gatherers differ from those of early farmers.

The differences between Paleoamericans and Native Americans likely resulted from local evolution.

Nematode pheromones modulate a neuroendocrine pathway that converts dietary fats into sperm-attracting prostaglandins.

Host-derived viral auxiliary metabolic genes for sulfur oxidation play a key biogeochemical role in the dark ocean.

The molecular basis of an all-or-none response in B cells is revealed.

On this week's show: Avoiding quantum back-action effects and a roundup of stories from our daily news site.

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