More than 6,000 US clinical trials are now conducted overseas, and the number is quietly rising in South America.

Developing countries are attractive places to run clinical trials, but in many places ethical oversight falls short.

After years of legal wrangling and controversy, authorities finally approved an anti-HIV drug trial. Sharon Davis and Christina Scott report.

The rising profile of Islamist political parties in the governments of Muslim countries is likely to further restrict academic freedom in these countries, reports Ehsan Masood.

John Bohannon reports on efforts to bridge the divide between science and religion in Iran.

South Africa's physics community has mirrored the country's move from apartheid to liberation, and is now working hard to attract fresh talent. Christina Scott reports.

A Chinese scientist claims that cells from aborted foetuses can treat people with neurological diseases, but Western journals refuse to publish his work, reports David Cyranoski.

Mayana Zatz describes her research on genetic diseases in Brazil and welcomes a new law allowing stem cell research.