SciDev.Net

A proposal for tackling dengue fever has caused controversy because it would involve releasing GM mosquitoes into the wild.

An agricultural scientist whose work in sorghum improvement has benefited African farmers has won the World Food Prize.

Locking carbon away as charcoal in the soil could help to mitigate climate change but whether it will work in practice remains a mystery.

The executive director of the Gates Foundation tells SciDev.Net why he is throwing conventional research proposals into the bin.

A tiny solar-powered microscope with no lens could be a cheap and disposable alternative for malaria diagnosis

Electing a new UNESCO director-general could be a turning point for its science, but can the candidates meet the challenge?

Nanotechnology could help give millions clean drinking water. David J. Grimshaw outlines the potential, the progress and some of the risks.

Can nanosponges solve a continent's water contamination problems? Munyaradzi Makoni investigates.

Using low-soot stoves in Africa and Asia would cut levels of black carbon, which warms the atmosphere.

The United States should invest in developing-world health and science for diplomatic and ethical reasons, argues one of its top science advisers.

Scientists are monitoring people at risk of catching diseases from animals, in the hope of preventing a pandemic

Developing world farmers are leading the way in the adoption of genetically modified crops.

Sian Lewis charts the ups and downs in donor funding for higher education in developing countries over the last half century.

Fostering a research culture has put Uganda's Makerere University back on its feet and is inspiring others, says Peter Wamboga-Mugirya.

Is hydroponics — a system using no soil and very little water — a route to increased food security? Some Cape Verdean farmers think so.

As tuberculosis strains that are resistant to all known drugs continue to emerge, scientists are trying new approaches to drug development.

Debate between locals and scientists is all the rage in Uganda — and the discussions are being taken to the next generation too.

The Internet is spreading to villages in the developing world — but sometimes in unexpected ways, reports Katherine Nightingale.

Polio is still with us, and scientists are having to rethink vaccination strategies for developing countries in the hope of eradication.

A Danish company is proving that there is profit to be made in making products for the poor, including a 'straw' that makes water drinkable.