There are high hopes that Pope Francis I will usher in an era of health reform and social activism, but doubts remain, finds Imogen Mathers.

Science cafés — where scientists talk to local people at popular meeting places — are gaining popularity in Africa, as Esther Nakkazi reports.

The pursuit of an AIDS vaccine has boosted African research and capacity to conduct trials, and encouraged other countries to follow suit.

A microbicide gel showed promise for the first time this year, but a range of HIV prevention could hit shelves in the next few years.

A successful vaccine trial, new drugs, and improved understanding have given new hope to the HIV/AIDS research community.

A healthy diet is more than just calories. Priya Shetty gets the figures on the cost of poor nutrition — and the scale of the challenge.

Many HIV vaccines and microbicides have failed clinical trials and HIV researchers say the field needs to get back to basics.

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

Scientific evidence helped bring clemency for the medics found guilty of infecting Libyan children with HIV, writes Declan Butler.

Bovine tuberculosis is no less dangerous to humans than common TB, but relatively little is known about it, reports Natasha Bolognesi.

Two HIV research centres in South Africa are producing vital science, but with almost no collaboration between them, reports Michael Cherry.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is an ecological success, but will need long-term monitoring, say Changhui Peng and colleagues.

The division between global programmes to fight TB and HIV is undermining the fight against the two diseases — but there are signs of change, reports Apoorva Mandavilli.

Oil and gas companies have launched an ambitious partnership for confronting a potential HIV explosion in the Niger delta.

South Africa has unveiled a new plan for tackling HIV/AIDS, seeking to end the controversy of the recent past, reports Robert Koenig.

Natasha Bolognesi reports on one woman's efforts to bridge the divide between Western science and traditional medicine in South Africa.

Jon Cohen reports from Latin America and the Caribbean on the region's HIV/AIDS epidemic and efforts to control it.

With an HIV vaccine proving elusive, researchers are assessing the value of simpler, preventive strategies to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Government inaction and changing sexual habits could make HIV infection in India spill over into the wider population, reports Apoorva Mandavilli.