Space programmes can assist development work but are they taking cash better spent on ground-based efforts? Talent Ng'andwe investigates.

Tanzanian government funding aims to help weavers, wood carvers and furniture makers profit from science, says George Achia.

Researchers hope to benefit users in developing nations by turning 'feature' phones into virtual smartphones, finds Jan Piotrowski.

Drones could be used to deliver medicines and protect vulnerable people, but major hurdles remain, finds Rodrigo de Oliveira Andrade.

Researchers say weak policy undermines Kenya's innovation landscape, but hope new science projects will shake things up, reports George Achia.

Nuclear technology could transform Africa's energy security and help solve wider development challenges, Shaukat Abdulrazak, new chair of AFRA, tells SciDev.Net.

An open-source site, CrowdVoice, aims to make governments more transparent and accountable, its co-creator, Esra'a Al Shafei, tells SciDev.Net.

SciDev.Net brings you a selection of the best feature articles of 2012 curated by our editors in London.

Indigenous knowledge and science often seem poles apart, but meshing them can curb disaster risk, reports Smriti Mallapaty.

Lucy Pearson looks at early warning systems for disasters, their uses and limits, and what accounts for the gap between warning and action.

With the growth of online science networks, geography and economics no longer dictate how research is undertaken or published, finds Smriti Mallapaty.

Making access to science a human right is a worthy goal, but how can it be enshrined? And will it really deliver? Jan Piotrowski investigates.

S. Romi Mukherjee outlines human rights-based approaches to science, technology and development, and what they mean for policy and practice.

Innovations in relief technologies are vital in the world's complex conflict zones. But there are barriers to overcome, writes Imogen Mathers.

With China controlling most of valuable rare-earth mineral supplies, India makes a strategic move to back exploration off its own coast, writes Paula Park.

Aid innovators are calling for more interaction with research and development communities, ahead of World Humanitarian Day, reports Imogen Mathers.

Scientists in China and the United States are using modern biotechnology to help prove that traditional medicine has a powerful pharmacological value.

Odenildo Sena discusses Brazilian science policy and shares his views on the main challenges for pushing science in the Amazon region.

Frank Rijsberman speaks to Busani Bafana about his plans for the CGIAR Consortium and the importance of agricultural research investment.