Tropical cyclone damage costs are set to increase dramatically because of climate change, and population and economic growth, says a study.

A conference in India has heard calls for new, science-based development indices in the run-up to the Rio+20 summit.

Software applications, or apps, that help solve East African farmers' climate problems have received cash prizes in the Apps4Africa competition.

Higher temperatures could decrease wheat yields by causing the crop to age prematurely.

Pakistan's medical laboratory workers need better biosafety awareness says a new study.

Ocean acidification caused by human activities is likely to hit the Caribbean and west tropical Pacific regions the most.

Slash-and-burn agriculture is more sustainable than modern clearing methods and improves biodiversity, a study suggests.

A drug undergoing clinical trials for sleeping sickness could also treat leishmaniasis, say researchers who have tested it on mice.

Science institutions from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are collaborating on the study of high-impact diseases in the region.

A report by the UN secretary-general's panel on global sustainability adds weight to calls for more science in policymaking.

Chile's parliament has substantially improved its tax incentives for companies to invest in R&D.

Policies favouring black and mixed-race students in Brazil is closing the educational gap, but disadvantages still persist.

Engineers want the Rio+20 summit proposals to give more emphasis to the role engineering plays in driving sustainable development.

An integrated control programme means Suriname is close to becoming the first Amazonian country to eliminate malaria.

A bioprospecting project in Panama is the first to be funded by the Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund.

Newly-developed software to monitor food prices of staple crops may help reduce volatility in food prices in many Sub-Saharan countries.

Bhutan has successfully brought down malaria cases, but fears reversals from global warming.

Centre will enable semiconductor and electronics companies to achieve growth and raise exports.

Unprecedented collaboration by drug firms, ambitious targets and more funds form part of a new fight against neglected tropical diseases.

A controversial science reform that gave the Venezuelan government more control over a private sector R&D tax has boosted science funding.