English may be the language of science, but students learn better and contribute more when taught in their local tongue, says Giovanni Tapang.

Some Muslim countries' powerful financial incentives to make quick progress in research could backfire, cautions Athar Osama.

Rio+20 should set up a scientific cooperation mechanism drawing on capabilities in both North and South, say Gisbert Glaser and Alice Abreu.

The online encyclopaedia can fill a resource gap for students, policymakers and the public, say Samuel A. Assefa and Alex Bateman.

The developing world is not well served by traditional research publishing, but can break new ground with open access, argues Leslie Chan.

Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan of Jordan discusses how global cooperation on science can benefit a knowledge-hungry world.

Neither dispassionate information nor scare stories are the answer: we need public engagement on health interventions, argues Priya Shetty.

Few science centres offer hands-on experience for young people in Africa. Support is needed for an expansion plan, says Graham Durant.

Indian science is bureaucratic and needs to keep up with the demands of liberalisation, says M. Vijayan.

'Boundary organisations' offer a space away from politics for scientists to engage government officials with their research, says Scott Drimie.

The arXiv.org site helps developing world researchers ensure their papers are not short shrifted by reviewers and original ideas get due credit, says Praveen Chaddah.

Online tools reveal a lot about world science — except location. 'Geotags' can fill a knowledge gap and throw up surprises, says Nigel Pitman.

Low levels of science literacy must be tackled by improving China's science media and encouraging scientists to get involved, says Li Daguang.

To see the research they fund in action, donors should work with good local governance, not informal networks, writes Justin O. Parkhurst.

Health scientists in developing countries can use social media to tackle research priorities, argue Alexander E. T. Finlayson and colleagues.

China's emphasis on journal impact factors to evaluate the quality of scientific work is damaging chemistry research, says Nai-Xing Wang.

Ambitious plans for a 'desert development corridor' in Egypt could provide a concrete example of the social value of science, says Athar Osama.

Young researchers in the developing world must get the support they need to help their countries alleviate poverty, argues Romain Murenzi.

More women teachers and better teaching methods will encourage girls to engage with science, says science educator Minella Clutario Alarcon.

The Islamic world needs new mechanisms that enable leaders to interact informally and share scientific knowledge, argues Athar Osama.