2015 (VOLUME 27 No. 1)

Editorial

The first TWAS Meeting thirty years ago – Messages of support and encouragement

After a half-century of warnings, the loss of species is accelerating. We must summon the will and accelerate efforts to save our life-support system.

Brain drain has a deeply damaging effect on Caribbean countries. But is it possible that they could benefit by educating and training more scientists and sending them abroad?

As the focus on climate change intensifies in years to come, understanding and response will depend on scientists with detailed local climate knowledge.

The early challenges of crystal engineering should remind young scientists to see their dreams “with clarity, conscience, dedication and quality”

Science and technology can reduce the risk of destruction and death caused by natural disasters. But first, policymakers must make it a priority.

As nations develop, their need for energy will surge. To find solutions, scientists will have to leave their labs and go talk to policymakers, businesses and the public.

Within 30 years, we will have 2 billion new people to feed. To achieve food security, we must understand the role of women in food production and environmental protection.

Developed nations are wealthy and wellnourished thanks to plants derived long ago from the less-affluent nations. It’s time for the South to embrace a new plan.

To win back the public’s trust, medical scientists must seek a new era of improved research ethics and transparency.

In coming years, Africa will need to educate and train more than million new scientists and engineers. How to do it? The emerging economies offer good models.

Information and communication technologies are driving development through innovation in education, health and banking. But to achieve the full benefit, we must seek universal access.

A pioneering campaign to control leprosy in Pakistan provides a powerful model for future science cooperation among nations, researchers and NGOs.

In a time of dramatic evolution, amazing discovery and occasional controversy, science journalists are the vital conduit between researchers, policymakers and the public.

An aversion to mathematics among young people requires broad, creative efforts to encourage skills and raise awareness of its value to society.

We know that nutrition, education and disease-control help overcome poverty. Slowly, we’re realizing the importance of mental health, too.

Global brain research projects, supported by powerful new imaging technology, make neuroscience a promising field for young researchers.

A combination of natural and social sciences, and effective South-North partnerships, are helping to support fisheries in the developing world.

In order for science to achieve its full potential for humanity, policy must support stronger bonds between researchers and governments.

Research is needed to understand how parental practices in the developing world may be inhibiting the development of their children.

When you bring together committed scientists who work in a region of conflict, borders dissolve and human issues come into focus.

Critics warn of poverty and pollution in sprawling mega-cities. But cities are engines of innovation, and we must envision a new harmony between urban and rural areas.

Step 1: Invest in research, especially in physics and the basic sciences. Step 2: Nurture a culture of science. The result: Innovation that drives development.

The global water crisis is linked to increasing demand and degraded supplies. To assure future supplies, policy and pricing must support innovative strategies.

To develop an innovation culture, we need to bring more women into science and engineering. To do that, we must look at policy and culture in new ways.

Many young scientists are among the brightest and most creative people in their generation. How can we free them to do their best work?